Sympathy for the Devil

I ran into class, bumping into every one I crossed path with. It had only been a week and a half since the semester started and I had managed to be late for the third time. I just couldn't seem to be on time. In a way, I couldn't blame myself for being late, the hours were quite unusual. On Wednesday and Thursday, I had a period in the morning at 9 a.m., then my next one was at 11 a.m., my third one was at 1 p.m. and my last one was at 8 pm. The reason why I was late was because I went to sleep after I got home from my third period.

"I'm so going to be in deep shit!" I told myself as I continued running down the hallway. I looked at the numbers on the doors, not remembering correctly where this class was being held exactly.

I spotted the door a couple of feet away and smiled to myself, running towards the closed door. "Dammit!" I muttered to myself as I stopped in front of the it. I sighed and grabbed the door knob, turning it slowly. I pushed the it open, feeling everyone's eyes falling on me as I walked in and closed the door behind me.

"Why, good evening Mrs. Cooper. I'm glad you decided to join us again today." Mr. Wade said, making me feel embarrassed. I hated being the center of attention, but unfortunately for me, I was the one who brought it on myself.

"Sorry Mr. Wade, I-" I started, only to be cut off by him.

"I don't want to hear your excuse this time. You've been late three times already. Next time, I'll lock the door and you'll be left outside. Is that understood?" He asked me, making me feel even more embarrassed.

"Yes..." I mumbled and nodded at the same time. I walked up the stairs to the empty space next to a girl with black and pink hair. She smiled up at me and grabbed her bag, putting it down on the floor so I could sit next to her. I sat down on the bench and sighed. I grabbed my bag and pulled it on my lap, unzipping it and taking the books I needed for this class out. I put them down on the desk and opened the book at the same page the girl next to me had it.

"Now, could someone please tell me what this is." Mr. Wade asked the class, pointing to a picture that was on the board. The image was big enough so everyone could see it.

People were looking at one another, hoping someone would raise their hands before Mr. Wade would actually pick someone random to answer the question. I looked down in my book and wrote the name of the disease. I knew what it was, but I didn't want to say it out loud. I didn't want to be the center of attention.

I felt the girl next to me move and raise her hand. "Yes, Danni?" Mr. Wade said.

"It's Grover's disease." She replied.
"That's really good." He said as he nodded his head. "Did anyone else know what it was?" He asked, walking back and forth at the front of the class. Everyone looked at each other, mumbling a no.

"Yeah, I knew." I whispered.

"Why didn't you raise your hand and say it?" The girl asked me. "I saw you write the answer in your book." She added, looking at me with curiosity.

"Because, I hate being the center of attention, I'm more of the silent girl who just wants to fade in the background." I replied. Yeah that was me... the silent girl who was probably going to know the answer to all of Mr. Wade's questions and never put my hand up to answer any of them. I was such a nerd! In my free time, I would watch documentaries and do some research on diseases and stuff like that. I always was interested in these kinds of things. A little morbid, I know... but it intrigued me... I just had to know everything about them. The different types, what they did, how you could get them...

"Ah, I understand." She said, smiling at me. I looked back at her and returned her smile.

We sat there in silence until the period was finally over. I sighed in relief, thinking I would finally be able to go to bed and sleep. My class tomorrow was not until 10:30 a.m., which I was very grateful for. Not only was I grateful for that, but I was glad it was also Friday tomorrow. This meant I would be able to do my homework and study without worrying about going into class in less than an hour.

I got up and followed the group out of the door, walking slowly, letting them pass by. I clutched my bag close to my chest and walked down the hallway. People were running out of the building, wanting to go home. I looked down at the watch I had on my right wrist, it said 9:45 p.m. I gazed back up and continued walking down the almost empty hallway.

I pushed one of the doors and stepped out into the cold night air. I grabbed the cap of my coat and slipped it on as I glanced around, noticing I was alone on the campus. This was something I didn't like. I always hated being alone in a public place. I had no idea why, but it always made me feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was because I watch way too many horror films... that's what my mother would always tell me...

I stepped down the concrete stairs, hearing my own footsteps as I made my way down. I heard another sound close by and looked back at the entrance of the college, wondering if maybe it was someone coming out, but saw no one. I turned back around and continued my way down the stairs. I heard another sound coming from behind me and swirled back around, the action making me drop my bag and all of my books down on the ground.

