AN OVERATED CONCEITED PRINCE

"Didn't know you played the violin?" Someone said, jerking me from my entranced state.

I stopped and looked up to see Mr rude hovering around me. When did he get in? I turned to look round the music room and noticed the music instructor was gone.

"Are you looking for Mr Dwayne? He stepped out," he said casually.

I didn't want Mr rude around me and wanted to complain to Mr Dwayne but since he wasn't around, I had to swallow down my complaint. I ignored Mr rude and was ready to play another note when he spoke again.

"Are you ready to say thank you to me now? If you do, I can cancel your detention," he bargained, poking his inner cheek with his tongue.

Hold on... A disbelieving thought sprang in my head.

"Did you make everyone call me a thief just so I could thank you?" I asked, hoping it's not true.

"Yes, I promised you I can get you to thank me," he confirmed my fears.

The tears I that had been threatening to fall came pouring down in waves.

"You want to cancel my detention but that won't fix my soiled reputation," I screamed at him and at the same time, getting up to match his height.

He looked at me shocked. I didn't know why but maybe he was taken aback by my out burst.

"Are you...crying," he asked in surprise.

I glared at him. "You can go ahead and make fun of me because you saw me crying but that wouldn't hurt me more than what you have already done. I accepted every name label but being called a thief? I'm not a thief. I didn't steal and I haven't stolen anything so why did you have to soil my reputation?" I asked, crying uncontrollably.

He tried to hold me but I didn't want his filthy hands touching me so I pushed him away angrily and a frown settled on his face.

"You are cold and heartless. I hate your stupid face, I hate your guts, I hate you more than anything. You are a bastard, a ruthless brut, an overated conceited prince..."

"S.B, stop cursing at me?" He said between clenched teeth. "You are really pushing me against the wall."

"Oh really! You still want to do your worst, go ahead. I don't care anymore. Get out," I yelled.

"Fine," he said with darkened gaze before he turned around and walked out.

I fell down on the floor and let the tears flow.

Few minutes of crying my eyes out and having no more tears to spill, I walked out of the music room with red puffy eyes. I still had detention. I saw Lily standing right outside the classroom door, probably waiting or searching for me with her eyes.

"Oh, Syd! Where did you run off to?" Lily asked the instant she saw me.

"I stumbled upon the music room and decided to stay for a while," I drawled.

"I was so worried. Please, don't do that again. As your best friend, I also share your pain."

I nodded and she hugged me while patting my back.

When she broke off the hug, she said, "your detention was cancelled.

"What!" I exclaimed, my eyes widening a bit.

Lily pulled me to a corner and said in a low voice, "Rex dragged Kelvin to the staff office to say the truth. Kelvin confessed he slipped the book into your bag so he is the one in detention instead. Rex also announced to the class that no one should call you a thief."

I was so shocked. He still withdrew my detention even though I refused saying thank you to him. I felt something unexplainable tugging within me. Why would he do that?

"I still don't understand why Rex would make everyone call you a thief and the next minute he is threatening everyone not to," Lily asked with a puzzled face.

I explained to Lily how he had met me in the morning before she came to school and how our conversation went afterwards and how I stubbornly refused to do what he requested.

"You are telling me he soiled your name just for a thank you? That Rex is really a jerk," she said, raising her voice a little.

"I have decided to tell thank him," I spoke after thinking about it for a while.

Surprisingly Lily agreed. "You should. A simple thank you wouldn't take anything from you."

"I guess it was my stubbornness that brought this all upon me."

After sitting through the next classes, the buzzer went off once it was lunch time.

"Come on, Lily. Let's go."

I pulled Lily along and we headed to the cafeteria at once. It was finally time to bring down my ego and say those two simple words; thank you.