Fairytale Green

‘I hate you.’ I sneered at Stone over my shoulder.

The reason for my hate was his grade on the essay. I had shown him my A-plus in large red writing and he mimicked my action by showing me his paper. He had gotten the same result as me and he looked very smug about it.

‘Who did you even write about?’ I asked while I turned around in my chair in defeat.

His monotonous voice was filled with a hint of triumph when he replied ‘Lady Macbeth.’

I swivelled around and faced the back of the English class so I could glare at him ‘I should receive some credit. I suggested that character for you.’

‘Who did you write about?’ He rebutted.

My essay was about my personality being similar to Puck’s. I had taken his suggestion of the character, but I did not want to admit that to him, so I lied and gave him the name of a random Shakespeare character.

‘Show me your essay then.’ He said, unconvinced by my fibbing.

‘Fine. I did write about Puck.’ I quickly admitted before defending ‘I was going to write about him before you even mentioned it.’

Stone’s lip twitched upwards.

Before I could tell him where he could stick his A graded paper, Mr Dankworth stood up from his desk and silenced the class.

‘I am sorry about the late marking.’ Mr Dankworth apologised ‘I was too busy reading that I had forgotten to mark your papers but at least you have them now.

‘I wish he hadn’t marked them.’ Lana spoke as she looked down at her results ‘I got a C. Stupid Shakespeare and stupid Dankworth.’

I pretended to send her a glare her way ‘You better not be insulting my soulmate like that.’

A deep and aggravated noise came from behind me but there was no paper crushing. That was due to the fact that he had already used up all his notepads with his aggressive origami.

Brennan half coughed and half laughed ‘Why do you think the old English teacher is your soulmate?’

The whole thing was an inside joke Lana and I had started since we first began Mr Dankworth’s class. I definitely did not believe the sixty-year-old happily married gay man was my soulmate. It just gave us a few giggles during class to keep us entertained.

‘Why not?’ I said while biting my lip to stop myself from laughing ‘Older men have experience.’

‘Experience of what?’ The deep voice belonging to the giant bit out ‘The care home?’

Lana felt the need to speak up and explain ‘Ella does not really think that. We have just had this joke since the start of freshman year.’

Mr Dankworth interrupted our conversation by pointing to his PowerPoint ‘Today we are going to be talking about modern day interpretations of Shakespeare. In movies, shows and books, William Shakespeare’s work has inspired many stories. Can anyone name any?’

Brennan then started to quietly sing ‘You’re just too good to be true, I can’t take my eyes off of you’

Lana looked mortified as she whispered to me ‘Did you get him to do this?’

‘What are you talking about?’ I quietly said back.

‘Pulling a Heath Ledger like we talked about that day in the changing room. About him singing on the bleachers.’ She rambled out with widened eyes ‘Oh my god. Did you convince him to sing in front of the class?’

‘You mean the conversation we had weeks ago?’ I asked while laughing at her face ‘No, you lovesick idiot. He is meaning Ten Things I Hate About You is a Shakespeare inspired movie.’

Brennan had stopped singing so he could lean over his desk and tell her ‘Don’t worry. I am not pulling a Heath Ledger as you called it. Not yet anyway. I will have to until I am on a football field.’

‘You don’t play football so I am safe.’ She laughed nervously.

I side glanced Brennan while begging ‘Please don’t. You singing those two lines were enough. My ears still have not recovered.’

Mr Dankworth was looking over in our direction as he called ‘Is everything okay over there?’

‘Yes, Mr Dankworth.’ I replied for all of us ‘We were talking about how Ten Things I Hate About You is a Taming of the Shrew retelling’

‘Very good, the four of you.’ He praised before returning to his lesson.

‘Talking about romance films, they are doing a showing of The Notebook at the drive-in cinema at Greenway Park tonight. ‘ Lana mentioned before she purposed, ‘I think we should all go.’

Brennan agreed and surprisingly so did Stone.

