Chapter 4 Calling dibs

Sinn's POV

They said you didn't know a person until you lived with them or until you have established a certain type of close relationship with them.

I have had so many perceptions of Valerie since the day I met her. One of our encounter had been wondering what changed about her and I finally got it.

I understood why she did the things she did and why she acted the way she did. She was just a hurt child who was trying to heal.

She was just doing it wrongly. Not like there was a right way anyway.

Everything she displayed at the dining table, I felt it. I would've defended my mother same way. I wasn't fond of Erickson or the other men my mother had tried to move on to but I had learnt not to be selfish, especially to the same people who would do anything for us. The only people we had.

She would understand later on. And like I said, I wasn't leaving her again. Not after it took me this long.

"Good morning, Princess," I heard Erickson greet. When I didn't hear a reply, I knew it was Valerie.

Typical.

She had suddenly grown mute and almost turning into a wallflower in her father's house. Not like I cared much though about how she wanted to cope with her moods but it was beginning to get out of hand.

"Look at you, are you not still alive, you know, living under the same roof as us?" I smirked at her when she dropped her things on the island beside me, arranging them inside her bag.

She didn't even spare me a glance as she aggressively zipped her bag close. I almost regretted making such joke, returning to munching my apple.

"Valerie... Are you still going to keep ignoring me?" Mr. Erickson asked softly.

Still doing the exact thing he was complaining about, she kept mute placing a big glass on her face, changing her look entirely. My eyes slowly roamed up and down her body, assessing her carefully.

A snort escaped my lips unintentionally, my eyes landing on her hard ones.

"Long skirt? Glasses? Who the fuck are you trying to deceive, Little Red," I reduced my voice, my tone teasing.

Her jaw clenched, looking down at her outfit before snapping back up to mine. "The name is Valerie. Stop calling me that thing."

Okay, progress. She said something at least.

"For a minute, I was starting to think you had no tongue, you know? We should throw a party in that cause after school, what do you think?" I muttered lowly, picking up my car keys.

I didn't think Erickson will appreciate me carrying his precious daughter to school on my motorcycle so I was using my car instead.

She had turned to leave only to halt, her head craning to meet my gaze again. "Come again? Did you use we and school in the same sentence?"

"Yup. Let's go." I placed my hand on her arm gently. She glared at me, shoving my hands off.

"I'm not going to school with you!" Her voice was loud and laced with anger. Her father walked closer, his eyes holding fear.

"You see, Prisca and I thought it'll be nice for -"

"I don't give a shit about what Pri-"

I cleared my throat, shooting her a glare. Her eyes fluttered, her mouth hanging open. Her throat bobbed up and down slowly.

Good. At least, she remembered.

"There are two schools in this city, father. Why does it have to be mine?"

My heart clenched in my chest from her question and what she was insinuating. She didn't want me in her school.

I hadn't even done anything to her. Why was I on the receiving end of her frustration?

Pfft! I would never understand teenage girls.

"It's for the best, Princess. Can you stop running away from us all?" Her father stretched his hand to touch her but she flinched back, staring at him with nothing but betrayal.

It wasn't ordinary betrayal. It looked like it ran deeper than what she was letting out on.

"Shall we?" I asked, placing my hand on her bag. She glared hard at me, shoving it off my grip.

"I don't need your help." She stormed off, not sparing any of us a glance

"Sinn..." Mr. Erickson called out to me, staring at me. "Please look after her, she's fragile."

Fragile?

Pinch me.

He really didn't know his daughter. Or he was pretending not to know.

This girl literally carried weights like it weighed nothing and once, she fucking fought this big guy who tried to assault her friend at her place of work.

How I knew all these was a story for another day.

Anyway, I gave him a curt nod, following Valerie's trail to see her standing outside, beside my car. My lips lifted up in a smirk.

"Don't." She said, her tone warning.

"I shouldn't mock you for still waiting back for me? Okay, I won't." I scoffed, holding the door open for her.

She folded her arms once she entered inside, frowning deeply like she was trying to scare me away. It wasn't working. In fact, she didn't know she looked really cute when she frowned and it was beginning to get addictive.

Or maybe I was just a sadist.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer." She eyed me up and down, clearly irritated by me. I should've stopped but I couldn't.

"Okay." I brought out my phone, taking a quick picture. Her eyes snapped wide open in shock.

"What the fuck, Sinn? Delete that now! I swear to God..." The rest of whatever she had to say stayed with her as I shut the door, turning around to enter the driver's seat.

I felt her burning gaze on my face but instead of acknowledging it, I turned on the radio, biting my inner lips to stop myself from smiling.

God, I was beginning to get irritated with myself too. Women never amused me. At least for a long while now.

It wasn't until we reached our school, Quinn's Castle High, that I turned off the radio, giving her my attention. She still had a scowl on her face, her arms folded.

In Mayhill City where we lived, there were two schools - Mayhill High School and Quinn's Castle High. Quinn's Castle was more on the prestigious side, filled with more Nepo Kids, while Mayhill High... You know.

"So, are you going to show me around your school?" I raised my eyebrow at her.

She stared at me blankly for a while before her eyes snapped wide open. "Shit." She cussed under her breath. "Okay, look Sinn."

"That's what I'm doing. I'm looking," I teased.

"I'm being serious right now! We can't be seen together. Ever." Her tone was low.

I scoffed. "I didn't know we were together. Did you conclude on that solely because of what happened between us at the -"

"Ew! Jesus Christ, Sinn." She shook her head, eyeing me in disgust. "Just... Act like you don't know me. I mean it."

She hurriedly jumped out of the car, leaving me in a state of shock and confusion. Before I could find my tongue, someone else entered into my car, startling me.

"Hey bro!"

My eyes narrowed to my best friend's annoying friend that I had to pull up with because we both shared a mutual friend.

"Zack," I called out, my voice calm.

His smirk widened. "Good to have you in our school, bro. I just saw virgin Mary leaving your car... Are you fucking her?"

"Virgin what?" That was the only part I picked out for all the shit he said.

I wanted to cackle out loud in his face but I bit my tongue hard. Valerie was no fucking virgin.

Holy shit!

So this was why she was dressed like a nun, huh? Fucking double life.

"Scratch that, I doubt she'd be into guys like you. Just so you know though, I call dibs on her. I'm going be the first guy in Quinn's Castle High to sleep with Valerie Erickson."

My blood ran cold, jaw clenching hard.

"Unfortunately bro, I've already had her,"