The Beautiful Monster

261  Hurt

Melina gave herself one more look in the mirror before finally stepping away, running her fingers through her dark waves nervously.

She knew that this wasn't a date or anything, but she was still meeting up with Tyler alone. It kind of felt like a date in some ways, but there would be books and studying.

She grabbed her bag and slipped the strap on her shoulders, chewing on her bottom lip as she walked to the door of her dorm.

She couldn't believe that it was already time to go meet Tyler. Today had flown by so fast, which part of her was grateful for.

She had been thinking about Tyler and their study session all day. Now, it was finally about to happen.

She ventured out of her room and outside of the school building, walking past the courtyard and a little ways off campus.

The school was surrounded by green hills and forest, and she could soon make out a figure at the top of a gentle slope up ahead.

The sunset was bleeding colors into the sky just beyond him, and she couldn't help her look of awe as she approached him.

Not only did he pick the perfect place for them to study, but he also set up a small picnic for them. He sat on a green and black checkered blanket with a basket of snacks and drinks on it.

He also had his books stacked near the basket as well. It was the most romantic study setup she had ever seen.

It made her nervous, but she was nervous in a good way. A fluttering sensation filled her as she sat down on the blanket next to him, unable to help her smile.

"Wow. This is… incredible," she admitted as she set her bag down next to her. He had really outdone himself, and it touched her that he went through so much effort to do this for her.

"Not too much, huh?" Tyler asked as he leaned back on his arms. He wore black jeans, a black leather jacket, and a fitted, grey t-shirt underneath.

"It's perfect," Melina assured him as she crossed her legs, smoothing down her black skirt. She peered out at the sunset, letting out a pleased sigh. "It's so beautiful out here."

"Yeah, it is," Tyler murmured.

Melina glanced over at him to see that he was looking at her, coaxing a burning blush onto her face. She wasn't used to so much flattery, but she couldn't help but like it, especially from someone as kind and handsome as him.

"Trying to impress me?" she joked.

"Did it work?" Tyler asked as he tilted his head at her, flashing that charming smile of his that threatened to make her melt every single time.

Melina tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as she shrugged.

"Maybe," she teased him. Honestly, he had impressed her a lot with this. She didn't even want to study. She just wanted to enjoy this setup and this view.

Tyler chuckled and sat up, reaching into the basket to pull out a bottle of rosé.

"I might've stolen this from the confiscation pile," he said.

Melina's eyes widened. The confiscation pile was held in a locked room near the office. Forbidden items were stored in there until they were discarded or destroyed.

"How did you get in there?" she asked him.

"Vampire's secret," Tyler smirked as he placed a finger against his lips. He easily pulled out the cork before handing her the bottle with a sheepish grin. "They didn't have any glasses."

"I doubt they would confiscate glasses," Melina laughed as she took the bottle from him. She took a sip, grimacing at the bold taste at first but then enjoying the sweet, bubbly aftertaste. She handed the bottle back to him so that he could take a sip.

"So, tell me about yourself," Tyler said, tilting his head at her curiously.

"We arranged this so that I could get to know you," Melina pointed out, playfully nudging his leg with her boot.

"Ask away," Tyler replied, seeming relaxed as he peered at her.

Melina gazed back, trying to think of a question to ask. There was so much that she didn't know about him that she didn't even know where to start.

"Are you close to your family?" she asked him.

Tyler lowered his gaze slightly as he shook his head.

"I grew up in the foster care system. I jumped from a lot of families. Now, I'm on my own, trying to make a life for myself," he told her.

"You think this school could help you figure something out?" Melina asked him curiously.

"I think being at this school is good for me," Tyler replied with a small smile as he looked back up at her. "I'm not really good at connecting with people or being around people. This is a good environment for me."

Melina could understand where he was coming from. She struggled to be around others too. She thrived on her own, but she was tired of being alone.

She wanted to have people who cared about her around her, but it was hard to open herself up to allow that to happen.

"Well, I'm glad you chose to go here," she told him. If he hadn't come here, she would've burned to death in her dorm room. "I… never thanked you for saving me. I really appreciate you helping me out, even if I kind of blamed you for it."

Tyler shook his head dismissively.

"It's fine. You should be cautious," he replied. "There are weird things going on here."

"Do you have any idea what's going on or who's doing this?" Melina asked him. He was new, so she doubted that he had anything new to tell her. It was worth a shot, though.

"I'm trying to figure that out," Tyler told her.

Melina looked at him with shock written all over her face. Didn't he know how dangerous that was?

"You could get hurt," she said. She found herself worrying about him. What if whoever hurt that girl

and tried to kill her tried to hurt him too? It pained her to think of him ending up in the same position when he was just trying to help out.

"I'm not scared," Tyler replied as he shook his head. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt."