*Elizabeth's POV*

A few more days went by and I couldn't take it anymore. I walked up to my locker and took out my literature books.

'What am I supposed to do now?' My mind wondered. I moved towards the class feeling really bitter from within.

"Hey Elizabeth! Eliza!" I heard a familiar voice call out to me but that didn't stop me from walking forward. I've got an attitude problem, right? Rich kid, remember?

Liam almost ran to catch up with me.

"Hey, Lee. What's up?" I asked casually.

"Nothing babe, it was just...I noticed that...you aren't really comfortable with Rome. And... Grace is being hell to me! All the time, she only chanting Rome's name like a mantra."

I felt my spine stiffened in its place and my jaws clench at his name but somehow managed to keep my face void of any emotions.

"So, you want me to play a match maker for them? Huh?" My voice came out more colder than I anticipated it.

"That wasn't what I meant... I was just... you see... we can exchange the partners. You can be my partner while Grace can go fry Rome's brain. If you don't have any problems with that, that is," He spoke, pausing between the words in the first part of his little speech trying to get things out right.

Why didn't I think of something like that? Of course, I would never have any problem with that and in the same way I wouldn't have to face that asshole again. I literally changed his name to 'asshole' in my head! Bet he would be more than happy to get rid of me!

"Fine. That is a good idea. So, are we partners from today?" I stopped in front of the class and raised my hand for a shake.

"Alright! Catch you in the class," he sang happily with a nod as he shook my hand off before turning around and getting inside the class to capture the last bench. Me on the other hand, waited outside for Grace and after few more minutes Grace did walk towards the class 'gracefully'. First she dropped her books after bumping shoulders with a group of jocks standing near the locker and then clumsily pulled them up before tripping on her own open lace and face planted on the floor in front of me.

"Are you alright?" I asked feeling awkward as I helped her get up.

"Thanks," she replied as she got up, her face flushed bright red.

"Grace, I need to talk to you."

"Yeah? What did I do? I swear I didn't do anything! Really, I didn't  do anything! Not even homework. Why do you want to talk to me?" she was a literal panicked mess and looked so confused!

"I am not talking about anything that you are assuming right now. I wanted to ask, would you mind taking my seat? I want to sit with Liam." I could see disbelief on her face like she couldn't believe her own ears. A wide goofy grin stretched across her lips as she let out a shriek and almost danced with joy.

"Yeah! Sure! Thank you so much." She was jumping like a kangaroo! I couldn't help but shake my head amused, at her reaction and walked into the class.

 As soon as I entered the class, my eyes automatically found him. He was in his place with my seat still vacant. Grace bounced towards my place while I made my way to the last bench where Liam was seated.

"So! Hello Ms. Popular, please have a seat." Liam dramatically motioned the chair beside him. A giggle slipped through my lips as I sat down.

"Hello, my new partner, I hope you won't annoy me like the clown that used to be my former partner."

"Well, of course I wouldn't even dare. I don't want to lose you..."

I felt some tingles go down my spine as he said that. I just smiled to myself and turned to face the teacher who had just entered. The class felt better, Liam was a funny guy. I laughed a lot with him. I didn't even know when the class got over. Actually I didn't want the class to finish yet. I didn't find the need to rush out before Mrs. Veronica. Instead Liam and I talked our way to the lockers before he headed his way.

A few more days went like that and we enjoyed the classes seamlessly. Liam cracked lame jokes and I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it!

"And like that, Mrs. Pumpkin pushed Mr. tomato on Mr. Radish making him go red! Then due to embarrassment Mr. Radish changed his name to Mr. Carrot."

So very lame! Though I ended up giggling in the end. The bell went off and Liam walked me to my locker as usual.

"Thanks so much! I had a great time," I smiled at him.

"The pleasure was all mine, gorgeous," he smiled at me and I let him depart for his next class which was on the other side of the campus.

I had to yet pick my books up for the next class from the locker so I stopped by it and entered the pin to open the locker. But when I closed the locker I saw someone standing just behind the metal door making me almost jumped in my skin. Especially, since it was none other than Rome. He had been standing just beside me and I never knew. His face looked dark, eyes clouded with hostility. I had never seen him like so grave before. He looked dangerous, even deadly! It scared me.

My only instinct at the moment was of flight making me immediately turn around and walk away as fast as my legs could carry me. Away from him. But I don't know how he was right in front me, blocking my way. There was no one else in the corridor except us now and that really freaked me out.