‘Wait. Why do we have to go?’ I motioned to myself and then Lurch behind me ‘It kind of sounds like a date. Don’t you two want some alone time?’

Lana shook her head ‘Brennan and I have been out a lot lately and I miss hanging out with you.’

They had been out a lot. It had been a month since we met the two of them at the pier and Lana had been on a few dates with Brennan. On those few dates, he always disappeared without an explanation before nine o’clock.

Sometimes Lana and I would make up theories about them being special agents that only worked at night. My theory was that they were some sort of night-ninjas.

Stone had become a permanent fixture in my life. More accurately a permanent pain in my ass. It was hard to think of a time when I did not trade insults with him every two minutes. 

‘You have to come, Ella.’ Lana pleaded before she whispered, ‘You love The Notebook.’

‘Fine.’ I bit out, not commenting on my love for that movie ‘I will go.’

‘Don’t forget the tissues.’ Stone’s gruff voice tickled my neck, and he leaned forward and teased me.

‘I have never cried at that movie!’ I lied as I glared at him over my shoulder ‘How do you even remember that conversation? It was ages ago.’

He ignored my question and swiftly moved on by taunting in his deep voice ‘Just be careful. I heard water melts the wicked witch of the west.’

‘I have green hair. Not green skin,’ I pointed out before turning around and glaring at him ‘But you are going to have blue skin in a minute when I strangle the air out of your lungs, Ponyboy.’

Stone smirked and rested back in his chair as he pointed out ‘You have already called me Ponyboy.’

The unspoken rule of our game was we could only use an insult once. If one of us repeated a reference, then the other called it out. The names Medusa and Lurch were the only ones allowed to be used all the time. They were the constants.

‘When did I call you that?’ I asked, unsure if he was telling the truth or not.

He was no longer amused as he leaned closer and grumbled angrily ‘When I had to tuck you into bed because you drank too much.’

It had been three weeks since the night of the party and he had never mentioned it once. I never asked him what had happened that night.

The whole event was a haze. I figured that it was probably selective amnesia and I had done something embarrassing the night of Chase’s party.

‘You could have just left me at the party if you didn’t want to help me.’ I informed him.

His eyes widened slightly, and he almost appeared taken aback by words. He blinked once while his jaw ticked at a steady beat.

‘There was no fucking way in hell that I was leaving you.’ He affirmed with a growl like it was some sort of law to himself.

I turned around in my chair and ignored the hammering of my heart against my rib cage.

Lana leaned sideways so she could quietly question ‘What is he talking about?’

‘I don’t know.’ I shrugged, ‘He is delusional.’

The bell rang throughout the room, and everyone collected their things before rushing out of the classroom. The four of us also packed up our things before we joined the cramped space of the hallway.

Stone was the only person that stood out among the crowd because he was taller and broader than anyone else.

The appearance of him in the hall sparked conversation in people who passed by. Whispers filled the area along with clattering and footsteps. The many that were speaking lowly in their groups were eyeing the giant.

Despite everybody’s interest in him, nobody approached Stone.

He was sort of like fire in a way. Sinisterly yet ethereally tempting. You admired from afar but you did not get too close and you did not touch.

Lana pulled me in front so she could speak to me without the company of the other two ‘What do you think everyone is gossiping about?’

‘No idea.’ I replied before joking ‘I feel like some of them are close to asking one of them for some sort of autograph.’

She laughed and then lowered her voice as the boys neared ‘Please come to the drive-in-cinema. It gets awkward with Brennan and I when he disappears suddenly.’

‘Does he ever explain where they both go at night?’

‘Brennan said they were helping his grandmother install a new oven.’ Lana explained like it was a reasonable explanation.

It had the same vibes as the dog-ate-the-homework excuse.

I was planning to interrogate the two men when about their whereabouts when Lana was not around.

The two males caught up with us. Brennan started a conversation with Lana as they walked in front. Stone lingered near me like my second shadow.

When I stopped at my locker to exchange my textbooks, the giant stopped too.

I switched around my supplies for my next class as the large veiny hand belonging to Stone reached into my locker and pulled out one of my books.

