229Disclaimer: Anything that is underlined I do not own.
"Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other."
Revelation 6:4
Tuesdays were not my day. They never had been and never would be. It would start in the morning when I got up. Looking in the mirror I could see my annoying dark roots that needed to be dyed. (Couldn't my mom have just birthed me with green hair? Shouldn't she have instinctively known that it would match my eyes?) I wouldn't be able to find any clean clothing and would have to skim off the top of the laundry pile. There would be nothing in the fridge for breakfast. It would be cloudy or raining. My car would refuse to move, unless it had been warmed up for twenty minutes. And the coffee machine would refuse to make my coffee.
The worst, the absolute worst thing about Tuesdays was that there would be no candy left. Nothing, no jolly ranchers, jelly beans, tootsie pops, caramels and even more horrific, no gumdrops. A world with out gumdrops would be impossible to live in. Seriously, I think I would spontaneously explode.
I should have been smarter about my candy consumption. Only eating what I really wanted. This was impossible for me, once I got candy I had to eat it. Not doing so was tempting the apocalypse.
I opened my candy drawer to see that it was empty. I sighed sadly, there weren't even any gumdrops. Today it seemed that the apocalypse was unavoidable.
Yes, Tuesdays always sucked.
It was on last Tuesday that I saw that cocky shit that I had officially named Hallboy.
My body broke out into goose bumps at the thought of him. I rubbed my arms vigorously, trying to get rid of them. I wasn't usually the type of girl to go goo goo over some guy I'd just seen, and blamed the lack of sugar in my body on my uncharacteristic behavior.
But even I had to admit there was something different about this one.
He wasn't the cookie cutter type that I was used to. He wasn't out right, stop you in your tracks, want to push you up against the wall and make out with you gorgeous, like my last boyfriend had been. He didn't even look like he was super smart or anything.
He was everything your mother had ever warned you about before you left for college.
He had thick dark hair that he covered with a trucker hat. His face wasn't chiseled but had a certain amount of charm, making it impossible to look away from. His nose looked like it had been broken several times, by choice, not cause anyone had ever forced him into a corner. His body was the type that women would build temples to, and artists would cut their ears off to paint. He was tall to, even taller than my brother, and leanly muscled like a panther. He looked like he could beat you up easy, and you might even like it. His arms were covered with tattoos that stopped right before his large block sized hands.
I didn't notice any of this the first time I saw him. No, those things were just after thoughts, cause the first time I saw him all I could see were his eyes. The color of mercury and smiling condescendingly at me, they mirrored the smirk permanently planted on his perfect mouth. They were cold and calculating, as he sized me up. Challenging me in away no one had in years. His gaze stoked and started a fire in gut that had been missing for a while, and I couldn't help but be angry at him for doing that. I had gotten used to being numb towards the opposite sex over the summer, and feelings were always dangerous.
And he radiated danger. Pure, unadulterated, dipped in hot fudge, topped with whipped cream and a bunch of green gumdrops on top danger.
I'd be lying if I said it didn't turn me on, didn't tempt me.
He was all I could think about for the past week.
And it sucked. Just like Tuesdays.
There was one bright light in the abyss that was called Tuesday, it was my product design class. Product design was all about solving problems. Figuring out the best way to market something. How to make it user friendly. What could you do to make sure it would cater to the selected demographic. These were all puzzles that a product designer had to solve, and if there was one thing I prided myself on it was my ability to dissect a situation and figure out things. I may not have been blessed with athletic prowess like my brother Drew, but god certainly hadn't skimped on my brain power.
All the happy thoughts that the end of my class had left me with were quickly erased once I stepped out into the hall way. Right there, waiting across from the class room door was Hallboy.
He smirked at me in an infuriatingly cocky way as I walked out. I pretended I didn't see him as he started to walk behind me, figuring that it would be the best course of action. I opened up a bag of gummy worms and viciously ripped into a red one, pretending it was his head. I didn't feel him following me anymore, and let my body relax. I grabbed another worm out of the bag, sucked through my lips and into my mouth.
