Monster

It’s been a few days since Shiori and Paul have started their new routine. Shiori still felt stiff around Paul when he waited for her outside where her car was as they drove to Port Angeles for her lessons and then stopping at a nearby café and studying. The stares Paul have been getting from Dex made his blood boil.

The possessive arm wrapped around Shiori made him sick. Dex’s green eyes showed amusement as he softly said something in his girlfriend’s ear before kissing her on the cheek. The blush that Paul adored so much appeared on her cheeks. That son of a bitch was taunting him. There was no confusion between the two; Dex knew from the beginning that Paul has started to develop feelings for her.

Typical guy falling for the timid and reserved girl that kept to herself.

“Dude, you should calm down.” Jared muttered as he slapped Paul’s arm with a bit of force.

That snapped him out of his rage; he looked at his locker to see that the corner had small dents from where his fingers were placed. Slamming his locker door, he grumbled, “That son of a bitch knows.” Jared pursed his lips as he listened to Paul.

“About you and Shiori? Don’t sweat it. He’s just jealous that you are spending as much time with her as he is and possibly more if you keep your temper in check. Just don’t let him get to you because if you get into it with Dex…it’s all over.” Jared warned him. The wiser teen out of the two wanted Paul to have a chance with his imprint; Shiori was like a fragile bird and if he made any sudden movements, she would surely fly away.

Paul nodded as he walked alongside Jared as he kept a close eye on Shiori and Dex.

Throughout the whole day, Shiori felt odd having Dex practically all over her. It was out of character for him to be so…possessive. “I don’t know Ronnie. Dex has been a little…hands on lately. It’s starting to worry me.” She brushed her dark hair away from her face as she walked to the class they had together.

The blonde shook her head in disappointment, “You haven’t noticed it? How long have you and Dex been dating? A while now right?” Shiori nodded, not knowing where she was going with this. “Well, have you done anything, ya know sexual?” The beet red face told Ronnie everything as she shook her head. “Why not? Don’t you like him?”

Shiori shrugged, “I don’t know. I know that I liked him from the beginning, but it feels like my feelings aren’t growing for him. They are just stuck in one place and now that Paul is being nicer-”

“Oh God! Please don’t tell me that you are starting to like him? He’s your sworn enemy!” Ronnie groaned.

“Paul is not my sworn enemy. I was afraid of him, but he’s showing this different side of him and it’s making me think twice for some reason. I have such an odd feeling when I am around him; like I’m supposed to be around him. Is that crazy?” Shiori glanced at her best friend with concern.

The biker girl sighed, “I knew this was going to happen. Happens all the time. Boy terrorizes girl and then puberty hits, suddenly boy like girl, shows girl that he changed and then girl likes boy. You can’t fall for that trick, Ori! What if he just yanking your chain just to drag your heart around for kicks? I don’t want you getting hurt. Just stick with Dex. He’s the nice one.”

But Paul was nice too when she looked past the constant frown and bitterness surrounding him. He was a decent guy when he wanted to be.

Ronnie didn’t realize how deep Shiori’s feelings were until they walked out towards the parking lot together. Once her eyes saw Paul waiting for her in their usual spot, her blue eyes flickered towards her best friend who now had a beaming smile on her face. A smile that she never saw when she was around Dex, the light in her eyes got brighter and that worried her; Shiori was falling way too fast for Paul. Someone that wasn’t her boyfriend.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the baby shower, okay?”

Shiori’s eyes not once meet Ronnie’s as she agreed, “Okay. See you then.” Watching Shiori shyly bring her hands together, she greeted Paul before they climbed into the car and drove away. Ronnie sighed as she walked towards her beat up car that she now drives to school because of the arrangement Shiori and Paul have.

“This shit needs to end…and quick.” She grumbled as she reeved up the engine.

Sitting at the café, Shiori once again helped Paul stay on track. Going over her homework, they silently and comfortably worked beside one another when Paul brought up the baby shower. “I heard that your mom is having the baby shower tomorrow?”

Shiori placed her pencil down as she smiled, “Yeah. It’s a little much having it so close to her due date, but she wanted to be polite and invite everyone before the baby arrives.”

“Do you know what your mother is having?” He kept reminding himself to learn more about her and keep it on a light subject. Paul didn’t want to scare Shiori just yet and seeing how excited she was, he knew that he made the right call of staying on the right topic.

“A boy. My parents are really excited.”

“I bet they are. I heard somewhere that parents from China prefer boys and smother their children if they are girls.” Paul quickly pressed his lips together in shock. Did that really come out of his mouth? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He watched as the sad look on her face drooped. Shiori smiled sadly as she glanced down at her notebook. “That’s not what I meant to say-”

“It’s okay and it is true. My parents weren’t so thrilled when they had me; one of their friends actually convinced them to keep me for other purposes. So they raised me like if had a boy and between you and me, my legal name isn’t Shiori.” She didn’t know why she was confessing all of this, but she felt like she can tell him anything. Something she never told Dex. Her eyes glanced around as if it was a hidden secret as she leaned closer, “My birth name is actually Fang Shiori Song.”

“Fang? That is your real name?” Paul asked with a hint of amusement.

When Shiori blushed, his smile got bigger. “Fang…I think it suits you.” The shy girl peered up to see Paul scooting closer testing the waters to see if it was alright. Seeing that she wasn’t moving, he continued, “Beautiful name.”

Her cheeks got redder as she mumbled, “Thank you.” When her black orbs stared into his, she felt her heart beating faster than it did before. What was wrong with her? Her feelings suddenly changed from fear to this? Her palms started to get sweaty as she tried to peel her eyes away from the boy before her. It was a lot harder than it looked. “Let’s focus back on the homework.”

She literally had to pull her head towards her paper that she didn’t see the grin that was plastered on Paul’s face. But as quickly as it appeared, it faded when he saw her pulling out her phone to see the son of a bitch’s name flashing across the screen. Shiori frowned as she excused herself. Listening to their conversation, Paul knew that Dex wasn’t pleased that she was spending a lot more time with Paul than him. It did give him satisfaction that she has been spending a lot more time with him than her own boyfriend, but hearing the strain of her voice ripped his heart.

Tears laced with her voice made him feel guilty. She apologized profusely as she quickly added that she needed to spend extra time with Paul because of the loads of work that needed to be done.

“I want to spend more time with you Shiori; I feel like I don’t have a girlfriend anymore and I want you with me. If you don’t want to be with me then all you have to-”

“I do want to be with you! You know I do.” Shiori cut him off.

“Then show me, Shiori because all you have done is spend time with the one person that has made your life a living hell than the person that loves you more than anything. It’s your call who you want to choose.” Shiori choked back tears as the dial tone reached her ears.

Paul fumed; he knew that guy was a bastard underneath it all. No boyfriend would give his girl an ultimatum. It took all of him not to only find him, but beat him to a pulp for making Shiori cry. He knew from that moment that he needed Shiori to be running into his arms and not Dex’s. Paul just hoped that she wouldn’t make a rash decision and desert with they are building for her boyfriend that clearly did not deserve her.