"Dammit! Today is not my day..." I said out loud.

I was about to lean down and grab my bag and books, until someone crouched down and grabbed them for me, before I could do anything. I watched as he picked everything up and put it back in its place. He stood back up and handed me the bag.

"Thank you..." I said, looking at him. The man was beautiful. Probably the cutest guy I had ever seen in my entire life. He had short black hair that was slicked back, his eyes were captivating and were the most unusual color I had ever seen before. They seemed green and yellowish but I couldn't be sure because it was a little too dark outside. He seemed about 6'1 and quite muscular. He had a lot of tattoos on his arms, had the right side of his lip pierced and gauges in his ears.

"No problem." He replied with a smile. We stood there for what seemed like a few minutes until he spoke again. "Best be getting home little red riding hood, you never know who or what's lurking in the shadows..." He smirked. I felt a giggle escape my lips at the nickname he had given me, referring to my coat. I had a red coat on that looked a little bit like the little red riding hood's cape.

I smiled and walked passed him, turning back a couple of feet away to see if he was still there, which surprisingly, he was. He was staring back at me, a smile on his face. I turned back around, looking in front of me as I felt a blush creep up over my cheeks. I continued walking down the walkway slowly.

I finally arrived at the building where my temporary home was at and made my way up the stairs to my little apartment. Fortunately for me, I was alone. So I wasn't sharing it with anyone but myself, which was fine by me. This meant I didn't have to live in someone else's dirt and mess.

I unlocked and pushed the door, stepping inside of my home. I shut the door behind me, locking it and flicking the lights on. I took my coat off and hung it in the closet. I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass, walking over to my refrigerator and taking a bottle of water out of it. I poured water in my glass and put the bottle back in the fridge. I shut the lights off and walked to my bedroom. I flicked the lights on and walked to my dresser, putting my glass of water down on it. I opened one of the drawers and took a shirt and some pajama pants out of there, closing it with my hip once I had what I needed.

I made my way to my bed, laying my night clothes on the bed as I started to undress. I threw my dirty clothes on the floor and changed into my pj's. I pulled the covers away from my bed and stepped in it, pulling the covers back over me. I leaned over my dresser and pushed the off switch on my lamp.

I laid back down in bed and stared at my ceiling for a few minutes. I couldn't help but think back on my encounter with the mysterious guy. His captivating green and gold eyes, his dimpled smile and his husky voice... Everything about him was just... inviting. Who was he? How come I didn't notice him before? I know school started only a week and a half ago, but still, I'm sure I would have noticed him. He was just too... hot... for me to not notice him.

I rolled onto my right side and looked at my wall for a few seconds before closing my eyes. The last thing I saw in my mind before drifting into sleep was his eyes... staring back at me...

°¤°¤°¤°Next day°¤°¤°¤°

I ran into my kitchen and grabbed my keys. "Oh no, I won't be late!" I said to myself as I pulled the door open and stepped out of my apartment, shutting the door and locking it behind me. I ran down the stairs of the building and out the door. I ran across the campus towards the building's doors. I pushed one of them open and stepped inside. People were rushing, trying to get to their classes on time. I watched them as I made my way towards my classroom and smiled. It felt good to know I wasn't the only one running late.

I sat in silence in my seat, drawing something in my agenda as the teacher spoke in front of the class. Somehow, I couldn't concentrate on anything he was saying. My thoughts were clouded by the mysterious guy I had met last night. I glanced down at the paper, looking at my drawing closely. Without me even realizing it, I had draw his eyes.

The bell rang, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the clock on top of the board and smiled. I gathered my books together and put them back in my bag. "Only three periods left." I said to myself as I stood up from my seat and followed everyone out of the class. I made my way out into the corridor and pushed my way through the crowd until I reached the doors and stepped outside. I walked towards a picnic table that sat under a big tree and sat down. I closed my eyes and leaned back, letting the little bit of sun rays that passed in between the branches of the tree, shine on my face.

"Excuse me..." I heard someone say. I opened my eyes and turned my head towards the voice.

"Oh hey!" I replied, noticing it was the pink and black haired girl from my class.

"Lilith right?" She asked, smiling at me.

"Yes. You're Danni, right?" I asked back.

"Yep!" She replied.

"Do you want to sit down?" I asked, putting my hand above my eyes, shielding them from the sun.

