Dependent on You

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Third Person

Dislike is a strong feeling, and Adrian is sure that this is what Elliot Wilds feels for her. When she's around him, he seems to have a calm hostile like aura that clings to him. She might be wrong considering she doesn't even know him, but she wasn't used to people being so mean.

Perhaps she was fragile, maybe she took things too gravely. She was a decisive person, she couldn't help it. At least there was Payton, she seemed to stick up for Adrian whenever conflict occurred.

If Payton didn't exist, Adrian was sure her okay exterior would have crumbled by now. She was sure she would have already told her mom everything about her horrible experience if not for Payton.

School would be the death of her, quite literally if she couldn't learn how to endure it.

Adrian willed herself to pay attention to class, she really did try. The not so subtle impatient tap of a foot on the bottom bar of her chair was quite distracting. Every tap sent a vibration up the chair, so as she tried to scribble notes, her writing was bumpy, unorganized.

Adrian liked things neat, but every time she attempted, a jolt moved her hand causing an ugly skid mark across the porcelain paper. The ugly marks upset her, stressed her out even. Why couldn't he just tap his foot on the floor?

An angry huff fell from her moistened lips. She was feeling very annoyed with Elliot.

"Miss Taylor, is there a problem?" The teacher Mr. Anders asks. His undivided attention now on her, along with the whole class.

He must have heard her huff. Her eyes shot up in wicked speed, hearing her name caused her stomach to clench with extreme nervousness. The apples of her cheeks were suddenly set aflame, embarrassment clung to her like a second skin.

"N-no, sir." She stammered shaking her head, fighting the urge to sink into her hoodie.

Mr. Anders looked at her through his thin-framed glasses, he was young maybe early thirties at oldest. Though he didn't look all that mean, him calling her out brought her unwanted attention, which in Adrian's book was mean.

"Well, answering this question shouldn't be any trouble then." Mr. Anders says, pointing to the question written out on the board.

Adrian gulps, her body now trembling. She hasn't been able to pay attention because of Elliot's foot-tapping, it had made her sidetracked. Now she had to answer a question she knew nothing about. She was in a pickle, a big and very scary one.

She licked her pasty lips and gripped her pencil tight with her clammy hands, white-hot panic simmering beneath her skin.

Which term refers to the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one?

She read the sentence and when she was done, she had no idea what she just read. The words were like gibberish to her ears. Her cheeks were no doubt colored cherry, the silence was deafening as everyone waited for her answer.

"U-umm." Her voice quivered.

She didn't have an answer, and it wasn't multiple choice so she couldn't even guess. Fear curled around her limbs like vines, perspiration clung to her skin all the while moisture sprouted from her eyes. A breakdown was mere seconds away.

"Dysphemism." A cool melodic voice said from behind, specifically his voice.

Sudden shivers escaped her skin at the sound. As the words left Elliot's tongue, an astonished look washed over Mr. Ander's face. The students too gaped with surprise, this was clearly shocking to them all.