Unfortunately I had under estimated his tenacity.
"Hey!" He called out. Like the rest of him his voice was irresistible, Clint Eastwood like, deep and gravely, but with a temptingly playful lilt to it. It certainly got my heart pounding.
I ignored him again, and stuffed my mouth with two more gummy worms. At least now, with a full mouth I had a reason not to talk to him. I didn't want to even hear what he had to say. Cause boys like him, charming boys, the kind that people always warned you about were always trouble. They'd get you before you even realized you'd been caught.
"Hey!" He called again. "Lady with the green hair."
I grimaced, swallowing what was left of the gummy worms. There was no way I could ignore him now, not when he'd singled me out like that. I turned around and was met with the sight of his broad well muscled chest. My throat went dry and it became uncomfortable to breath. I crossed my arms and looked up at his face. There was that cocky ass smile I had learned to expect from him, despite this being only my second time seeing him. His eyes looked like they were laughing at some private joke about me. I did not find it funny, not one bit.
"Dustin Schonals" He said sending me a charming grin and sticking out his hand.
I didn't take his hand. I wanted to tell him that I was sure that smile of his worked on every other girl, but it wouldn't work on me. My mom, brother and best friend had warned me about guys like him and I didn't listen the last time, now I would heed their warning.
"I saw you across the hall last Tuesday." He said when I still didn't take his hand. "Just thought I should introduce myself."
I took his hand hesitantly and shook it. I couldn't help but notice how his large hand seemed engulf mine, it was warm and not entirely unpleasant. He seemed to sense my reaction, and I didn't miss the way his grin widened.
"Melissa." I said tonelessly.
"Do you have a last name?" He asked playfully. That definitely wasn't going to work on me, it might have if he'd come before my last boyfriend.
"You'll have to earn it." I replied tersely, dropping his hand.
Unlike my best friend Li I had absolutely no problem with letting people know when they annoyed me. I walked away from him towards the elevators. Unfortunately Hallboy, excuse me, Dustin didn't get the message. Before he could speak again I cut him off.
"I'm not interested." I said pushing the down button for the elevator. It was far from the truth, but I knew I wasn't ready for a relationship, not after the Jerome fiasco. "You're probably great. Charming even. You know what to say to a girl, and when to say it. You know how to push all the right buttons while fornicating with someone of the opposite sex. You'll make her moan and sigh with delight. Hell, you'll be a gentleman and let her climax before you do." I taunted, suppressing my smile at the look of shock on his face. "And you know how to keep a girl coming back for more, even if she'll hate herself for it. You probably even have two phones, one for your hoochies, and another for your bros." My elevator came now, and I stepped into it. "But I'm not gonna be one of those girls. Maybe you thought I was easy cause of the green hair, but I'm not. Maybe you thought I'd be notch number fifty on you're bed, but that's not gonna happen. Maybe you thought I'd be contact number eighty seven on the hoochie phone. But really, I won't ever be any single one of those things. So you see Dustin things wouldn't ever work out between us." I finished as the elevator doors closed.
Hallboy was undeterred by my little speech, and stepped in front of the doors before they could fully shut. I almost looked up and asked the elevator ceiling Why? Why do Tuesdays suck so much? Hallboy distracted me before I could do such a thing. He stepped towards me, leaving only a whisper of space between our bodies. He towered above me like no one I had ever known, there was at least a ten inch difference between our heights. I craned my neck back to look up at him, the action made me feel exposed. Suddenly I couldn't breath, air caught against the dry walls of my throat, my heart banging rapidly against my rib cage. I had forgotten what lust could feel like.
"You like me." He whispered leaning down towards my ear. His words tickling me, taunting and tempting my desire for him. "You don't want to admit it, but you do. You want me, and it burns you up inside." My body had gone as still as a statue, and he laughed arrogantly. "Let the fire out baby. I don't mind getting burned." He purred, trailing a finger tip down my arm, causing goose bumps to erupt in its wake.