He held it up to his face so he could read the title and then he turned it around to inspect the blurb.

Glaring up at him and my out-of-reach book, I voiced ‘Why do you always do that?’

Stone ignored my question and instead asked his own ‘Does this book not end on a cliff-hanger?’

My head tilted as a taunting smile made its way onto my face ‘How do you know that? Have you read it?’

Ignoring my question again, he looked down at me and asked, ‘Why do you like it?’

‘Because imagining your own end can be sometimes better than the real thing. Reality is a disappointment compared to fantasy.’

He cocked his head as a foreign expression flicked across his rough-looking features.

‘Give me my book, Lurch.’ I demanded up at him with a glare ‘Or I will knee you in the gut and take it for myself.’

He chuckled ‘Even then I would still be much taller than you.’

His remark about my height had me eager to prove him wrong and get back my paperback so I stepped on his toes.

The reaction was not one of pain as I put my whole weight onto his left foot. It was one of pure amusement as he peered down at me.

‘That does not even hurt you, does it?’ I realised with a sigh.

Stone shook his head as his lip twitched up.

I had spent a whole month with this man, and I had still never seen him smile.

I put my other foot on his free one until I was entirely on him. My feet on top of his meant that my whole body was pressed against him. I tried reaching up for the book again but failed.

During my mission to get my book back, my chest brushed against his upper stomach.

The contact made his raised arm with the book falter and lower.

I took the opportunity of his weakened moment and grabbed the book from him. I victoriously shook it in front of his face before I backed away and put the book back in the locker.

The lunch line was long by the time we got to the cafeteria. Lana was already waiting in the line when Stone and I sat down with Brennan at the table.

I figured this was the best time to ask them a few questions.

I cleared my throat and flicked my gaze between the two men as I delivered ‘If you two are hiding something then you need to come clean now.’

Stone stilled in his seat and reminded silent. His leg that rested against mine did not move and neither did his big muscular chest.

Brennan frowned while asking ‘What do you mean?’

‘You disappear at night like some reverse vampire.’ I mentioned to him ‘You have left Lana a few times and it is always at the same time.’

‘We just like to get home to see our parents.’ Brennan tried to deliver strongly.

‘Is that before or after you have installed your grandmother’s fridge?’ I asked.

‘After.’

‘That is funny.’ I leant over the table and whispered just in case Lana might be miraculously listening ‘Lana told me that you were installing an oven.’

The surfer’s eyes widen before he released a sigh ‘I don’t know what you want me to say, Ella.’

‘Just admit that you are secret night-ninjas.’

‘We are not secret night ninjas.’ Brennan let out a small laugh.

I sighed and added more seriously ‘Promise me you will not hurt Lana.’

For the first time since we sat down at the table, Stone spoke up ‘What about you?’

‘What about me?’ I asked while tilting my head upwards so that I could peer at him.

‘Would you not be hurt?’ The gravelly voice asked.

Stone and I had a weird dynamic. I thought to myself about how empty it would be without being called Medusa every day. I would be empty without his teasing and taunting every day.

A small part of me would be hurt.

To avoid saying the truth, I stuck my tongue out at both of them before delivering sassily ‘I don’t like you both enough to get hurt.’

The thick muscular leg against mine stilled again.

‘Anyway,’ Brennan changed the topic of conversation ‘Before Lana comes back, I wanted to tell you that I am going to ask her to be my girlfriend tomorrow.’

‘That is great.’ I gushed, my inner romantic threatening to escape.

‘Tomorrow is Saturday—’ Brennan began.

I cut him off with a smart comment ‘Thank you for reminding us, Father Time.’

He rolled his eyes but continued ‘We are all going to the beach and then the pier. I’m going to ask her to be mine at the Ferris wheel where we first met.’

My inner romantic was happy, but I was still confused on why he said we.

‘Have I been trapped in a hallmark movie?’ I deadpanned ‘I’m happy for you and all but why do I have to go?’