"No thanks. I have to go back to class soon." She replied. "Thank god it's Friday!" She added with a chuckle.

"Oh god yes!" I replied laughing.

"Speaking of class... I wanted to ask you if you have the pages Mr. Wade asked us to look at for next week." She asked.

"Sure." I replied, picking my bag up and opening it. I took my agenda out and laid it on my lap. "Pages 14 to 25." I told her.

I watched as she opened her bag as well and took her agenda out. She opened it to today's date and wrote what I had just told her down. She closed it and slid it back in her bag. "Thanks!" She smiled down at me.

"No problem." I replied, glancing around, my eyes falling on the mysterious guy from last night. I felt my heart skip a beat as I noticed he was walking our way. I looked him up and down, taking in his appearance. He had aviators, his hair was slicked back like it had been last night, he had a black leather jacket that was unzipped and revealed a Harley Davidson shirt, black faded jeans and black boots. His lip ring was glistening in the sun as he spoke to his friend.

"Hey Danni." I heard his deep voice say.

"Hey Matt, hey Brian." She replied, waving at them.

Matt... that was my mystery man's name.

They passed in front of us, Matt turned his head and looked down at me, flashing me his dimpled smile. "Hey there little red riding hood." He said as he continued walking.

"H-hi..." I stuttered, watching him walk away. Eventually I turned my head back towards Danni, my eyes wide open. "You know him?" I asked.

"Yeah." She giggled. "He's my friend and my boyfriend's best friend." She replied.

I didn't know what to say. This girl was friends with him? What wouldn't I give for that! The guy is just... wow...

"You know... there's a party tonight. The guys and I are all going to be there." She told me, smiling widely.

"I don't know..." I replied, unsure. I had never been to a party before. Yeah, it might sound pathetic, but you have to know that my friends aren't the type of people who goes to parties.

"Come on. You want to meet Matt, I can tell." She replied, trying to convince me. I couldn't help but smile when she said his name.

"Well... it could be fun..." I said, looking down at my hands.

"It's going to be fun!" She assured me.

I looked up at her and thought about it for a couple of seconds. I wanted to meet him so badly. Since last night, I couldn't get him out of my head. I just wanted to meet him so badly. I wanted to talk to him and get to know him. Something about him was just... inviting.

"Alright. I'll go." I replied.

"Great!" She said happily. "Meet me here tonight at 8."

"Ok." I replied with a smile.

"Well, I should get going. Class is going to start soon." She told me. She waved at me and walked towards the college, disappearing from my sight.

I leaned back again, trying to relax a little. I was very excited about the party tonight. Well... not the party, but Matt. I knew someone who knew him personally. Who was friends with him. My smile grew wider at the thought of it.

"Well someone seems happy." I heard my friend Tiffany say.

"Hey Tif." I said, opening my eyes and glancing at her. "Where's Julie?" I asked.

"She wanted to talk to Mrs. Curtis. She should be here soon." She replied as she sat down in front of me. "So, what's up? You seem happy today." She stated.

"Yeah. I've been invited to a party tonight." I replied excitedly. She stared at me like I had ten heads and knitted her eyebrows together.

"A party?" She asked. "You're going to a party? You... Lilith Cooper?" She repeated.

"Yes! A girl that is in one of my classes invited me." I replied happily.

"Okay..." She said, giving me a strange look. "But why?" She asked.

"Because, it's going to be fun?" I asked more than stated.

Tiffany just stared at me again and rolled her eyes. "Seriously though. Why are you going? It's not like you're a party girl, so you must have a reason why you want to go that bad." She said.

"Ok... I had an encounter with a mysterious guy last night and he's going to be there." I told her. "And he's friends with Danni..." I added.

"Ah! I see. And who'd this mysterious guy?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"His name is Matt." I replied

"Who's Matt?" I heard Julie ask from behind me. I turned my head around and smiled at her.

"Hey Julie." I greeted her. She sat down next to Tiffany and smiled at me.

"Hey! So who's Matt?" She asked again.

"Her mysterious man." Tiffany replied, wiggling her eyebrow up and down.

"Oh, really? Is he around here, like can you point him out for us?" Julie asked, glancing around the campus.

I turned around and started glancing around too. Unfortunately, I couldn't spot him, so I turned back around and looked at them both. "No... I can't find him." I said, disappointment evident in my tone.

