His Pretend Act

"Malia! Did you eat your lunch?" Nick asked me during our first period in the afternoon, his face is full of worries, we are still waiting for Mr. Knight to come.

"Yes! I do Nick, thanks for your concern you make my heart pounding." I jested, then the hot couple of Erthesia gets inside, and sat together in the front seats, I didn't look up because I know my heart will get hurt. Nick holds my hand, he is such a tease, I know he is doing this again to make Flynn jealous, I am just hoping this time it will have the same effect.

"Welcome back Malia, I am so happy to see you." Said Declan upon entering the classroom, I don't have a choice but to raise my head, and I find him smiling at me genuinely. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Flynn holding hands with Avery, my mistake I should have kept my eyesight on Declan.

"Yeah! I am glad to see you too Declan." I said, giving him a delightful smile. Declan is seated on my left side, since Hale has situated himself next to Freda in front of me.

    "Nicholas we are in the middle of the class, can you stop staring on Malia's face, and let her answer her special exam, instead focus your eyes here in front, I just want to remind you that I am your professor here, and Malia is not the green board." Mr. Knight scolded Nick, his face turned red, and our classmates including me are holding our laughter to avoid more scolding from our professor.

During the uninterrupted discussion of Mr. Knight, and after I answered all the tests, I carry on reading my Practical Magic book, I can feel my neck ache, but I choose to have a stiff neck, than to see Flynn watching Avery every second.

"Can you kiss me in the hallway after class?" I ask Nick's mind. I can see his handsome face lights up, and smile at me flirtatiously without saying anything, I don't want to use my friend, I ought to get back to Flynn for torturing my broken heart, I just want to feel good just this one time.

The moment Mr. Knight dismiss us, I got up instantly, while Nick is tailing behind me, I can see that Flynn decided to linger in the classroom, maybe he wants me to see him touching Avery's face, when I go through their side they both looked up on me, Avery is looking at me with malicious smile on her face, while Flynn is holding her hands wearing a tranquil emotion all over his face.

    I almost run away when I glance his face, his presence alone is enough to put my heart and mind in shambles, then I suddenly feel calm the moment Nick put his arm around my shoulder, then he whispered in my ear.

    "Let's do it." He muttered in my ear and I smiled at Nick alluringly.

   We get out of our classroom, after several steps he pushed me until my back hit the wall, he looked at me with gentleness, I know this is so wrong, but I am blinded by my anguish. Nick is a loving and devoted person, while I am a user. I started to turn my face away from him.

"Malia, I want to help you, I will do anything for you." He mumbled into my ear, then he lifted my chin and touched my face, my moist lower lip, then without delaying it, he captured my lips, then I see in my peripheral vision the figures of Flynn and Avery standing a few steps away from us, I kissed Nick hungrily and I hugged him securely.

"Get a room!" I heard someone shouted at us, then Nick slowly ended our kiss, then he kissed my forehead, and hold my hand, then he tugged me away from the crowd, I heard Avery shouted at Flynn.

"Flynn where are you going? Wait!" When I gaze at them, I can see Flynn sprinting in the opposite direction of his class, and Avery is gliding to keep up with him. A wide smile escaped from my face. This is payback time Flynn, I can play with your stupid games.

"I guess we still need to practice that act." Nick said to me jokingly.

"You are the best actor Nick, no need to practice, we just need to act at the moment, okay? Thanks by the way." I said, poking his six-pack muscles.

"Hey! Stop that Malia, you are turning me on." I stop abruptly and looked at Nick in disbelief.

"Sorry Malia, I was joking okay? You know I like you, right? I am a normal teenager, who is foolishly in love with you, how do you think I feel every time you are near me, but believe me I never intend to overstep the boundary of our friendship, above all I respect you. I will never let my feelings for you ruined our friendship." He said begging me.

"Please, Malia! Talk to me, I don't like it when you are like this."

"Fine, Nick, I am not angry with you okay? I am sorry too." I said, giving him a simper, and he looked pleased with my response.

    We carry on walking without talking, our professor already started his roll call when we arrived in the classroom. Freda and Hale are looking at us with questions on their eyes. "I am fine Freda, Nick helped me with something important." I talked to her mind.

    "I see, why Nick looked so upset, when you entered the room?"

    "I will tell you everything, I need to answer my special tests first."

    "Okay! Later, you need to tell me everything in our dorm room tonight, I miss you, I hope you know that."

   "I miss you too Freda, but I am sorry, I will be spending the night again in the forest."