His face was smug and playful, contradicting what the cool calculation of his eyes. He was trying to figure out how to break me.
Because of that I hated how my body reacted. I wished he didn't effect me so. Before whatever was going on could go any further, I wordlessly pushed him away from the elevator doors and waited for them to close. I stared blankly past him in an effort to show him that he didn't affect me.
"See you later Issa." He smirked. His cocky silver eyes catching mine.
"It's Melissa." I growled through clenched teeth, returning his gaze.
I heard him laugh as the doors shut.
Yes, my mother had always warned me.
And yes, Tuesdays would always suck.
I glared at the blue gummy worm I was unconsciously clutching in my hand. Using my front teeth I tore its head off.
I should have just stopped thinking about him, instead I dug up his dirt.
His name was Dustin Tyler Schonals, and apparently he was a big to do on campus.
He was an Industrial design major, like me, but he was focusing more on transportation design instead of product.
He'd had a very successful internship at Ford the summer before, and it was rumored that he'd get a position there the moment he stepped off campus.
Those weren't the only rumors about him.
As I had guessed, he was a ladies man.
Apparently he could pleasure you in ways you had never dreamed of. If there was anyone that you wanted to pop your cherry it was him, cause he'd be kind about it, get rid of that pesky hymen quick and easy. It didn't matter that he wouldn't give you a second look if you passed him in the hall the next day.
God, girls could be so stupid.
I could be so stupid.
Dustin had been everywhere I was these past two weeks.
I couldn't fully blame because all of the Industrial Design classes were located on the same floor. I could blame him though for the mini battles he would stage whenever we were in the the same area. He never said anything to me, instead he did things that he seemed to instinctively know would get a reaction out of me.
He would smirk at me when I passed him in the hall. He let out a loud wolf whistle when I was in a skirt. He would steal the elevator I had been waiting for, forcing me to either be with him in the tightly enclosed space, or take the stairs.
Three guesses as to why my legs were looking so toned lately.
It had become some kind of war between us to see who would break first. He fired his missiles at me constantly, looking for any sort of reaction. And I had no way to fight back. I didn't know how or what to do, so I did the only thing that I knew would irritate him more. I ignored him. Unfortunately this only seemed to fortify his resolve.
Consequently, as I took a seat in my afternoon class, I found that the last sliver of my mental strength was on the verge of dissolving. I ripped open a bag of sour skittles and started consuming them rapidly.
"You alright?"
I looked up to see my friend Trina staring down at me, and shook my head.
"I could tell." She snorted, taking a seat next to me and opening her laptop. "Even your bright ass hair is looking dull."
Trina was one of the only friends I had made during the past year. She was gorgeous in an undeniable way. She was two inches taller than me, standing at six foot one, had the body of an amazon, and a face that would make men weak in the knees from just one glance. With her height, dark hair, and light eyes people often thought we were siblings. I found this idea laughable. Trina was stunningly beautiful, I was merely mediocre compared to her.
"I need to dye it." I said, closing my eyes and popping another skittle into my mouth. I sucked away all the salt and bit into it, savoring the fruity flavor. "Wanna help me?"
"Hell no. Last time when I helped you that green goop stained my hands for a month." She replied. "Seriously though, whats up? You haven't been like this since you broke up with Jerome."
The mentions of Jerome made my stomach twist unpleasantly. We had broken up this past summer, and it hadn't been pretty. I still couldn't bring myself to think about it.
"Do you know someone named Dustin Schonals?" I asked casually.
Trina rolled her eyes. "Who doesn't know the boy? He's supposed to be the next great design god that we'll all be worshiping."
I bit the inside of my lip and looked down. Despite all my research I hadn't realized the scope of what Dustin seemed to be. I abruptly shoved a handful of skittles into my mouth, hoping that there fruity goodness would take my mind off of him.
"Oh. My. God." Trina said looking at me wide eyed.
"What?" I asked, not understanding her sudden shock.
"You, you like him don't you?" She accused, her azure colored eyes narrowing into slits.
