Maleficent

There was something about Bentley Harper that oddly disturbed me. The smell of his overpowering cologne was everywhere I went, and I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder, paranoid that the boy was following me. The day had continued in this fashion, relentlessly setting my teeth on edge, expecting him to jump out and attack me.

I wondered how it had gotten to this point. How in one moment, Bentley was fawning over me, and the next I was public enemy number one.

It wasn’t until he ambushed me after last period had concluded, that I really came to realise just how pissed off he was. Just as I poured out of the school doors, easily seeking out Flora’s fire engine red car, he grasped my elbow and guided me out to the side of the building. Completely confused, I barely attempted to stop him, only wrenching my arm away once I realised we were alone.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Harper?” I snapped, already turning to make my way back. If Flora had left, I would wring Bentley’s neck.

Predicting my escape, Bentley blocked my way, taking my arm painfully in his strong grasp and leaning in close to my ear. His hot breath warmed my cheek and I could feel a sneer forming on his lips. “You have something of mine,” he whispered harshly. “I want it back.”

Jerking away from the boy, I huffed in annoyance, cursing him for wasting my time. The blaring of horns signalled the departure of students from the car park, which most probably consisted of Flora as well. Pressing my lips together, I snapped my gaze back at Bentley.

“I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about,” I answered coldly. “Now if you don’t mind, my ride is waiting.” Attempting to brush out of his hold and into freedom, I tugged on Bentley’s grip with a sarcastic smile and hefted my shoulder bag up higher.

I’d barely gotten two steps, feeling the clean breeze on my face and the relief away from his proximity when his voice suddenly rang out loudly, stopping me dead in my tracks.

“That mirror is mine,” he said in a hard tone. “I’d like it back.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I raised a brow in disbelief. “I don’t even get a please?”

To be honest, the mirror had unsettled me with the weird vision I’d had that morning. I hadn’t bothered to check if it was still in my bag, though I kept it pretty close to me at all times. Any other time, I would have thought that I would happily hand it over, but as Bentley stood there with an expectant glare in his eyes, I knew, I wasn’t going to give it up.

For a moment we were in our own little world. Everything surrounding us faded into nothing as I stood watching a Bentley that was acting completely unlike himself, knowing that for the first time, I actually took notice of him.

“Please,” he replied in a mocking tone.

Laughing lightly, I shook my head, brushing a lock out of my eyes as the wind blew from behind. “Sorry, kid,” I said sarcastically. “I don’t have any idea which mirror you’re referring to. Go find someone else.”

With that I shook my hair out behind me, and stalked away, hoping he didn’t come after me and ending up with luck pushed right out from under my feet. I didn’t realise he had tackled me until after I was rolling around on the grass, feebly clutching at my shoulder bag. All I could see was a blur of blue and green as the sky melted into the earth. Bentley’s hungry eyes locked ravenously on my bag as his fingers snatched relentlessly at it.

“What the fuck!” I yelled. “Get the hell of me Bentley!”

Squirming between his legs was proving to be a futile attempt at escaping, and at this point it seemed that he would inevitably steal the hidden mirror. At least until I was bailed out, yet again, by his step brother. My eyes widened as I watched the back of Bentley’s silky blonde head getting farther away, his legs pumping furiously.

“He just can’t seem to get enough of you,” Jeremy stated, holding out a hand for me to take.

Gratefully, I took it, though I was barely in the mood for joking around. My head was pounding in pain after knocking it against the hard ground, and I could already see purple welts begin to appear around my arms in the shape of a hand. Had he grasped me that hard?

Clutching my bag closer, I turned my dazed gaze to Jeremy, taking in the comfort I felt at his presence and wondering what had just happened. Absentmindedly, my fingers slipped into my bag, and gripped the handle of the mirror buried deep inside. I knew the object had some sort of power behind it, but what concern did that pose to Bentley. How did he know about it, and more importantly, why did he want it?

It was about time I did some snooping, and get to the bottom of Bentley’s secrets.