Through the ringing in my ears, I managed to make out the girl's screeching words.

She almost sounded... Excited.

"-they really did shrink-"

"Do you mind?" Vain interrupted calmly, his words cutting coldly through the noise around us like a breath of fresh air....from the Arctic.

The only outward sign of anger being the way he snapped his book sharply shut. "It is a little too early in the morning for my ears to handle your level of enthusiasm."

I stayed silent, battling my own nerves as Vain handled the situation.

Rachel shut her mouth tightly, seeming to just realise that Vain, the object of her affection, was only a foot away from her and had a front-row view of her acting like a total idiot.

The brunette sent me a glare like it was my fault.

My hand automatically went to the toothpick at my side, resting against the smooth wood.

Maybe I could scratch her up... Just a little...

The bus pulled over at its next stop, and people took the opportunity to come to see the action. The noise in the bus grew as people gathered around, staring at me and chatting among themselves.

"Wow, she's Tiny."

"She's the one who vandalised that teacher's house."

"What is she doing with Vain?"

"About time that psycho got what she deserved."

I smiled savagely at that last comment, using my grip on the hand Vain held in front of me to pull myself to my feet.

Everyone fell silent as I moved as if surprised that I was actually a real person and not a doll.

Sometimes, even if you see it before your eyes, reality just takes a while to sink in.

Finding my balance on Vain's shoulder, I crossed my arms, looking at Rachel cockily. "Hey, Rachel, mind sitting down so that the bus can start moving again? Some of us want to get to school." I asked, nodding my head towards the watching bus driver, who was obviously too curious to bother actually doing his job.

Personally, I couldn't care less if we never got to school, but this was the politest way of saying go the hell away I could think of.

Rachel flushed, glancing at Vain as if for help.

I didn't have to look at him to know that he would have a polite, disinterested look in place.

Ha, suck it, sweetheart. Vain tolerates my existence mildly more than he does yours. I win.

"Oh, I get it." She said, enthusiasm suddenly lighting her face. "The school is making you babysit her while she's stuck like this." There came a few noises of agreement from the crowd around us, like what she had just said was the only logical conclusion.

Hey! The school has nothing to do with this! I'll have you know that the only person making Vain do anything is my baby brother...

Rachel gave Vain a sympathetic look. "That's so unfair! Just because you're on the student council, the teachers make you do the worst jobs. Don't worry!" She gave Vain a bright smile. "I'm more than happy to help you with this little problem."

We have a Coo Coo and twelve o'clock.

She reached towards me, a superior smirk curling her lips. I pulled out my toothpick, ready to give her the nastiest damn splinter she had ever had, but before the hand could reach me, the world shifted beneath my feet.

I stumbled, clutching Vain's ear for support as his giant hand blurred across my vision, slapping Rachel's hand away from me.

I flinched, the speed and strength of the movement making my heart race in my chest.

Only now did I realise just how gentle both Devin and Vain had been around me.

"Don't touch her." Vain practically snarled, his voice utterly cold. The bus fell dead silent, stunned.

Vain, the calm, polite, wouldn't-put-the-effort-into-hurting-a-fly Vain had just snapped.

Rachel opened and closed her mouth silently, too mortified to even speak.

"If all you're going to do is stand there gaping like an idiot, would you mind doing me the favour of continuing it somewhere else?" Vain asked, coldly returning to his reading.

Dismissed, Rachel stumbled away, taking a seat further down the bus. Before I could begin to feel sorry for her, she sent me a scathing look full of dark promises.

Great. I love promises.

Everyone snuck back to their seats, and the bus finally began to move again.

A little shaken myself, I sat back down on Vain's shoulder, unable to stop the small smile tugging on my lips.

Vain may be a tolerant person, but he can have a seriously sharp tongue when he's angry.

Was it wrong to feel a little pleased that Vain had a bit of a nasty streak? Probably.

"You're going to upset your fans if they find out that there's secretly a jerk hidden under that pretty face of yours," I whispered mockingly, tugging on a strand of Vain's white hair.

"So I should sit here and act brainless because being myself is going to ruin my image?" He asked tonelessly, not looking away from his book.

I shook my head.

"No, you should sit here and act like brainless because your bad-boy attitude is totally going to clash with my tough girl image." I yanked hard on the strand in my hand.

"Remember, I'm the bad cop. You're the couldn't-care-less cop. Stick with the routine."

I could almost feel Vain rolling his eyes, and his voice finally became a little bit warmer. "Whatever you say, Maddison."