Chapter One: I'm Not a Queen

Chapter One: I'm Not a Queen

"So I take it as you people understand the paragraph?"

Mr Brown's blurry voices merely reached my eardrums, in and out of my focus and once again, I was confused what I was here for in the first place.

I unconsciously reached for my pen and parchments to scrabble an useless dress design on it. Surely, it wasn't weird for me because I sucked at studying. I sucked at basically everything.

Our test results were given the last Wednesday. The usual last, or above the last place was already reserved for me, Evelyn Joan, so I didn't care much about it. The only problem is, even though I sucked at almost everything like I said, I didn't suck as much as I do on other things than one.

Designing dresses.

Undoubtedly, like the other typical parents, my mom Gillian and my dad Anthony was against them. That day when in the evening I reached my home, mom and dad were both inside the house, I don't know what for because in the working day evenings, mom usually stays at her restaurant and dad in his office but, coincidentally (or because of my bad-fate) they were sitting on the couch set, their arms crossed and the veins in their temple throbbing vaguely, clear that they had already known my result, which was inside of my bag pack, carrying the F grade.

My brother Blake Joan was also against them. In his point of view, they were 'pure shits'. He is the quarterback of Northern High and mom and dad were proud of him. And he thought himself something of a Greek God, what he never was and couldn't be. I

I didn't give much thought about it to be honest. From when I was younger, I have been failing and again passing like a bullet rushing to the edge of my earlobe and failing again so it didn't exactly made me feel bad anymore.

As definitely, it was not truly strange for me because of that. And not that I was famous for failing, there were girls and boys who were worse than me. There were the many who failed in every subjects, where I only failed in three or four.

I have been designing clothes as long I could remember. It was my only friend when no one was beside me, more specifically, no one actually ever had. Maybe I'm being dramatic? My best friend Rose was with me all the time.

I bordered the corner of the gown I was drawing unaware, heaving a sigh.

This was boring.

Classes, math, Biology- every thing was stupid. What's the point of studying? No one grabs me in the middle of a road and ask 'What is the value of X if Y is 67 and XY is 100.

Do they?

"Ms Joan, I suppose you don't find the class interesting enough to stop drawing on your book?"

Mr Browns mild yet strong voice reaches my ear, making me startled as the half of the class giggled. Inside, I said "No I don't" but outside, I licked my suddenly dried lips, trying to answer. "I- I wasn't ..."

"I think a detention will do, since I'm seeing you trying not to follow my class willingly. And you've failed in your mid-term, not to mention," he coldly added.

My ears flame in fire, and my eyes went teary in anger that I forgot even to protest. I let my yellowish-blonde hair fall on my face in humiliation. I felt Mr Brown eyed me a few seconds before returning again to his reading.

Yes. Like that, people have been hating me since my first year in this school both teachers and students. But now it had become more of a 'like I care' thing, but it was nothing what I could ignore completely. Though it was obvious that I'm used to it, but still, sometimes it hurt.

I breathed.

I needed to talk to someone.

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"This is so stupid" Rosetta, my best friend yelled at the cafeteria when I talked about her about what happened at the classroom earlier. She waved her hand impatiently, urging to tell me more.

I laughed and explained about the class room and detention disaster. After finishing, she said, creaking her eyebrows. "But, you were drawing. That doesn't mean he have to give you detention, right?"

I shrugged, slicing the cutlet with my fork and stuffing it in my mouth. "Who knows?"

He eyes became dreamy as she suddenly changes the subject. "You know what happened today? Tyler asked me to help with his chemistry homework!"

Tyler, an absolute dorky looking guy (not that I judged him for that) was Rosetta's crush since middle school.

"Woah really?" I faked my wondered tone. She nodded, her eyes half-opened half-closed.

"That's great," I nodded, looking down at the tray in front of me. I felt like shit for faking it but I don't know, I've been listening to it for like three years.

She sat up straighter, then snapped, "You're freaking uninterested aren't you? It's not my fault that you're actually impotent to having any crush. Oh wait now that I mention it, I do remember.."

She was going to say something more, but for a reason, the cafeteria suddenly became very noisy, and all the heads turned to the front door of the place. I turned too, to see what was it but regretted once I saw Jayden Flynn.

"He's freaking hot, isn't he?" Rosetta whispered next to me as Jayden, the hazel haired boy, which looked like he's been running his finger in it over and over walked, surrounded by his friends, where my brother Blake was too, and sat down with them, laughing about something.

I scoffed. "Not a chance."

I knew Jayden Flynn since middle school, but he never once in my life spoke with me. And for some reason, though he was really handsome, I didn't exactly like him that much and when I study him under extraordinary circumstances, he was, I had to give him that at least, absolutely gorgeous. He had brown-red hair that was cut short, but long enough for them to not look like a football, and his face- don't get me started on his face. His face wasn't made from granite, but his cheekbones were high and his jawline had a fine fine shape.

For me, Jayden Flynn was like the showpiece at the top of a fridge. You could see that from down the floor, but you could never reach it. He wasn't too intimidating like those high school books sometimes implied a main guy, he slept around with girls, and there were rumors that he might be an underground cage fighter (I didn't believe that, it was too cliche to believe)- but he still gave the impression of a narcissist.