Brennan scratched the back of his head while his gaze shot to Stone.

A few minutes later, Brennan muttered ‘I want you both there.’

‘Why can’t you ask her tonight?’ I asked.

There was no answer from him.

Lana came back with a tray full of food for everyone. She sat down but instead of eating the food, she started eating at Brennan’s face.

I froze where I sat, not knowing what to do with myself.

Their kissing looked almost awkward and sloppy, so I tried to look anywhere else but them.

I hoped that I did not look like that when I kissed guys.

Brennan and Lana finally pulled apart and I almost let out a sigh of relief.

‘You have put me off my lunch.’ I mentioned to the two opposite me ‘I might have to go out and find a boyfriend just so I can make out with him and put you off your lunch.’

The deep rumbling that sounded like the mix of a hungry tiger and a fire breathing dragon sounded from beside me.

Lana laughed before encouraging me ‘You should go out and get a guy, Ella’

‘That is not a good idea.’ Brennan quickly disapproved of the idea ‘Stone will snap the poor guy’s neck.’

I turned to the quiet one next to me. His face did look murderous, and he did appear capable of snapping someone’s neck.

‘Do not worry, Lurch. We can find you someone, so you are not a fifth wheel.’ I smiled sweetly up at him as I delivered gently ‘It might take us a while to find a willing person though. Especially with that sourpuss face of yours.’

His eyes darkened as he grumbled out ‘It is not fucking happening.’

‘I was just kidding. About me getting a guy, that is.’ I cleared up before pointing to myself ‘I’m a pretty cool person all by myself.’

Stone seemed to have relaxed when he said, ‘Whatever floats your boat, seaweed head.’

‘A-ha. You have used that insult before.’

‘When?’ He grunted, not believing me.

‘Last week.’ I told him before grinning ‘So take that, Mad Max.’

‘Mad Max?’ He repeated, his attention on my smile as it grew.

‘He wears a leather jacket too.’ I mentioned as I motioned to his jacket ‘Talking about your jacket, do you ever take it off?’

He cocked his head and his dark eyes remained on my smile.

‘I’m starting to think you bathe with it on.’

‘Only one way to find out, Medusa.’ He rasped out while leaning close so that his words tickled my neck.

An image of him drowning me if I was ever in the same bathroom as him came to mind.

His mouth rose half an inch. His hint of a smile only lasted a second though because it quickly turned to a sneer when he noticed something behind me.

A person who I had not spoken to since the party was standing at the side of the table.

Chase was only looking at me when he spoke ‘Can I speak to you?’

‘What else is there to say?’ I replied to him, keeping my tone neutral.

‘Come on, Ella.’

I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to at least hear what he had to say for himself.

I was about to stand up, but a warm grip stopped me from moving.

A tattooed skull stared up at me as I looked down at Stone’s large hand on my thigh. His hand covered the width of my leg with warmth. His fingers curled around my thigh and gently squeezed.

The pressure was not painful, but it was firm. It was enough to make me bite my lip to keep a noise from escaping my throat.

It was obvious Stone disliked the quarterback.

For some unknown reason, I did not want to upset Stone, so I did not remove his hand from my thigh.

I offered the giant next to me a close-lipped smile before I stood up.

My thigh and the whole of my body went cold as I watched Stone move his hands into fists. He rested his clenched hands on the table.

Chase headed towards an empty table, and I followed behind him. We both sat down on opposite sides of the bench.

‘What do you want?’ I quietly murmured, aware of the dark eyes watching every move of mine.

‘I never meant to say what I did at the party.’ Chase quickly excused and he almost sounded genuine.

‘You didn’t?’ I scoffed.

‘Ella, I am sorry.’ He apologised before trying to deliver his reasons ‘I was mad, and it was in the heat of the moment—’

I cut him off with a question ‘What is your excuse for the other times then?’

Chase sighed ‘I know, and I am sorry.’

‘You like to show off with your friends at my expense and I am not going to sit back and take that.’

