Chapter 239 - The Ugly Girl

Marissa stretched out her arms to push the man away, "Didn't you promise not to mention that ever again! If someone hears, both of us will be ruined. Even your father's PR company won't be able to save us."

Danson smirked and grabbed onto the woman's wrist. "In that case, you better behave. Otherwise, I don't know what else I'd reveal," Danson warned as he dragged her towards the building. "Come on, we have a party to attend."

Marissa stared down at her wrist and furrowed her brows. It was true, they had kissed before. In fact, they had done much more than that, but that was a secret between the two of them that no one knew about.

A secret that had lasted 11 years.

Danson and Marissa first met 15 years ago back in high school. They actually knew each other before she met his father and got married to him - and before she became his stepmother. At that time, Danson and Emerson were best friends and they were practically inseparable. Girls at school swooned over the two of them because they were the best-looking boys in school, but the two of them responded very differently to the attention.

Danson was open to the attention and was often caught kissing girls behind school buildings during lunch and recess. But, Emerson hated it. The girls didn't know him, they only liked him because of his looks, and it was much too superficial for him to accept so he often avoided them. 

Marissa was one of these girls. She was drawn to his looks as soon as she saw him in the first year of high school, but she kept her feelings to herself.

One day, while Danson was kissing his latest girlfriend behind the science building, he noticed a bunch of girls dragging a helpless innocent girl over to a tree and tugging at her hair for fun. "I wonder if you'll look like a boy if I cut all your hair off," one of the girls said as she grabbed a pair of scissors from her backpack.

The scene immediately caught his attention.

Danson continued to kiss the girl in his arms but found his gaze drawn to the scene under the tree. He recognized the girl that was being bullied. Her name was Marissa. She had been in a few of his classes since the first year of high school. She was quiet, reserved, and she always sat at the back of the classroom. They had never talked before but he often found his gaze drawn to her because she was so different. Why were these girls picking on her? She couldn't have offended them, right?

"Danson, what are you looking at?" the girl in front of him whined when she realized his mind was elsewhere.

Danson quickly returned his gaze to the girl in front of him, moved away from her lips and looked into her eyes without any emotion. "It's time," he said.

The girl shook her head. Danson had a rule: he never dated a girl for more than a week, and this girl's time was up. "No, give me another week. I'm sure I can make you fall in love with me," she pleaded.

Danson shook his head, "Don't be silly. We are much too young to understand love. Just remember this as a good memory. I had fun, you had fun...now it's time to move on..." 

The girl looked at Danson with admiration. Even though they were breaking up, there was something about his cold response that made this bad boy even more attractive. Perhaps, she wanted him more because she knew she couldn't have him.

"You're bound to settle down one day. Why can't it be with me?" the girl asked.

Danson sighed, "I am like a bird with no feet. There's still so much to see in this world and so many girls to meet, I'm not ready to settle down. You're a good girl and I'm a bad boy, you deserve better than me."

The girl shook her head helplessly. She wanted to hold him back, but there was nothing she could do nor say. A bird was born with wings to fly, and there was nothing she could do to make him willingly stay. So, she turned around with regret and left.

After she was gone, Danson smirked. Those lines always worked with the girls. He didn't understand how girls thought, but they were always drawn to the bad boys and he played that to his advantage. It was fun.

While he was thinking this, a voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought, "Let me go or I swear I'll get revenge on you someday!" 

Danson glanced back over at the tree with fascination. The quiet and reserved girl wasn't so quiet and reserved after all.

The girl holding the scissors placed one of the blades up to Marissa's cheek and said out loud, "How will you get revenge? You're poor and you don't have any influential background. What can you do? I can't believe we're even going to the same school. You disgust me."

"Why do you keep picking on me?" Marissa asked. This wasn't the first time the girl had targeted her. Ever since they started the 9th grade, this girl had been pestering her non-stop.

The girl smirked, "I've noticed you since the first year of high school. You like Danson, don't you? I've seen you sneaking glances at him."

Marissa shook her head, she had actually been sneaking glances at Emerson, but Danson always happened to be nearby. However, the girl did not believe her.

"Let me warn you, Danson's mine. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You're so ugly, who would like someone like you? Stay away from him. Girls, hold her down. Let me give her a haircut," the girl yelled to her friends.

The other girls quickly did as instructed and pinned Marissa against the tree.

But, just as the girl lifted her scissors, someone grabbed onto her wrist and stopped her, "That's enough, Tanya." 

Tanya turned around with frustration. Who was getting in her way?

However, she quickly froze when her eyes met with Danson's.

"If you think she's ugly and disgusting, then why are you threatened by her?" Danson asked coldly.