"Well, what does he look like?" She asked, wanting to know more. Tiffany on the other end, rolled her eyes. She didn't seem interested at all.

"He's tall. I'd say about 6'1. He had dark hair that he slicks back, a lip ring and tat-" I started, but was cut off.

"Lip ring and tattoos?!" Tiffany asked, looking at me with her eyes wide open.

"Yes." I replied with an annoyed tone, not understanding what the big deal was. "What's wrong with that?" I asked.

"Tattoos and piercings are disgusting!" She replied, scrunching her face in disgust.

I rolled my eyes at her and sighed. I grabbed my bag and stood up, glancing at both of them. "For your information, I think tattoos and piercings are hot. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to class." I said, before turning around and leaving.

I knew that Tiffany would react the way she did. Every time I would like something, she would find something wrong with it. She was always criticizing what I liked, what I wanted. She was annoying. I didn't want to deal with her anymore, so instead of arguing with her, I decided it would be better to leave.

°¤°¤°¤°Later°¤°¤°¤°

The day passed by slowly. Maybe it was because I was very excited about tonight and couldn't wait to see Matt again or maybe it was because time went by way slower on Fridays. I had no idea.

I glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Only ten minutes left..." I thought to myself.

A little while later I glanced back up at the clock and a sigh escaped my lips when I noticed only 3 minutes had gone by since the last time I had checked.

"Fridays. Always the longest day of the week, huh?" I heard a male voice say from next to me.

I turned my head, wanting to know who the voice belonged to and saw a guy with a blonde and black mohawk staring back at me.

"Yeah, it is. You'd think it would only be Mondays, but I guess Fridays are slow too." I replied.

He nodded his head and smiled at me. "I'm Johnny, by the way." He said, putting his hand out for me to shake.

"Lilith." I replied, shaking his hand.

"Well Lilith, you'll be happy to know that in less than 1 minute the bell's gonna ring." He told me, shifting his gaze away from me to look up at the clock and then back at me.

"Really?" I asked as I looked up above my shoulder at the clock. He was right, it was 4:59 p.m. I looked back at him and noticed he was putting his things in his bag.

"Well, see you soon." He said, standing up at the same time the bell rang.

"Bye." I replied as I picked my things up as well and stood up. I made my way out of the classroom and down the hall.

People were running out of the building, wanting to go home. I followed them out, walking slowly onto the campus ground. A breeze blew softly against my skin, making me shiver. I pulled my coat a little tighter around me and wrapped my arms around myself as I continued walking towards my apartment.

I arrived home a couple of minutes later, unlocking my door and stepping inside my apartment. I put my coat on the hanger and walked into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and taking out a bottle of water.

I heard the phone ring and ran to my cordless that sat on the little table I had in my living room. I grabbed it and looked at the caller ID. "What does she want?" I asked myself out loud, annoyed she was calling me.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey Lilith, it's Tif." She said making me roll my eyes.

"I know Tif, I have caller ID." I stated.

"Oh right. So, um... you still going to that party?" She asked me.

"Yeah, I am." I replied, annoyance evident in my tone.

"Oh, okay..." She replied. I could tell it took everything in her not to make a scene about it.

"Why are you calling, Tif?" I asked with a sigh.

"I just wanted to know if you were still going, you know? Just wanted to see if you changed your mind." She told me.

"No, why would I change my mind?" I asked her.

"Because, it's not like you to go to parties. Besides, I have a bad feeling about this. I really think you shouldn't go." She replied.

"Ok, so because you tell me you have a bad feeling about this, I should stay home, is that it?" I asked, getting a little frustrated.

"Yes..." She replied. I snorted at her answer and crossed my arms.

"Look Tif, I have to go. I need to eat something and prepare myself for tonight. So if you don't mind, I'll talk to you later." I said.

"Fine, go to your stupid party!" She yelled in the phone before hanging up on me.

I rolled my eyes again and hung up to phone as well. "She can be such a bitch sometimes." I said to myself.

I got up from the couch and made my way back into the kitchen. I put my bottle of water back into the refrigerator and walked to my bedroom. I grabbed some clothes for the night and went into my bathroom. I glanced at myself in the mirror and smiled.

Tonight, I was going to see Matt and no matter what my friends thought, I was going to have the time of my life.