"What on hell are you-" he cut off my yelling by covering my mouth with his hand and gagging me efficiently! He touched me! That just infuriated me but his temper was way too scary at that moment that I forgot about mine.

"I want to talk to you but you are not giving me a chance!" he tried to be calm but anyway hissed halfway through the sentence that showed the clear hint of his actual emotions, yet I couldn't deny still how attractive he sounded. I tried to concentrate but his hand above my mouth kept distracting me, whatever cologne he was wearing kept distracting me.

I gathered all my willpower and pulled up my hand to my face just to push his hand away from me. He looked shocked at my move.

"I don't want to talk to you," I replied summoning the remaining anger of mine and walk away. Or at least tried to because he caught my wrist and pulled me back in front of him. I struggled to free my hand from his grip but he was way too strong. He watched how vigorously I tried to free myself from his clutches as his expression slowly transformed into a grimace.

Suddenly, pushed me against the lockers. Catching hold of my shoulders so that I couldn't run away, when in fact I wasn't even able to make any movement, he trapped me from all the sides.

"I have to go! My next class has started!" I tried to reason with him but he didn't seemed to be convinced by it as he stayed put.

"Let go of me or I'll scream!" I threatened him but he moved one of his hands from my shoulder back to my mouth and covered it to gag me! I felt the shocks tingle down me spinal cord.

How could he do that? How DARE he do that?

"Enough of your talking. Now, I'll talk and you'll listen," he ordered.

I felt another set of shivers go down my spine.

"Why did you change your partner? How dare you exchange me with Liam?" he hissed through his clenched teeth. I could feel my stomach doing somersaults. His hand still forbade me from speaking. My mind had gone completely blank for that brief moment and I felt myself vulnerable before him. He was way too strong for me. But that shouldn't stop me. I tried fighting his grip while I realized that I was not answerable to him. Reflexively, his grip tightened over me. When I tried removing his hand from my mouth he finally realized that he wasn't allowing me to talk. That dumbass dropped his hand from my mouth and placed it back on my shoulder.

"You are not my father for me to reply to your questions. Don't try to enter in my matters," I said still fighting against his grip.

"Hush! You talk way too much. Now be a good girl and don't send anyone else in your place or else-" he pushed me back on the lockers as he came closer. Our noses almost touched, we were only centimeters away! He had his finger over my lips as a sign to 'shut up' but I cut him off in the middle and talked from under his finger, "Or else, what?"

He opened his mouth to say something but then suddenly dropped his hand away from me and took a step back. There by the end of the corridor Mrs. Kate came out of a cabin and looked at us. I couldn't help but look at Rome, he had a poker face back on but his eyes remained dark. She walked in our direction and stood before us.

"Are you two not having any classes right now?" she asked bored. Rome beat me to reply her, "We have ma'am but Mrs. Veronica asked us to stand here and wait for you."

Wait a minute, when did she tell that? What is he trying to drag me into? And how come he could behave the way he wanted with me? I wasn't a guinea pig for him to experiment with!

"Oh! You two are the ones whom she was talking about. Come, follow me," Mrs. Kate instructed with a smile. She took us to her cabin and I having no other choice choice followed her. Mrs. Veronica was already in the cabin waiting for us.

They both shared a glance before they started talking in riddles

"Aren't they both perfect? I made my mind to choose them after the first class," Mrs. Veronica told and Mrs. Kate nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, sure they both will fit perfectly for the roles. No doubt about that."

I had no clue about what they were talking about!

"I'll tell them the good news!" Mrs. Veronica told Mrs. Kate with great pleasure before turning towards us, "okay, I want you both to participate in the school drama which is on the talents day! And I don't want to hear 'no', no matter which role you are givenr."

I gulped. This gave me a bad feeling, a really bad one.

She took out some pinned pages from the cupboard and handed over to us saying that those were our scripts. The title of the play was 'sleeping beauty'. I looked at the rest of script and found out that she had given me lines of the prince!

"Excuse me, ma'am, I think there is a mistake, you have given me the lines of the prince!" I informed her but nothing changed in her expression.

She calmly replied, "No child, I have given you the right script. This is a cross gender drama."

My mouth fell wide open. Did I look like a prince to her? Or more specifically, like a boy?

She seemed to have understand my expression and replied, "Don't take the wrong idea that you look like a boy, my dear! You in no way resemble a boy. You are one of the girls who have tender feminine features, it's just that I want the audience to understand that even beautiful girls can undertake a strong roles that generally boys undertake. And in no way is he even remotely resembles a girl. He is more like a man who would still look pretty enough in a girl's costume."

I cast a dirty look on him and found him already looking in my direction. I immediately turned my gaze at Mrs. Veronica.

"Find me after school, we'll start the practice from today," she added quite content. I nodded my head, not knowing if I did look like a boy or not but definitely he will look hilarious in a girl's costume.

I silently giggled to myself and immediately headed for the class, keeping my pace fast enough to reach my destination in mere seconds. I didn't want him to put his hands on me ever again. I heard the door open behind me but I neither stopped nor turned to see. I reached the room quite fast.

 And that made me happy because he couldn't get hold of me again. Mr. Eugene was teaching math. And the class was completely filled except for only one seat left out just for me. He permitted me to get in and take my place. I readily went and sat in my place. I hadn't even noticed who my neighbor was. Just out of a habit of mine, I simply glanced at my neighbor absent-mindedly and then turned back to focus on the teacher. I took my mind a few seconds to comprehend before a goosebumps rose on my skin, I whipped my head towards my neighbour again to make sure if I had seen it right the first time and that was when another shock went down my spine. He was there right beside me! Rome was already sitting beside but how?

I was the one who came out of Mrs. Kate's cabin before him and hadn't even seen him pass by me. I walked as fast as I could but still how was it that he was here before me?

"how did you reach here before I did? And what are you doing in this class?

You have some other class now! I've never seen you in this class before," I

asked him quite baffled. He looked at me blankly. I expected another glare from him but then he just smile and leaned a little

towards me catching me off-guard, in fact it mesmerized me but I tried very hard

and fought it the pull towards him. I leaned away from him to maintain the distance

between us. His eyes sparkled with a tint of mirth and his smile only widened.

He whispered with that smile intact on his face, "if you want to know, meet me in the lunch break, alone. I'll be in the gym."

Gym? Gym had hardly anyone in there

during lunch break! Why did he call me there?

I wasn't going anywhere and especially not

at all to meet him. I knew he surely had something up his sleeves. He sat back straighter in his place allowing me to sit properly. I tried concentrating on the subject being taught by the teacher but he was closer than he would usually be and because of that his cologne lingered on my nose. It started distracting me again, pulling my attention towards him! I didn't like to admit that I really liked that fragrance.

My hands wanted to reach out to touch him. To freaking touch him! And I couldn't believe myself! I pinched myself a couple of times to keep me focused, to keep myself in control.

His smell amplified, this time it came to me more stronger than it usually did. I felt myself control slipping. It was taking over my mind! Any minute now, I swear it wouldn't be surprising if I pounced on him and in the middle of a crowded room!

I was this close to touch him when the bell went off saving my stupid little ass. I immediately got up ready to run to the other end of the world, away from that tormenting fragrance of his before I lost control. I hurried out of the room but halfway through I realised that I had forgotten my books back in the room. Face palming mentally, I went back. The classroom looked almost empty from outside but then he was still sitting in his place.

Smiling nonchalantly at me, he got up and handed me my books. I hesitantly took them and checked if all the books were there only to find that his book was present along with mine. I looked up to give it back to him but he wasn't in my line of sight. I glanced around searching for him but he wasn't even in the room.

Shaking my head, I walked out of the class. I would have to give him the book tomorrow. That was when I spotted him sauntering towards the canteen.

Better give the devil back his belongings before he came hunting me down. I jogged after him, calling out for his but he neither turned nor stopped. He didn't enter the canteen instead climbed the flight of stairs down which led into another empty corridor, only him and I were in here.

I shouted his name again where even a deaf could have heard it but he neither stopped nor turned to acknowledge my calling! He just kept on moving, at last entered a room. I stopped outside the door as soon as I recognized it to be the gym! He wanted me to follow him! He wanted me alone with him in the gym! But why? Something wasn't right I could feel it deep within my guts.

 So, what I did next was turn on my heels and ran to the hills. Or rather canteen here. I burst through the canteen doors panting while my eyes searched for my girls. They were sitting on our usual table. I walked as fast as my feet would carry me.

