Young Love Murder (5 page)

The students are halfway through the semester, and from research that I’ve done about school, I can assume that one or more teachers will make me stand in the front of the class to ‘introduce’ myself. I wouldn’t have had this extra task, in a school this large, if I’d started at the beginning of the school year. A good chunk of the students are new at that time. I plan to make this work for me, though.

As I’m walking to my first class, someone starts walking alongside me. I don’t have to turn my head to know that it’s Max. Even in a crowd like this, it’d be hard for someone untrained to sneak up on me. Though, that squealing chick did catch me off guard. She’s lucky I didn’t overreact and slam her face into a locker.

I don’t say anything to my walking partner, as if I haven’t noticed. Let him make the first move. Which he does by lamely saying, “Hey, you’re new, right?”

Still, I don’t look at him, as if uninterested in his presence. “Yes.”

“I’m Max. Do you need help finding your first class?” he asks hopefully. 

Stopping in the middle of the throng, daring anyone to bump into me, I slowly turn to look at him. I give him a calculated, friendly smile. “That’d be great. By the way, I’m Anna.” Glancing up and down in an obvious way of checking him out, I have to admit he’s hot. Wearing jeans, Converse and a black band shirt that says ‘The Bravery’ in yellow lettering, he’s dressed similar to most of the other males here, but he wears it well. He has a more casual look than Gabriel, who’s wearing expensive designer jeans and a button up shirt and boots. Except for the dark hair, they don’t look much alike. 

He notices my perusal and smiles back like I just made his day as I hand him my schedule. He looks it over. “Hey! We have all the same classes before lunch.” The broad smile on his face is triumphant, the poor boy. 

Surprise, Surprise
! “Really?” I ask with false amazement in my voice.

He looks back up at me. “Yeah, that means I can show you to your first four classes.”

“Lucky me,” I reply, throwing him a warm smile as we start walking again, with me pretending to follow his lead. 

“Here we are,” he says, motioning with one hand for me to walk into the classroom ahead of him.

But, before I do, I glance over my shoulder to where Gabriel’s been following us with an aggravated look on his face. I give him an impish smile and wink, just like I did Friday night at the club. Gabriel’s eyes go wide, while Max is oblivious to the little exchange. Walking into the classroom, I innocently ask Max, “Are there assigned seats?”

He looks anticipatory, answering, “Nope, so you can sit by me.”

Raising both eyebrows in amazement, I give him a flirtatious look. “Can I? Well then, lead the way.”

We take two seats next to each other in the second to last row. Wow, these desks are pieces of crap. Along with the uncomfortable seat, the legs aren’t completely level causing it to wobble a little as I move.
Nice
. Out of habit, I run my fingers over the blades strapped to my outer thigh, through the thin material of my skirt. 

“Were you at a club on Friday night called
Cameo
? I thought I saw someone who looked like you.” As if he doesn’t already know it was me. In a matter of seconds, I debate where I should let this conversation go.

“Yes, I was.” Keeping my face expressionless, with only mild interest showing in my eyes, I wait for his next words.

“You were with a guy . . . ,” Max trails off, obviously fishing for more information. 

“Yes, I was.” I answer vaguely again.
Sorry to disappoint you, buddy, but for my own purposes, that’s all the details you’re getting.
Simon taught me not to give out more information than I have to. Contradicting yourself is a red flag to others that you’re deceiving them.

The math teacher comes into the room seconds before the final bell rings and begins taking roll. When he gets to the name I’m using, as expected he says, “Ah, we have a new student. Anna Walker, will you please come up and introduce yourself to the class?”

Suppressing an eye roll at the encouraging smile Max throws my way and getting up out of the worst seat I’ve ever sat, I have to practically walk sideways through the narrow column of desks. Why do they stuff so many kids into one small classroom? A guy I pass whistles softly so the teacher won’t hear. A few nearby students
do
hear and either laugh or giggle, depending on their gender.
Wonder how they’d react if I backhanded the whistler?
Probably laugh some more.

Can’t blame the whistler, I did dress on this job for effect. The desired effect is to get both Max and Gabriel to desire me enough to want to date me and take me home to meet la familia. I’m wearing a loose, fluttering skirt in a deep royal blue that comes to mid-thigh. Paired with a silk cream-colored top and a pair of strappy wedge sandals, I stand out from most of the other girls in a mature and sexy way. It’s a more youthful version of what I’ve worn during past jobs. Usually when on assignment I choose hairstyles, makeup and clothing that make me look older than my age. 

Funny, on this job, the goal is to
actually
look my age. It’s a surreal experience. Not sure how I feel about it yet. The other girls my age here make me feel ancient. It’s in their eyes, their expressions, innocence. They possess a detachment from the real world. Oh, some of them might think they’ve had a dose or two of reality, but they don’t really know. Probably never will know it the way I do.

Once I’m standing in the front of the class, on display, I start to tell them what I’d planned ahead of time. From the distracted expression on the teacher’s face, it’s obvious this is just a formality for him. He could really give a damn about my personal life. I’m just another temporary face until the next batch of kids show up. If I gave a damn, I think my feelings might be hurt. 

With a sincere smile and an open expression on my face, I begin speaking, “As the teacher said, my name is Anna Walker. I just moved here from Hong Kong, although I’m not originally from there. We move around a lot for my father’s business interests. I’m an only child.” Sometimes I wish I really was an only child, brothers are a headache that no drug can cure.