"No! I don't!" I protested through the goopy skittles mess in my mouth. It was true to a certain extent. I didn't like him yet, but I knew that if I continued to interact with him I'd be on my way.
"Then why are you asking about him?" Trina asked, her eyes still narrowed.
"He's just annoying that's all." I replied, finally swallowing the candy.
"Yeah right." She grumbled. "Dustin Schonals is not annoying. A great designer, yes. Smart, yes. Sexy as hell, yes. The boy is not annoying."
"Yes he is." I insisted. I reached into the skittles bag only to find it empty. I frowned, and pulled another bag out of my backpack. At this rate I would need to go shopping for candy every other day.
Trina looked at me incredulously as I started to open the skittles bag. "How do you stay so skinny? And why aren't your teeth rotting?" She asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Good genes I guess." I popped another handful of skittles into my mouth. "But seriously though that Dustin kid is annoying."
Trina rolled her eyes at me. "Before I can argue with you, I need to know why you think he's annoying."
I told her about how he'd stared me down, about the elevator incident, and the ones that followed it. Trina was far from sympathetic. She just looked at me and laughed.
"Don't laugh at me!" I said, slapping her arm. "Tell me what to do so I can get rid of him."
"Oh honey." She said. "I don't think it's possible for you to get rid of him now."
I shoved some more skittles into my mouth, and quirked a brow at her.
"He likes you." She said slowly, as if she was talking to a small child.
The mere thought made my ears turn red. Guys like Dustin didn't ever like girls. They favored them, but not full out like leading to love liked them.
"Don't believe me." Trina replied to the skeptical look on my face. "But if he's still going after you in two weeks then you'll know I was right."
I was spared from having to come up with a response since our professor entered the room. I breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Two and a half hours later I walked out of the class room. Despite the copious amounts of sugar I had consumed my eye lids felt heavy, and my body lethargic. At first I didn't even notice that he was there. I thought that maybe I'd had an unnatural stroke of luck. Then I noticed the mercury colored eyes that were following me as I walked down the hall. I had to pull my lips over my teeth to contain a groan from coming out.
I grabbed a tootsie pop from my purse, and jammed it into my mouth. The cherry flavor briefly distracted me from him. But Because I had slowed down to open it up Dustin was now walking right beside me. The candy in my mouth prevented an agitated moan from escaping my mouth. I kept walking forward, hoping that if I ignored him he would go away. Dustin held his silence for a mere ten seconds before that incessant mouth of his started to make sounds.
"Come on Gumdrop. You can't ignore me for forever." He said, sending me an impish grin. I noticed he had a dimple in his left cheek when he smiled. It was adorable.
I did not just think that.
I shook my head vigorously, and continued to ignore him and walk forward. We had reached the elevators now. Dustin was still beside me as I pressed the down button. I prayed that my elevator would come soon.
"Gumdrop, why won't you talk to me?" He whined. I nearly smiled at the pathetic look on his face. My urge to smile evaporated quickly though, as Dustin got on his knees and looked up at me.
"Gumdrop!" He said, looking up at me with puppy dog eyes. "Please just talk to me!" He begged melodramatically, and abruptly clasped onto my legs right below my knees.
The sudden impact caused me to topple backwards and land on hard on my butt. I tried to get up, but couldn't since Dustin's arms were still wrapped around the bottom of my legs, his large block hands firmly holding me into place. I had been annoyed when he first started talking to me, embarrassed when he'd gotten down on his knees in front of me, but now I was royally pissed. The mother fucker wasn't gonna know what hit him.
"Let go." I growled, violently ripping the tasty tootsie pop from my mouth. Instead of looking ashamed or intimidated Dustin's grin just widened even more, his eyes sparkling like polished sliver.
"Not until you tell me why you won't talk to me Gumdrop!" He pouted. His eyes were filled with mirth and there was a wicked smirk on his tempting mouth.
"Cause you're fucking crazy!" I muttered.
