NINETY- NINE

I was on the uneven bars one day when I slipped.

I was about to crash head first into the floor when Mark caught me.

Could he read the future?

I asked,"How did you know I was going to fall?"

He said,"Your technique... you were a little off balance when you did the transition from the lower bar to the higher one. I could tell something bad was going to happen."

Wow, experience is definitely the best teacher...

I was walking in the park with and talking to Ruby one day when she spotted a little girl asking her mother to buy her an ice cream.

The mother—who wasn't dressed in the most fancy clothes—felt sorry for her daughter who was shedding tears.

I kept talking till I realized Ruby was gone.

I looked for her and found her by the ice cream man. She bought one for the girl and just then, the woman's son said he wanted one too.

The woman reprimanded him for bothering the kind stranger but she said,"No, your son is right, I'm being unjust."

She bought not only the boy, but every child she could find an ice cold dessert and afterwards, gave the man a huge tip. He was stunned as she walked back to me.

She said,"You were saying..."

But I was speechless, mostly because my jaw was no where to be found. She asked,"What's going on?"

I said,"It's just... you're amazing, that's why I like y..."

She looked at me with an arched brow and I continued,"...your character."

I didn't have the courage to confess my feelings for her after what happened the last time.

We lay on the green grass together, cloud gazing. I said,"That cumuloninmbus cloud looks like a bunny."

She sat up, looked at me with an arched brow and asked,"Really? Is that what you're doing? Fine, that cumulocirrus cloud looks like a poodle on a pillow."

"...that...that cirrus cloud looks like a...a stream."

She chuckled and said,"I thought we were using only complex names, fine, those mammatus clouds are insanely dark."

Mammatus?!

As in tornado and hail starting clouds?!

I stared at her in horror and she giggled and said,"I thought you were too dumb to know those clouds, I'm just kidding."

I let out a sigh of relief.

That laugh of her's, it made me feel like I was over the moon.

I went out of the school one day and decided to take a walk since Mark was late.

In the underground carpark, I saw something. It was Xander, Charlie and Rose and they were smoking.

Xander was coughing but Charlie as perfectly fine.

I watched in horror as Rose took a puff and blew it out on Xander's face.

Xander couldn't breathe and Rose asked,"Oh Xander baby, are you okay?"

He coughed and said,"Please can we stop this?"

She rolled her eyes and said,"If you're too weak to do this, you can forget about dating me."

Before he could say another word, I dragged him away from there. He hit my hand away and yelled,"What the heck are you doing?"

I said,"Risking my life to stop you from risking yours. Look at what Rose is doing to you, would a good girlfriend pressurize you to do something like this? I don't think so. What will your parents think if they saw you right now?"

He looked at me and sighed.

Rose came our way and asked,"Xander babe, what are you doing with that lost cause?"

Lost cause?!

He looked at me then at her and said,"I don't know, but he'd better stop stalking me."

Then he walked away. Rose stopped him and said,"I don't like what he did, I want you to make sure he regrets it and doesn't tell anyone."

He turned to me with death in his eyes. He was walking closer and I sprinted away but he chased me.

There was barely anyone in the school.

I yelled then someone pulled him back and pinned him to a wall.

I yelled,"Mark!"

He had an even scarier look on his face than Xander had had and asked him in a deadly tone,"What were you doing to my brother?"

I said,"Oh nothing, you remember Xander, he's a good guy."

Mark looked at me warmly then glared at him and said,"If you hurt my brother, I will track you down and end you."

Then he took me away.

I looked back to Xander and he began coughing again. I didn't know why I still felt sorry for him.

I went to Ruby's floor one morning before classes started to say hi but I couldn't find her.

She suddenly came out of an elevator and stormed towards Rose. I said hello but she totally ignored me.

She walked towards Rose and fearlessly slapped her across the face.

I was confused and Rose looked just as surprised as everyone in the hallway.

Ruby tried to attack Rose again but I held her back and Rose yelled,"Ruby! What the f... are you doing?!"

My ears started to bleed but Ruby didn't care, she yelled,"I knew you had a black heart and made my life miserable but I didn't know you had the impetus to actually attack grandpa!"

I asked,"What do you mean?"

Ruby said with tears in her eyes,"She sent hitmen to him! He's in the ER!"

I was shocked.

Rose could do that?

Ruby yelled,"Answer me!"

Rose smiled and said,"I didn't do that but now I'll do it to you."

Ruby just pounced on her and they started—as usual not cat but serious—fighting.

I couldn't separate them since I could be hurt.

In a few seconds, some huge security guards came and separated the two of them.

They were both sent to the Principal's office and only Ruby was punished to mop her floor everyday for a month. Since Rose was such a ' good child ' and would never start that on her own...she was spared.

I didn't have a video of what they did a few days ago...or the courage, I knew if I showed it, she would make my life a lot more miserable.