I wake up extra early for school, planning to sneak out while everyone is still asleep. I know that I told myself that I’m not going to act like a coward, but I don’t think I can handle seeing any of the assholes who happen to be my hall mates this morning, without losing my shit entirely.
It occurs to me as I step out onto the driveway and my gaze falls on the matte black sports car, that I’m pretty sure it belongs to a certain angel faced devil. I can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face when I notice that someone has left the keys in the ignition. It’s almost as if the universe is telling me to do this. I say a silent thank you and walk towards the car. The paint job is so flawless, that it’s almost a shame. Almost.
I don’t know what I’m going to do at first, but again, as if being guided by the powers that be, I notice a half empty vodka bottle from last night’s party on the front steps. A few feet from that there is a discarded t-shirt and a packet of cigarettes with a lighter. I’m suddenly extremely thankful for that damned party last night. Best idea ever.
I start up the engine and as it roars to life, I’m scared that it’ll wake up my demonic hall mates. Thankfully, no one comes out. I drive away from Sovereign Hall, towards the edge of the bluff.
I’ve never made an alcohol bomb before, but I’ve seen it done on TV enough times to get the gist. I hope that the method shown on TV is actually correct.
I launch the vodka bottle, with the flaming t-shirt shoved into the neck, through the open driver’s side window, and don’t stick around to watch as Raph’s sleek black ride goes up in flames.
My phone rings as I walk towards campus with a renewed spring in my step.
“Jazmine, just calling to check on you. Everything okay?” Magnus’s voice says, as I pick up on the second ring.
“Everything’s great,” I reply cheerfully. In fact, it’s more than great.
“What are you up to? Anything interesting?”
Oh, nothing much. Just finished blowing up Raphael St. Tristan’s car.
“Just going to class,” I reply innocently and I’m glad he can’t see the shit-eating grin on my face.
I’m still wearing the same shit-eating grin all through first period physics and second period algebra. I can tell from the way that Dani is eyeing me, that she’s totally confused by my sudden good mood.
“You seem … awfully cheerful this morning,” she says tentatively, as we pack up at the end of algebra.
“Do I?” I reply innocently.
“I would’ve thought that you’d be upset. I heard that Raph threw you in the pool at last night’s party. In front of everyone.”
The memory still makes my blood simmer, but it’s hard to stay angry when I’m still feeling the high of my earlier act of revenge. All morning I’ve been half expecting Raph to come bursting through the classroom door and to drag me outside by the hair to face a public firing squad. But it doesn’t happen, so I let myself ride the wave of post-revenge satisfaction for a while longer.
“It was no big deal,” I reply with a shrug.
“No big deal?” Dani echoes, looking perplexed.
I contemplate telling her then, but I don’t for a minute think I’m going to get away with what I did this morning and I don’t want to implicate Dani. She’ll find out soon enough.
Soon is sooner than I think. We stop by my locker on the way to the cafeteria, so that I can drop off my books.
I’m in mid-sentence, opening my locker, when I feel the heat of an explosion rushing towards me. I grab Dani and duck just in time to avoid the roaring flames. Dani gets up and I can feel my eyes widen as she releases a stream of wind and water from each palm, dousing the fire. I guess having elemental powers comes in handy in the face of a locker bomb.
I scramble to my feet and it’s at that exact moment that Raph walks past with Baron and Lance flanking him on each side. The crowd that’s formed in the hall parts like the red sea for them. I catch Baron’s smirk as he glances my way.
But I stop breathing altogether as Raph fixes that icy glare on me. He says nothing, not even stopping to look at my charred locker. But the look in those eyes tells me everything I need to know. It was him.
I feel like running after him and launching myself on his back. But I force myself to stay calm.
“What the hell was that?” Dani asks, her eyes wide as she comes to stand beside me.
“A death wish,” I mutter.
Dani looks alarmed as she follows on my heels into the cafeteria. I maintain my calm as I pick my lunch. I go for the fancy looking soup and fill my bowl to the brim.
“That’s a lot of soup,” Dani says, as she eyes my overflowing bowl.
“I’m hungry,” I reply simply, schooling my expression blank.
The cafeteria is packed full of people as I maneuver the room, Dani following close behind. But instead of heading towards the patio doors, I turn towards the center of the room.
Raph is sitting on his throne, surrounded by his loyal subjects, with his queen bitch sitting on his lap. Baron, Lance and Keller notice me standing behind Raph. One of them, I think it’s Lance, opens his mouth to say something. But it’s too late as I pour the contents of my overflowing bowl of soup over Raph’s golden blonde head.
The cafeteria plunges into silence and the only sound is Layla’s screech of death as she clambers off Raph’s lap. I wish I had two bowls of soup so that I could have doused her, too.
Raph shoots up in his chair and turns to face me. Everyone is staring now. Everyone. Beside me, I can hear Dani let out a whimper, but she sticks by my side.
“What the fuck?” Raph shouts. Even with soup running down his face, he still looks impossibly beautiful. It makes me angrier. I’m not the only one though, because he looks like he’s about two seconds from exploding. I should be scared, he’s meant to be freakishly powerful. He can probably set me on fire with just a snap of his fingers, but I stand my ground and look him dead in the eye. I realize then that I hate this guy. I don’t think that I’ve ever actually hated anyone before, but I completely, totally and utterly hate him.
“You firebombed my locker,” I reply flatly, glad for the deathly calm in my tone, although I feel far from calm.
“And you blew up my car!” He hollers. A round of gasps followed by whispers break out around us.
“Because you tried to drown me last night!” I scream back.
“And why was that, Jaz? You think feeding my trophies to the fishes is cute?”
Another round of gasps.
We stare each other down in silence, and no one else makes a sound. It’s so still, I can literally hear my own breathing.
“Well, I guess we’re even now,” I say finally, my voice a ragged whisper.
Raph seems to calm down then and it makes him all the more dangerous. He flashes me a smile which is as beautiful as it is disturbing.
“Oh, no, baby, we’re far from even.” The promise echoes through my ears long after he stalks off out of the cafeteria and I take my seat at the table in the remote corner.
Dani and I eat mostly in silence as conversation around us resumes. But I can still feel eyes on me. I half expect one of the other Dynasty heirs, Layla in particular, to come and mouth off at me or worse. But nothing happens.