Cross Me Pt. 1

[A/N: Chapter soundtrack: Ed Sheeran - Cross Me Ft. Chance The Rapper & PnB Rock. ]

"Hey Nina, I've been keeping an eye on you lately and I've noticed that we have a ton in common. I think we would make an awesome couple, and I'd love to get to know you better. So why don't we meet up after school at the library tomorrow so I can tell you all about myself? I'm looking forward to seeing you there."

After reading the letter, Nina glanced skeptically at the girls. "Alright, which one of you wrote this?"

"..." 

"Come on, don't be shy~" 

The school library was quiet, just as it was at nearly every hour of every day.  The shelves were lined with a diverse selection of books, most of which were probably rarely if ever checked out.

Aside from the group of girls sat leisurely in a circle at one of the tables in the middle of the room, there was little to no activity to speak of within the space. 

Looking at the letter with interest, a girl in a short pixie cut sighed. 

"Isn't this the sixth letter this week? What the hell are you doing to these guys, Nina? It's not normal for them to be this down bad."

Leaning on her outstretched arm with a half-asleep expression on her face, another girl agreed. "Yeah, six a week is a bit much."

"That's the point. I haven't done anything... I'm as confused as you two are, honestly." 

Seated on Nina's left, a girl wearing a pink bow chirped:

"It's probably that one guy, Nina-san! You know, the one from the letter you got on Valentine's Day. Maybe he's just really, REALLY persistent."

"Hah~ That's my theory as well, but whoever keeps sending me these letters, I'd really like to know who they are. It's starting to become a bit of a problem already..."

"Problem...? Nina-san gets all the decent boys, who ACTUALLY try to be romantic! Meanwhile, I'm just stuck over here with this annoying perv who never takes no for an answer! The creep chased me around yesterday! Where were you!? Why didn't you protect me, Nina-san!? I was terrified!" 

She cried out smothering her cheek into Nina's.

"Ah, that? A certain someone tried to get me in trouble."

"Huh?"

"But it didn’t work. I had to spend an hour telling off the counselor, though. That wasn't fun... I guess I'll deal with them later..."

Curiosity piqued, the pixie cut girl placed her chin on her clasped fingers. 

"A certain someone, you say. Who, do tell~" Her smug eyes twinkled expecting an answer.

"Hm? Ah, well. Don’t worry about it." 

Nina said unceremoniously as she went back to staring at the letter with a small frown on her face.

"..."

"Hah~ fine, I'm not that nosy anyway..."

Biting down on her thumb in thought, Nina argued:  "Still, this is a change of pace compared to the usual 'love letters' I get. It's very straightforward and to the point too, almost... business like."

"Sounds like a charming guy."

"Is that supposed to be sarcasm...?"

"Nah, I mean it, at least this time he's not giving you some bullshit... Fwaah... lines, right?"

Nina looked at the red head with annoyance. "It's not the same guy. Can’t you tell by the handwri- Ugh, you know what, why don't you just read it yourself."

"..."

"Meh, looks the same to me."

Nina let out a long and loud sigh. "Of course it does... Wake up!"

She gave the sleepy girl a light slap across the head. "Huh? Wh-What was that for?!"

"You can't read it with your eyes shut!"

Rubbing her eyes with her hand she sat upright, going through the letter.

"So, what do you think?"

"...I guess it’s the same idea at the end of the day, though. They like you, simple as that. But then again... it could be a stalker. A super crazy one, too."

"I hope not..." Shuddering, Nina hugged her shoulders. "I'm dealing with enough crazy people in my life as it is..."

Tap-Tap-Tap.

"Indeed, you are..." Nina looked up as the others all turned their attention toward the voice.

"I see you received my message." The figure who just entered the library moments ago looked down at Nina.

"May I have permission to sit next to you?"

But before he even finished his sentence, with an unreadable blank expression the outsider pulled out an empty chair, spun it around and sat facing the backrest as he lazily crossed his arms on top of it, joining the circle of girls.

"Apologies for my tardiness and the letter being so painfully obvious... but while writing, I found it pointless to be 'sneaky' or 'subtle' since, as expected, you all still fell headfirst into a blatant trap."

"...Tr-Trap...?"

"Exactly what I said... Trap."

Fearing the worst, the girls, all except Nina, exchanged nervous glances.

Standing quickly, the girl with the pink bow, slammed both her palms down on the table. "W-What kind of trap did you set up in this place!?"

The boy stared at her, amused.

"...Okaaaay... I'm just gonna... give you two some privacy then."

With a dismissive hand wave, Nina tried to defuse the situation. "...First of all, Sarina, please calm down. No need to get all worked up on our own."

"I agree, you should listen to her..."

A moment of silence passed, then Sarina sighed.

"Fine..." Calming her nerves, she sat back down. The girls were all silent as they watched Nina.

Looking at the newcomer with folded arms and crossed legs, she smirked shaking her head. 

"Pff... Turns out that saying is right... confidence is pretty damn hot, huh?"

"..."

"But don't get the wrong idea; it doesn't matter how much I'm enjoying this, if you lay a single finger on any one of us, I will END you without the slightest hesitation."

"...I see. You must think very highly of yourself. You... enjoy taking advantage of those who are weaker than you. You find pleasure in their fear and pain..."

His voice trailed, mind in thought, as he took his eyes off Nina, staring blankly at the bookshelves lining the corner.

"I don't blame you for doing what you do... the feeling of helplessness you see in their eyes when trying to fight someone who they can't win against. I understand-" 

Suddenly, a book fell from a shelf startling the girls, drawing their attention. The book itself was a very old dusty one that he guessed hadn't been touched in quite some time.

"I... understand how it feels to take pleasure in the suffering of others." He continued.

"After all..." Taking a deep breath, he returned his gaze back to the group.

"That is exactly the reason why I'm here..." 

Dead silence filled the room as Sarina tugged on Nina's cardigan. 

"Nina-san, do something, he's creeping me out."

However, one of the other girls found the nerve to respond on her behalf: "Oh, for god's sake, who the hell are you, even?"

"Ah, right, forgive me, I should have introduced myself first... I am Aria's brother." 

The girls were stunned into silence...

Before the red head snickered. "Oh, really? Well, I guess you'll be happy to know that Aria's been doing really well in our care."

"And she's even found something interesting to do with her time~" Another chimed in.

"Yeah, she's learned how to enjoy herself so much... more than you could possibly imagine..."

"She's even become a lot more... Pfft... flexible than you'd think. Fufufufu... Bwahahahaha! I can't do this! Aria's brother...!? Is that the best you can come up with!?"

Aybel looked at the both of them with an empty stare. "Enjoying the suffering, are you? You could almost be mistaken for humans..."

Nina finally spoke out: "Okay. I get it. We'll back off."

"Eh?"

"But in return, I want you to amuse me."

"..."

"Was I not clear? I'm asking you to be my boyfriend, Aybel... or should I say girlfriend considering your looks~" 

She giggled not expecting a positive answer. 

However, Aybel calmly took a device out of his pocket and placed it at the center of the table.

He pressed play... 

Nina's face paled instantly.

To Be Continued...

[A/N: Hi! Just to let everyone know, you can now check out the image of Aybel in showcase! If you want to see future chapter updates, please ensure to add to library.

Thank you for taking out the time to read this!🙇]