"What do you mean by that?" Rosetta scoffed. "Everyone in this school has a crush on him, but you. Well, they are not worthy. I heard Jayden never even looks at anyone who flirts with him."

She informed me and I shook my head, uninterested to hear more. "What happened to Tyler?"

She laughed. "I didn't say I have a crush on him. It's just general."

"General means you're including."

She grimaced. "You too dungbrain."

I rotated my head left and right. "You saw his attitude!"

Rosetta growled. "It's so hard to talk to you!"

I laughed and gulped down some water from my bottle. "He's a player."

"Positive. But not that kind of who just hooks up with girls for one night. He at least stays with them two week or so. Fan service, you see."

I turned to my plate of food and said, "I don't care."

"Coming from the girl who used to stalk Danny?"

My cheeks grew hot at the awkward memories I had with her back when I was sixteen. This guy called Danny something in senior year was the lead guitarist of our school band. I liked him because he was handsome and he played guitar. And after someday, it turned out to me that he slept with four different girls in a timespan of one week and I didn't stalk someone ever since. "Don't you dare finish that Rosetta Swift, I was 16 then!"

She giggled. "So what? You loved him. You remember ..."

"Okay I got it. Now just stop. Pleeeaase!" I insisted her to pause and she does, still giggling and pointing at me. I rolled my eyes and chewed the tasteless food inside of my mouth. She's annoying sometimes.

"So, now, I want to ask Tyler out." Is she for real? I huffed. "Are you kidding me? Don't you dare try it, you'll only get rejected like a piece of garbage, Rose."

"You're so mean."

"Just telling the truth, not that you aren't pretty but that's the whole reason he's gonna reject you."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "Guys like him only cares about studying and getting into some ivy league to major in computer science. So you haven't got a chance dude."

She stomped her foot childishly and whined. "Come on Eve! Give me some advice."

"Why? Guys like him only cares about one thing, I just told you!" she is immature and I am the only one to see it. "I can't give advice. I suck at it. Go ask Blake. He has got thousands of girl dangling under his nose, he is the only one who can give you some real piece of advice. And what is he doing with Jayden?"

She whipped her hair. "Forget it. Speaking of the devil, Sophie told me Blake asked her out last Monday. She was excited 'bout it but just until then she found out that Blake was thrashed like two pieces of slime with Beverly."

I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Are you trying not to laugh? Are you even a human?"

No really it was funny. Rosetta snapped. "Oh come on you! You should be sympathetic."

This time I freely let my laughter slip. "Are you serious? Why would I be sympathetic? She was a bitch after all. And my brother's taste change like changing his socks, so it isn't new for me."

Rosetta groaned.

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I walked forward a step, and felt someone pulling me back. I stepped forward and again someone pushed me forth. I know why. Because I don't want to go to the detention room. I really don't. I mean, who does? I didn't even do something detention-worthy. What a crap.

But still, if I try to skip it I might end up standing outside the school gate, my expel paper clutched in my hands so I still walked unwillingly.

I scowled remembering Mr Brown's glassed face. How could someone admits a teacher like him in this school? Other teachers doesn't e insult me like him as he does. By the first day of senior year, he have quite spotted me particularly and began to bully since then.

Does he have a PhD for how to insult weak students?

No he doesn't. How could he?

He could have.

No, of course not!

It's possible.

How can a people get a PhD for bullying students?

I urghed at my stupid conversation arguing inside of my brain and face palmed.

Dragging my feet towards the detention class, I planned how to not draw in any classes from next time again and failed how to do so because quite simply, there was nothing in any classes to do except listen to the teacher which I was sure I wasn't going to do before finals.

But still after a moment, I found myself entering inside the classroom, thinking about what kind of buttons I should put on the blouse I've been working on. The duty teacher, Mr Lang, I knew his name because I've been in a detention with him thrice, was already sitting on his chair there, who always had a poker face. He looked up at me.

"Sit there, Ms ...?" he trailed off because he didn't know my name nor had any intention to.

"Joan," I said. "Evelyn Joan."

"Okay then Ms Joan, sit over there. Your detention will finish in next one hour," he said, his laziness is inclining even in his voice. I obeyed anyways, sitting on the sit where he pointed, which was in the middle of the classroom.

I shrunk in a chair, staring up to the plain white ceiling. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and earphone to hear some songs to kill the endless time.

Blasting whatever comes on first on my ear, I tapped my foot with the beats and hummed the music. Watching Mr Lang's strange moves, sloth-likely flipping a page of his Vogue magazine or fluttering his eyelashes as though he was acting in a movie's slow motion part, I mentally kicked my ass for stopping my huge smile and the bare teeth.

Mr Lang yawned and at last tossed his magazine on the table after some minutes, crossed his arms on his chest and sighed. I didn't hear for my music, but it was obvious. This time, I tried to push my giggles back inside of my mouth, but unknowingly, a snort slipped from my voice and Mr Lang shot his head to me, as I rapidly looked out of the window, suppressing my smiles. I felt him eyeing me for some moments then again went back to stare blankly at something.

