Amidst a crowd of sweaty bodies and restless college students, Sereia spotted the back of his dark head towering over the general consensus. She rushed past her peers, elbowing a few out of her way to catch up with his hasty steps. His relaxed broad shoulders were unburdened by the weight of Sereia's scowl, for now, but the malice in her gaze must have reached out to him.
Lawrence felt a chill run down his nape and shuddered as he turned to survey the bustling field. Unsurprisingly, his eyes caught sight of Sereia's blazing ire and immediately, her scowl mirrored on his face. He swiftly turned on his heel and walked faster, away from the open ground and towards the auditorium.
Sereia scoffed at his retreat and slithered past the masses. "Yeah, he better run alright. If I catch him, it's gonna be the fucking end," she grumbled under her breath.
His steps elongated into a stride as Lawrence neared the auditorium. The resounding bass of whatever electro-punk-rock music was shaking the auditorium walls and nearby grounds did not hinder their charging footsteps.
The small staircase leading up to the building was empty of fools like Lawrence and Sereia. The girl took advantage of the space, leaped forward and yanked him by his shoulder.
"Keep your hands off me," Lawrence snapped through gritted teeth and jerked away.
"What's your deal, dude, do you have a problem with me?!" Sereia confronted.
Standing on the landing, right in front of the auditorium glass doors, Lawrence looked down on Sereia.
"Says the one stalking me," he mocked.
"You are a vile, petty, abhorrent and deceptive creature," Sereia spat, "And I will make sure everyone knows about it."
"Aren't you a picture of delusions," Lawrence smirked, dryly, "Sadly, this isn't the Psychology Tower." He turned and sped inside the darkened building.
Sereia swore under her breath and followed, shouting, "Who's surprised? Quinton Hill's Golden Boy has no sense of responsibility, Ha fucking Ha!"
"You accuse as if we partook in unconsented fornication!" Lawrence bellowed through the empty hallways, trying to make himself audible over the screeching music.
"What are you, a medieval landlord?" Sereia scoffed, "Petty as they are, surely, they'll be surprised by the likes of you. I know you've got a bone to pick with me but can you at least make me aware of WHY I am receiving this animosity?"
"If your two braincells weren't working against each other, you would have known already." Lawrence opened a door and his ears were assaulted by a rush of angsty screams.
"HA! I knew you hated me! You just confirmed it!" Sereia exclaimed, diligently following his abnormally fast gait.
They entered a long corridor and Lawrence was instantly hoarded by a bunch of backstage helpers. The grimace on his face instantly eased into a charismatic smile and the ends of his eyes crinkled with good temperament. Even in the darkness, Sereia could see the helpers turning into a mush of blush and muscles under his whispers.
Dual faced faker bitch. Sereia concluded, very wisely.
Lawrence grabbed hold of a guitar and walked forward to stand behind the stage curtains. The electro-punk-rock music finally died down and there was a momentary sense of peace that garnered silence.
An idea took hold of Sereia's feet and propelled her towards him.
A stage helper was about to stop her when another grabbed a hold of his hand.
"Don't you know who she is? She's that Theodore girl," one helper whispered.
"Eeeek, thanks for telling me," the helper curled his hand and folded it against his chest, "I heard she has connections with the underworld."
"Mhm, we must stay away from her."
Sereia stood in front of Lawrence, smirking as he rolled his eyes at her.
"What an attention hog," Lawrence seethed.
"What a wolf in sheep's clothing," Sereia pushed her cheeks in a façade of a smile, "Do you sleep well at night knowing your evil is hidden away from the world?" she whispered.
"The only evil around me is you and –"
Lawrence wasn't able to complete his sentence as Sereia took his moment of eye-rolling distraction to draw open the stage curtains, just in time for the host to announce, "And the next act is, your one and only sweetheart, two times campus IT BOY, the genius with a halo, our Robotics Department's very own LAWRENCE VINCENT! Give him a big round of applause, everyone!"
In front of them was a bright-eyed crowd of thousands of university students and a very working microphone perched on a stand. Lawrence instantly schooled the scandal off his face and like a chameleon, his facial muscles eased into his pleasant smile and gentle head bops. The crowd cheered violently as their local heartthrob greeted them, waving their hands and clapping. Until, their focus was snatched by the girl beside him.
Sereia switched on the microphone before Lawrence could grab it.
A deafening beep resonated through the packed auditorium. Surprised, Sereia let go of the mic and covered her ears. It was moment enough for Lawrence to grab the microphone and switch it off.
Amidst the crowd were a few very confused faces, one of those being Number One on Lawrence's Revenge List, right before Sereia Theodore.
Sereia snatched the microphone from Lawrence and smiled as she began, "Hello guys, why don't you give me a moment? Let me tell you the reality of your Golden Boy, Lawrence Vincent."
Someone hooted from the mostly silent crowd.
Sereia could care less about the reactions.
"The reality is," she opened her mouth but Lawrence beat her to words.
"The reality is that I am unabashedly, irrevocably, in love with Sereia Theodore but she keeps rejecting my pursuits."
His brows joined in a sympathy inducing ploy against common sense all the while Sereia's jaw unhinged itself.
"What—n—"
"So, I led her here without telling her that today's song is for her," Lawrence jumped in, "Let me serenade you, Theodore." He smiled, emphasising her surname as he went down on one knee.
A scandal breeched over Sereia's expressions. In the silent crowd, Aren swore, San facepalmed himself and Ren began clapping.
The sole applause caught the theatrical duo's attention. Malice returned to Sereia's gaze as she leaned into the microphone and smiled a devilish smile, "The wait is over, Laurie, I am all yours now!" she giggled obnoxiously and leaned forward to press a kiss on his lips.
The crowd gasped, some hollered, some hooted, agitation ensued. Was the Golden Boy about to be taken by the most hated girl on campus? Public sentiment aside, an enraged blonde student climbed over the stage and shoved the two away from each other.
"Brother," Lawrence greeted, menacingly.
"Brother-in-law," Sereia mocked her ex.
"She's so good at digging her own grave, I'm not even surprised anymore," San grumbled, amidst the crowd.
"I think your girl has a massive death wish," Aren snorted.