    "Are you alright Malia? Are you hiding something from me?" She asked me and I can see the disappointment on her face.

   "Hey! Don't be upset! I am perfectly fine, don't worry about me, I just want to be alone with my friends in the forest, at least with them I can forget the reality, besides I am still training with them, I need to be strong Freda, I know that our enemies are approaching." I hate myself for not telling Freda the truth, but I can't tell her about my aunt being the goddess of Erthesia magical forest.

  "You can never run from the truth Malia, you have to face it, or else you will be in pain forever, I am your best friend, how do you think I feel, you chose to be with your animal friends over me." She said more defeated.

   "I am sorry, I will always need you Freda, promise I will make it up to you." I said, trying to comfort her, I leave her mind, and started answering my test papers, again within minutes I finished answering all the exams.

After our last class, Freda and Hale had gone together in the training room, I noticed they are now close to each other, meanwhile Nick is still following me.

    "What do you want Nicholas?" I turned around to face him, but he bumped into me since he was walking so close to me, I almost stumble, but his strong hands kept me from falling.

   "Can we talk Malia? I hardly see you nowadays, after you were kidnapped, you are always on your own. I miss you, I just want to have time alone with you."

    "Okay! Nick, but I will be going into the forest before sunset." I said to him honestly.

    "Again? Are you dating a beast now?" He said, joking at me.

    "Ha! Ha! You are funny Nick, yes in fact I have so many suitors." I can't hide the pain that registered into my face.

    "Hey! I don't want you to get depressed, I want to cheer you up." He pulled me to the direction of the garden, but before we come to the door leading to the garden, we heard arguments from the corner of the hallway, we walk slowly, then how I wish I could turn back time, I heard the voice of Avery, and she is crying.

"Why are you acting like that Flynn? Before Malia came back to school, you were the one who told me that you totally ignored me for the past weeks, because you only wanted Malia to fall in love with you? You lured her to make her believe that you are really into her right? Then breaking her heart, is part of the plan, you all did that so that she will know her place, It seems you are lying to me, why you looked so unsettled upon seeing Nick kissing her." Avery said in an angry voice.

"Avery I am angry about something, I told you everything that you need to know, why are you so jealous of her."

"You should have told me first, before you started dating her. Don't you know how many nights I cried, because of that half blood?."

"I am sorry, okay?" Said Flynn pacifying Avery.

I think my whole body turned to crimson, because of the anger I felt towards Flynn at the moment, I know now how to control my wings even if I am angry, I can still conceal them. I don't want to put my training with Serpentina be wasted. My whole body is shaking, my heart breaks into a million pieces. He planned everything, he is really an expert with his game, and he won.

   I will not back down, I don't want the throne of Erthesia, but he wounded my heart beyond repair, I will make the crown prince of Erthesia lose the only thing he ever wants, the crown. I will make him pay for playing with me, I wanted to shout, cry my heart out, but the overwhelming pain I felt gave me the courage to face him with dignity.

    "Malia! Let us go." Nick said softly, he is rubbing my back, trying to give me comfort, but I looked at him in the eyes.

    "I am fine Nick, just wait for me here." I said then turned my heels to the direction of Flynn and Avery, I clapped my hands, wearing a smug smile on my face, I can see the horror on Flynn's face the moment she saw me.

    "I just wanted to say congratulations Flynn! You win, I never thought you can be a very good actor, you got me. I fell in love with you deep and hard, but now that I know your true colors, I doubt if this feeling I have for you will last until sunset." I said, then sprinted to the door leading to the garden, I can't forget the mixed emotions that registered on his face.

    " Malia! Wait!" I heard him calling my name, but I know he can't follow me for Avery won't allow it, I go directly to the academy's garden facing the lake that link to the lake found at the back of my Aunt's cottage in the forest.

    It does not take long, before Nick arrived, he sat down beside me on the bench, he keeps quiet, he just sat there looking lost like me, I know he doesn't know how to say the right words, but his silence gives me solace. Nick is always keeping me footed on the ground, he will always be my rock.

   My brave face faded, my body wracked with desperate sobs and tears, it is now clear to me, he is not angry with me because I lied to him, he doesn't care about me at all, he only did all of it just to remind me that he is the Crown Prince of Erthesia, I am so naive. My lips trembled, I covered my face with my shaking hands, then I fell to my knees crying out loud.

   I don't know how long I have been crying, until Nick hugged me into his warm arms. He caressed my back with his soothing power. The sun slowly laid against the horizon granting the moon to ascend to its renowned beauty.