I shook my head in disbelief at his attitude. I mean, if he acts like that even in his classes, how does he take them?

The song ends and keeps silent as I switch on my phone and started scrolling on the endless song list. To other people, even to myself, I didn't really have a great taste in musinc but I liked what I listened to so it didn't need to have a choice. Through the small curtain between my earbuds and outside world, I heard the class room's door opens. I looked up, and again looked down then shoot my heads up again in shock seeing him.

There enters Jayden Flynn, his backpack swinging on his shoulder, the velvety black cardigan hanging a little lower off his collarbone, showing his plain white t-shirt underneath it and making the air in the classroom heavy with his manly cologne of... cherry? practically making everyone (Mr Lang and I) look up at him. I heard Mr Lang saying in his lazy voice,

"You're Mr ...?"

His eyes landed on me, in a blank expression, catching me already staring at him back and he deadpans. "Flynn."

Mr Lang nods and gestured him to sit down at a bench. Jayden doesn't break our eye contact. He walk towards me, making me nervous at every step. I almost forced myself to look down on my phone, but still inadvertently kept a secret watch at him as he came more closer and sat next to me.

Sat next to me.

My heart jumps as I fidget in my seat and tried to move a bit to the side because honestly, he seemed a little creepy to me. Jayden brings out his phone and involuntarily, I pushed more to my side.

"Why don't you sit in another bench?"

An heavy, husky, wispy (sexy yet somehow boyish) voice flooded from my right side making me almost jump and fall from my bench but, I don't. And no doubt, this voice belonged to the one and only, Jayden Flynn.

I snapped my head towards his direction, and he still had the same expressionless face. Staying like that for moment and meanwhile gaining some courage to tell something, I breathed deeply and stared into his unnaturally deep blue eyes which seem to be X-raying my own brown one and said,

"Why don't you go? You willingly sat here. I was here before you."

He lifts his shoulder as he stood up and transferred himself to the seat front of us, leaving me just speechless. How rude! He mutters something from where I distinguished the words,

"As the queen wishes."

I snorted from my place, now sitting comfortably. "I'm not a queen. But if you wish to call me one, you're welcome."

He frowned and turned around, said, "What's your problem?"

"What's your problem?" I repeated almost simultaneously, making his frown grow deeper.

"I mean," I started, "You are sitting next to me, then you're saying to change my seat when I was the one who was here first, and then you're calling me a queen. So it's better for me asking that what's your problem. Isn't it?"

A smirk formed up in his lips, making him look a hundred times handsome then before. He leans closer and whispered,

"You talk too much."

I cocked my head sideways. "One of my issues," and pushed his shoulder to make him get back to his original position.

"See who're you touching, Sugar. You might end up getting a touch or two from me too."

I could literally feel the smirk he's already giving because of his lifted cheekbones, which, obviously heated up my head. I twitched my nose in distaste.

"What a pervert," I grumbled.

"I heard that," Jayden exclaims from the front. I snickered.

"I wanted you to, you idiot." He is one.

"I was right. You talk real too much," he sighed.

Who does he think he is to tell me I talk too much? I urghed and continued, "Why are you like this?"

"Like you said, it's one of my issues," he kept his face forward, grinning broadly.

Muttering 'oh my god', I was about to tap an Imagine Dragon song when Jayden speaks, not turning around.

"Why did you get detention?"

I shrugged in disgust, Mr Brown again floating in my brain. "Some old dude caught me drawing in his class." Pausing for a moment, I asked him for formality, "What 'bout you?"

Jayden chuckled. "Was listening to music in Stella's class." Mrs Stella, who was not less than 45, was one of the most scariest teacher in our school. I gasped in shock, because no one ever dared even to breath in her class.

"You sure have some guts, Flynn!"

And regretted immediately when Jayden turned his head around to me, an innocent yet mischievous smile dangling in his lips. "So, queen knows my name?"

I internally slapped myself but kept a straight face outside thinking of what to say. "You just told your name to Mr Lang," I told the first thing that came into my head. But still, his face beaming with amusement, Jayden asks,

"Wasn't that earphone in your ear, blondie?"

Gaping like a fish, I opened my mouth to say something, then closed and opened it again, undecided of how to convert my thoughts into words.

"Evelyn Joan?" Okay, now how does he knows my name? As though reading my mind, he answered my question. "It's on your notepad dimwit."

Slapping my phone upon the table, I hissed, leaning close to him. "Don't you dare call me dimwit."

"Don't you dare call me idiot. Vice versa. Nice now?"

I groaned at his weird stupidities. Again resting my back on the chair, I grunted dryly,

"Jayden Flynn, the whole school knows you, because you have something in your grumpy face and all the girls here are crazy for you because of that. Not me though, I'm out of the range. That's how I know you."

Jayden crossed his arms on his chest, smirking horribly as ever. "Yup. I'm famous now." Modest, yeah?

"Don't talk," Mr Lang stated out of nowhere and we both turned around to see him staring at us. I mouthed 'sorry' then said to Jayden, "Shut up."

He chuckles lowly and murmurs something from which I caught the word 'queen'. Glowering at him, I finally tapped the song and closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on my song.

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