A pretty girl with black hair glares at me and asks, “Where did your parents buy a house at?” I recognize her from one of the pictures of Max’s ex-girlfriends. Her name is Carrie Celeste Cooper. How lame is that? I’ll have to use the name as an alias sometime, when I’m pretending to be someone lame.

“Why does that matter?” I ask with a confused look her way, knowing full well that she’s sizing me up financially. Information that I have on her says that her family is semi-wealthy. Her father is a bank manager and her mother is a doctor. Most of the students at this high school are middle to upper class, being zoned in a nicer area of Miami. Too bad I can’t tell her that I make more money taking lives than her mama makes saving them.

She shrugs and slyly says, “Well, if you’re embarrassed . . . .” I believe this is where I’m supposed to be intimidated or feel the need to spill personal information, so I’ll fit in. Is this my
Mean Girls
moment? What the skankette doesn’t realize is that she’s a kitten compared to some of the women I’ve dealt with.
Cat fights
, I sigh inwardly,
good times
.

“My parents are still house hunting, but we have two suites at The Setai hotel for now,” I reply in an unconcerned manner.

The teacher whistles, paying attention after all, then says, “Expensive taste.”
Dang, I’m getting whistles left and right today.

Turning to him, I ask, “Am I finished?” He nods and motions for me to return to my seat. I make sure to not look at Max for the rest of the class period, but can see him out of the corner of my eye as he turns his head to look at me every so often. 

Making sure to flirt with him and act friendly in between classes for the rest of the morning, I continue to totally ignore him while in class. Don’t want him to think I’m too eager. He’s to think that I’m interested, but not desperate, possibly just a flirt. The next teacher that makes me ‘introduce’ myself to the class is my fourth period English teacher.

How would the teachers and students react to the truth?
Well, my name is Annabelle Blanc and my hobbies are martial arts, weapons collecting and murder for hire.
They’d probably laugh it off as a joke and whisper that the new girl is a weirdo.

After fourth period, as the bell rings, Max practically jumps out of his assigned desk to corner me at mine across the room. “Do you want to sit with me at lunch?” As an afterthought, he adds, “And my friends.”

I smile gratefully at him and say, “Sure.” Just from the short interactions with both males, I see that different approaches are needed. With Max, fun and friendly will work. With his cousin, Gabriel, aloof and unattainable will draw him in.

As we walk into the lunchroom and over to the counter to the get our grub, he keeps his hand on the small of my back. I know this is his way of staking a claim. He wants to show all the other males in this room that I’m taken. How adorable. 

When I was thirteen, Simon paid a famous French Madam, and close friend of his, a large sum of money to instruct me in the art of seduction and the ways to manipulate men. It’s the only time that I’ve ever actually seen Simon embarrassed, dropping me off at her house. Jackson was kinda pissed, but he realized that the knowledge was necessary for our work, as he’d already been through the same instruction. I was also taught how to decipher the actions of males and read their expressions. It’s a handy trick that all females should be taught. The poor, misguided teenage girls at this school. If I had the time or inclination to instruct them, I’d be a goddess here. They could call me the Boy Guru.

When we sit down at a table, Gabriel is already there scowling. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the smart-ass grin that Max gives him. “Who’s your friend Max?” Gabriel asks him while looking at me. 

“This beautiful girl is Anna Walker.” Max pauses to slowly take a drink of his soda, mirth shining in his dark brown eyes. “We have all the same morning classes together, so I’ve been showing her around,” Max says smugly while shrugging as if it’s no big deal. “Anna, this is my cousin, Gabriel. I believe you met him in the parking lot this morning.”

I innocently glance from Max to Gabriel, looking mystified. “I did?”

Gabriel scowls. Max laughs. “Yes, you did,” Gabriel grounds out irritably while speaking. I barely manage to hold back my own laughter.

Biting my bottom lip, I smile apologetically at the same time. “I’m sorry that I don’t remember, but it’s nice to meet you Gavin.” This is
so
much fun.

“
Gabriel
,” Gabriel growls his own name in annoyance, making Max laugh even louder.

Max puts an arm around my shoulder and I allow it. “I think I’m already in love with you.” If he were serious, I might actually feel bad.
Nah, probably not.
I’m pretty heartless.

Gabriel mumbles something I can’t hear. Recovering swiftly, he then throws me a flirtatious smile and asks, “What classes do you have in the afternoon?”

“Let me see.” I pull out my schedule as if I don’t already have it memorized, but he snatches it out of my hand to scan it over. 

His triumphant smile reminds me of Max’s and I can see a slight family resemblance. But maybe it’s just that their smiles are similar. “It looks like
we
have all the same classes this afternoon. Out of the kindness of my heart, I’ll help you find your remaining classes, Anna.” At that bit of benevolence, it’s Max’s turn to scowl. The atmosphere remains charged with testosterone-induced rivalry and tension for the rest of lunch. Gabriel is gleeful and Max is grumpy. I’m thinking this assignment might end up being a little too easy. Xavier is as good as dead. 

When we’re getting up from the lunch table, Max reaches out to touch my upper arm. Talking softly, even though Gabriel is two feet across from us, he asks, “Can I talk to you alone for a minute, Anna?”

“Sure,” I respond casually. 

Gabriel quickly interrupts, “Sorry Max, not enough time. Our class is on the other side of the building.” Gabriel puts an arm around my waist and starts guiding me towards the entrance of the lunchroom. Making sure to give Max a warm smile over my shoulder, I allow Gabriel to lead me out.
Naughty boy.
Our class is actually quite close to the lunchroom, which I’m sure Max is well aware of. A person in my profession can appreciate Gabriel’s sneakiness, though. He’s a liar after my own heart.