‘I know you shouldn’t.’ He agreed, his eyes not meeting mine ‘I feel like shit that I made you feel like that. You have enough to worry about with your dad.’

I really did not want to get into that conversation with him again.

‘We can try to be friends but that is all there is between us.’ I quickly disclosed.

The quarterback blinked twice before he bit out ‘Is it because of him?’

‘Who?’

‘Your tattooed buddy that is watching me like he is seconds away from turning me into his own punching bag.’ The blonde chuckled humourlessly.

I resisted the urge to look back at my table and back at the giant.

‘There is nothing going on between Stone and me.’ I voiced while crossing my arms over myself and slouching in my chair.

‘Good.’ He replied like he was telling me off for doing something bad ‘You don’t know him.’

I raised my voice slightly as I rebutted ‘And you do?’

‘You also don’t know the other guy that is into Lana.’ Chase pointed at my table with a frown as he kept talking.

I was a little suspicious of the two men’s whereabouts at night but they both said nothing was going on. I had to trust that and them.

‘You don’t even know his name.’ I pointed out with a huff ‘Brennan is a good guy. Just leave it alone.’

‘Do you remember that night when we were at the pier, and I said I had to go to—’

I cut him off again ‘Chase. Please just stop. Lana really likes Brennan. Just let this thing that you have against them go.’

Chase slammed his hands against the table and stood up before walking away.

My eyes widened as I watched him leave.

The quarterback called back over his shoulder ‘Try not to get hurt by him.’

My feet carried me back to my table as my mind raced a million miles an hour trying to make sense of what Chase said.

As soon as I sat back down next to the huge frame, the very tensed giant moved closer and made sure our sides were touching.

‘What did he want?’ Stone growled as he watched and waited for me to reply.

‘He wanted to warn me about you.’ I answered nonchalantly as I got my sandwich out of my schoolbag.

‘Why?’ The gruff voice gritted out.

I did not want him to get mad, so I thought it was best to try and answer light-heartedly ‘Because you are scary.’

His reaction was not what I thought it would be.

He did not chuckle or smirk or anything. He just looked at me. He really looked at me like he could see right through to my soul.

Stone sounded like he was trying to soften his deep voice, but it failed as he asked me ‘You are scared of me?’

My attention got lost in my sandwich. I thought about the origin of the word and how it was named after an Earl of Sandwich. It made me think about how much I wanted a food named after me.

He spoke again, still trying to soften his husky voice ‘Ella, are you scared of me?’

I noticed how everything about him had turned serious, so I answered him honestly ‘Of course, I’m not.’

His shoulders lowered and I could audibly hear a deep breath being released.

‘Do I have a reason to be scared of you?’ I questioned his tenseness about the topic.

‘Everybody else, yes.’ He grounded out with determination ‘You, never.’

Something had caught my eye on his jacket. I leaned closer to see the long single strand of green hair that contrasted the black leather.

I reached out to get rid of the strand of my hair on him.

Stone quickly but gently grabbed a hold of my wrist before I could get to the green hair.

His gravelly voice went deep in demand as he ordered ‘Leave it.’

‘Why?’ I curiously remarked before putting a faux expression of horror on my face ‘Are you planning to clone me with that piece of hair? Have you built a cloning machine?’

‘One of you is more than enough.’ He chuckled.

‘Hey!’ I exclaimed while pulling my hand back from his embrace ‘What is that supposed to mean?’

Stone stayed silent but continued to watch me with a raised lip.

I had grown tired of his selective mutism, and I decided to stop looking at him.

I was still waiting for the day he would smile.

My gaze travelled around the lunch hall before it landed on the jock’s table. My look at Chase was brief because a calloused hand touched my chin and made me lose all concentration.

His touch was warm as the hand belonging to the large man grabbed a hold of my chin. His gentle caress of my neck and face continued as he made me look up at him.

He made me meet his hardened unfaltering stare.

The obsidian irises flicked between my mouth and my widened eyes.

He leant closer and whispered huskily ‘Keep your eyes on me, Medusa.’