"girls, I need to tell you something!" I exclaimed cautiously after catching my breath.

"what's so important that you aren't even letting us enjoy the lunch? It's really delicious today!" Lola said moaning at the bite of her sandwich.

"Rome asked me to meet him in the gym during the lunch break," I blurted out placing the books on the table which I was still carrying.

"what!" all the four girls exclaimed simultaneously, incredulously.

"please don't play another trick on us," Janet sighed.

"No. I'm telling you guys the truth! He almost got me follow him into the gym, that is why I'm late. Right now he is probably in the gym, still waiting for me," I shuddered recalling the incident.

"Ha! She is definitely playing a trick on us," Lola announced with in a duh tone.

"You guys don't believe me? Guys, I'm telling you the truth!" I defended feeling bad that they didn't believe me.

"How can we believe it, Z? the person who has been here right in front of our eyes even before you came in, how can we believe when you say something like that?" Diana asked irritated but my heart missed a beat or two. I immediately scanned the canteen for him and there he was, sitting beside Mandy. He already had finished half of his lunch. His meet mine and I immediately pretended as if I wasn't looking at him. Shocks coursed through my entire system.

How could this happen? How can he be at two places at once?

If I said anything further, about anything that happened with me, no one would believe me!

"And anyway he never once had a nice attitude towards you," Lola pointed out.

I skipped the lunch that day, unable to digest the facts. My mind had to much to comprehend. Standing by the cola machine, I searched for the change in my purse, but I wasn't finding any. I let the other people use it while I hopelessly searched for the change the person using the machine pulled my hand, grabbing my attention.

Another shock was when I looked at him to find out it was Rome! He placed the new can of soda in my hand and walked away without another word. I could still feel the shock etched on my face.

I contemplated about returning the soda back to him but then he had vanished in the crowd again. Having no other choice, I moved back to our table and sat down.

Why was he doing this?

And how could he do those things that were impossible? These thoughts occupied my head while I slowly sipped the soda.

I had to find out. I remember him telling 'if you want to know, meet me in the lunch break. I'll be in the gym.'

Without another word, I got up and walking towards the gym, without even realizing. I was by the stairs when a hand on my shoulder froze me.

Feeling a panic take over, I slowly turned to see the person who stood behind me.

"What happened Lizzy?" Janet asked anxiously making me take a breather.

She had been worried about me!

"Oh Janet!" I hugged her gratefully.

"It's okay Liz, it's okay," she rubbed my back.

"Do you not believe me, too?" I asked, my eyes pooling with tears.

"I felt it strange too when he gave you the coke and left without a word. I had seen him looking at your way many a times and never once was he angry," she recalled the things that she had witnessed.

"I have to find out something, for that I will have to go to gym," I told her cautiously.

"I'll wait for you outside it," she said with a nod and I nodded in agreement. We both walked down the stairs and reached the gym. She waited outside as we had agreed while I entered it. The gym looked empty, maybe he had left already. I turned around to leave when I suddenly heard the ball bouncing.

Turning around, I found him dribbling the ball slowly. His eyes focused on me. It was weird to see smile on his face.

"you know I had been waiting for you, but you took so long," he said and suddenly threw the ball into the basket in a perfect shot!

"How did you... how can... how were you present at two places at once?" I was struggling to use the right word.

"Would you like to play a match with me?" he asked, his smile widening even more.

"No. Just answer my question. How did you do that?" I asked keeping my mind trained on my questions. He didn't answer, just laughed.

"You said you would answer me, if I'd come here," I pointed out his earlier words, taking a stepped towards him. The floor was smooth and slippery making me almost fall on my ass but he saved me by catching my wrist and pulled me back up.

With that movement, I ended up coming too close to him, his face only inches away from mine when he suddenly whispered, "only if you had come alone, you would have had the truth."

His cologne enchanted me, his face was so beautiful to resist and additional to

that, like a feather in the cap, his deep voice mesmerized me. I was already leaning towards him.

"Lizzy!" I heard Janet call from behind. My rationality crawled out of whatever damned pit it had fallen into and pushed myself away from him.

"Better luck next time," he said but why I didn't understand. I headed back to Janet careful enough not to slip again. She looked very worried.

"You okay?" she asked me. I just nodded in reply.

"Let this be just between us both. Don't say about it to anyone else. Okay?" I asked her and she nodded. With that sorted we headed back to canteen.