I sat up straighter now, and leaned forward to remove his arms from around my legs. Unfortunately two things I hadn't been expecting happened. One, Dustin's arms tightened around my legs. He sat up now also, crossing his legs, and pulling mine into his lap. Two, we were much closer now. I could see every exquisite detail of his face. How his lower lip was significantly fuller than his upper, his lashes were thick and feather like. All details that I hadn't noticed from far away. My heart started to pound in my chest against my rib cage, and I could no longer breath rhythmically.
Dustin seemed to notice all these things, and sent me a predatory grin.
"See Gumdrop. You really do like me." He said cockily, sending me a charming smile. I was sure that smile had led the de-virginizing of many girls.
"I don't like you." I snarled, baring my teeth at him. I hoped that he would get scared and let go.
"Gumdrop." He said patronizingly, taking the tootsie pop from my hands and popping it into his mouth. I started to protest, but was cut off. "Don't deny your feelings for me." He lazily stroked his long fingers up my leg, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.
I worked very hard to ignore the feelings that his wandering fingers were evoking. I bit my lip hard, sucking it into my mouth so I would be distracted from the heat rapidly pooling in my stomach. Dustin grinned at me with a triumphant look on his face. If the douche bag thought I broke that easily he had another think coming.
I used his loosened grip on my legs to my advantage and kicked his stomach. Not hard, just enough to cause him some discomfort. I got up as soon as his grip loosened, and collected my stuff. I couldn't find my purse, and panicked. Turning around I saw Dustin holding it, a victorious smirk planted on his face.
He stepped towards me, his gait predatory as he forced me to back up straight into a wall.
"That wasn't very nice Gumdrop." He said. His face was smiling playfully, but his eyes told another story. They were the color of gunmetal, the boy was pissed. I resisted the urge to quiver under his gaze, instead I glared back up at him.
"Give me my purse." I hissed.
"Only if you say please Gumdrop." I could hear his voice getting deeper. Gone was the playful edge, his eyes were cold and calculating once again.
I shot him an icy look. "My name is Melissa."
"I like Gumdrop better." He said glancing down briefly at my lips. "It's so much." He paused, sending me a wicked grin as he licked his lips. "Sweeter.
I snarled at him, not even saying anything. The boy had frustrated me beyond words.
To my surprise he handed my my purse. "I must leave you Gumdrop." He said dramatically. "Don't worry. I'll see you soon." He grinned as he walked away.
"My name is Melissa. Mel-iss-a!" I hollered at his retreating form. I got in the elevator quickly before he could return and annoy me some more. As the doors shut I glanced at his back one more time. His shoulders were shaking with laughter. "Stupid fucker." I mumbled to myself.
Later that night I was rummaging through my purse trying to find my cell phone. I pushed my hand to the bottom and felt around for it. I ended up finding my phone, and something else. There at the bottom of my purse was a small clear plastic bag, filled with green gumdrops, and tied closed with a bright green ribbon. I got it out of my purse and looked at it, wondering where it came from. I noticed that her was a note (also on green paper) attached to it. I opened it up immediately. It read, in deep emerald ink:
Gumdrops for my Gumdrop.
-The Candy Man
Candy Man my ass.
AN: Here's the first chapter I hope you guys like it! I love writing about Melissa cause she's like Li, but strong in her own way. I also wanted to answer some questions that came up.
Q: Who was Melissa talking about in the prologue?
A: She was talking about Dustin (Or as she likes to call him Hallboy). It was the first time that they'd seen eachother
Q: Did Melissa break up with Jerome?
A: Yes, Melissa and Jerome broke up. It wasn't pleasant and she hasn't talked to him since summer. There break up will be addressed later on in the story.
I wanted to give a HUGE Thank You to everyone that has been reading, and my reviewers: Eve's Deception, rainbow-oasis, duckliy543, beautiful chaos21, and dontneedyou. All your encouraging comments were helpful! Thank you so much : )
I'll try to get pictures of both Dustin and Trina up, but I haven't found any that I liked yet. The next chapter should be up soon.
Review if you feel the urge : )