IX. private message

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Pierce snapped his neck my way and his eye sockets widened. They were a satisfying mix of surprise and caution as they fixed on my body. It was as if I was a ghost floating mid-air in the hall. As if I was the girl he had been trying to avoid.

The man completed a 180 turn and sped-walk in the opposite direction. Rapidly clicking my tongue against the roof of my mouth in disappointment, I attempted a mediocre jog to catch up to him. I managed to grab his arm at last, spinning him around to face me.

"You—" I confronted as I shot him a disbelieving glare, chest rising and falling after pursuing him twice, "What the hell do you think this hallway is, a treadmill? Will you stop running!"

He rolled his eyes and eyed me weirdly, quickly looking me up and down. "Ah." His low voice sent a warm chill down my spine, "You're... you're that girl. My little ray."

I raised my eyebrows and laughed dryly. "'Little ray of sunshine?' Please—"

"Of pitch-black." He finished, shaking his head, "Gloom has entered the building."

"Excuse you?"

"Thanks a lot for leaving me to decompose in your living room, sunny." That little unnecessary nickname was so shady I suddenly felt my blood boiling.

"Ohoho," Disbelief dripped from my tone as I folded my arms across my chest, "Someone's a bit petty, sir."

He let out an amused smile, "No need to call yourself out like that. I'm 'dead,' remember?"

"But you're here." I tested.

"And now I'm about to skedaddle," the man motioned his pointer and middle finger to walk in mid-air, "Good day, ma'am."

Everything was happening so quickly and I was utterly confused. But I need to act quick or else my chance to get answers was lost. Rambling my head for a way to stop the man as he walked away, I suddenly blurted out the first thing that came to mind other than, 'Dead Man.'

"Pierce, wait— please." My eyes softened in surprise when he actually slowed down and turned back to look at me.

He arched his brows and gave me a teasing smile. "Hi, I'm Pierce. Did you call?"

Alright. I guess testing to see whether I remembered his real name or not was what he was looking for. Makes sense. 'Dead Man' was a little dreary on my part.

"Why are you here?" I went straight to the point because I knew any second there could be people that overheard us, "And you know what I'm talking about."

"I'm here to get my homework." He raised the assignment given to him by Mrs. Island before dropping his arm.

A scowl escaped my mouth and he sighed before his demeanor suddenly became serious. His eyes fixed on something over my shoulders and I tensed up. Was someone... there?

Pierce cleared his throat and began walking forward towards me. My brows furrowed slightly as I tried to understand what he was up to. Reading his face wasn't an option since the man could put up quite a facade.

He was mere centimeters from my face before moving slightly to the side and leaning close to my ears. "Now's not a good time." His low, steady voice caught my full attention. "We'll talk soon, but until then, don't go looking for me during school."

I tilted my head towards him, "Why?" Even without looking, I could tell what his expression was like next to my face. I was left perplexed when the man replied with, "Because I won't be here when you're looking. And Risa, do me a quick favor and walk the opposite way so the teacher behind you stops looking at me funny."

My eyes widened when I was caught off-guard as he called my real name for the first time since our reunion. Pierce brushed past me and continued down the hallway in the opposite direction. Not knowing why I was listening to him like I was used to obeying his orders, my body began moving forward and I walked aimlessly to the end of the hallway and made turns until I reached detention again.

What the man didn't realize, however, was the little fact that I had sneaked and slipped two sheets of paper out of his folder in order to investigate if that was really homework he was holding.

If there was really nothing and taking the papers was a mistake, I could just walk to his claimed 'apartment' and return them later tonight since he told me where he stayed at on the night we met.

That's only if... I don't find an error.

My suspicions were rising. Especially after reading the texts I got in the stall where Serena and Vanessa almost caught me eavesdropping. I had received a sudden private message from Pooh in the restroom earlier today. And you wouldn't even begin to think what he texted me. No, I'm dead serious.

Brace yourselves, non-Errors. His message was:

D:

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