The whole auditorium rang with a dead silence. I ran forward to my beloved Pierce, now literally looking like a 'golden boy' in all that paint. I pulled out my hanky and gently wiped the paint from his face despite the tears falling down mine.

"Why would you do that, Pierce?" I asked with a little sob, saddened to see my golden boy undergo such humiliation. But he smiled without a trace of shame.

"I'd do anything to protect my babydoll," he replied softly. He raised his hand to touch my face but dropped it on seeing it covered with paint. I didn't care—I cupped his now cleaned face instead and pressed my lips against his, kissing him in front of everyone.

"Let's hear it for Hartman, the best TA ever!" Haruko hollered, and started clapping and chanting his name. Cassie joined in and soon the whole crowd was shouting 'Hartman' on repeat in admiration and the auditorium resonated with his name. I smiled, drying my tears.

"You really are the golden boy of Bellfort, aren't you, sweetie?" I asked him with a laugh. He grinned.

"Never let it be said that I never had style," he winked. Vera started stamping nearby on the stage, grunting.

"Ugh, no, this is all wrong! Stop it, STOP IT EVERYONE!" She screeched, but no one heard her over the deafening chants of Pierce's name. The DJ even struck up a beat and everyone started dancing to it while continuing to chant 'Hartman! 'Hartman!'. I took Pierce's hand.

"Let's go get you cleaned up now, sweetie," I said, tugging him to come along. He held up a gold-painted finger.

"Just one sec," he said to me before turning to Vera. "Miss Wallis, I expect to see you in the principal's office on Monday morning—and if you get any ideas of ditching, I have proof." Huh? What was he talking about? Whatever he meant made Vera turn white as a ghost though. Pierce turned on his heels and led me off the stage, exiting the auditorium with dramatic flair.

"Pierce, sweetie, what did you mean by that?" I asked as we strolled quickly through the empty hallway. "And—where are we going? The bathroom's that way."

"My office, I kept a spare set of clothes there," Pierce replied. I blinked. Pierce had planned that far ahead, knowing this was gonna happen?

"How—" I began, but he cut me off as we reached his office.

"I know, I have a lot to explain and I will. Just give me a chance to change first, alright?" Pierce said, unlocking his door. I nodded meekly. He rushed in on opening the door, opened his cupboard, grabbed some clothes and shut it again.

"Come with me," he said, pulling me out of the office and locking the door again. He strode quickly to the boys' bathroom and pulled me inside, locking the door. I reddened.

"Um, Pierce, wouldn't you rather have some privacy—"

"I don't trust Vera and her posse an inch and I'd rather not leave you alone anywhere for even a minute, babydoll," Pierce explained while beginning to undress. He smirked, observing my red face.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna strip in front of you. Turn around," he commanded. I immediately obeyed but not seeing him didn't stop my heart from racing or my mouth from salivating. Just knowing he was standing behind me, unclothed with that milky, creamy skin of that sexy body of his exposed made me have to summon all my willpower not to turn around.

"I'm just gonna shower, okay? Gotta get this paint out of my hair," he said.

"Okay," I replied meekly, and soon I heard the shower running. Oh crud, that did things to my mind. Knowing my golden boy was standing au naturel with water running down his body sent my thoughts running wild. I could only imagine sliding my hands up and down his sexy body, feeling his velvet skin, kissing every inch of it I so desired...

"Phew, that's a relief," Pierce exclaimed and I heard the shower shut off. I turned around, thinking he'd finished showering but I forgot that he hadn't dressed yet—and I nearly fainted, staggering back. I came face-to-face with his bare torso while he wore nothing but a towel around his waist and my brain turned to mush. All I could think of was 'SO HOT'. He looked mouthwatering, he had well worked-out abs and lean muscles in all the right places—holy smokes, if he looked hot in clothes, he looked devastatingly drop-dead gorgeous out of them! Even his hair looked sexy, falling over his forehead in silky wet strands.

"Ahem, I didn't say you could turn around yet, babydoll," Pierce smirked at me in amusement. I gasped, red in the face and spun around immediately.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I said nervously, forgetting I was ogling him. Huuuhhh... What a hottie.

"Okay, you can turn around now," he said after a minute. I slowly turned around and saw him in plain black pants and a white shirt—I felt super mad with whoever ruined his tux, he'd looked so damn hot in that! Not that he was any less hot in whatever he wore... or didn't wear...

He was in the process of buttoning his shirt up, covering that sexy chest of his when I piped up.

"Here, let me," I volunteered, going over and helping him with his buttons. Freaking fruit loops, what was wrong with me?! My body was moving without my brain's permission!

"Thanks, babydoll," Pierce crooned, giving me his intense, fiery gaze. I froze for a moment, mentally swooning inside before continuing to button him up. I could still feel the heat from his shower emanating from his body and it made my own body tingle... to feel his body heat this close... okay, worth volunteering to put on his buttons.

Now let's get out of here and I'll answer all your questions," Pierce said before pulling me out the door. He took me to his car, got me in and drove away.

"That was the most eventful Homecoming I'd ever attended," I said with a laugh as he drove. "Thankfully, it was the last." Pierce smiled.

"Hope it was memorable enough for you," he said. I nodded.

"With you, it was the best. Except for that last bit which still has me baffled..." I trailed off looking inquiringly at Pierce.

"Ask away, babydoll," he prompted me.

"How did you know that was gonna happen?" I began rapidly. "You even prepared for it and timed it just right! You totally saved me back there, Pierce!"

"Alright, here goes." Pierce blew out his cheeks. "You remember those anonymous notes you were getting?"

"Yeah?" I wondered what that had to do with anything.

"I was investigating who wrote them when I stumbled upon this plot," Pierce continued. "After reading the note you got yesterday, I didn't think it was Russo writing them... something indicated it was a girl."

"What was written in it?" I asked.

"You're better off not knowing, babydoll," Pierce shook his head with a grimace. "But the language told me it was a girl for sure. So I thought hard—who else would have it in for you? There was only one person who came to mind."

"Vera?" I asked, guessing. Pierce nodded.

"After the newspaper club got shut down, I'd heard her ranting and raving outside my office about you. She's one seriously bitter person... anyway, she wanted to take revenge on you for killing the newspaper club." Whoa, so Trey was innocent... this time...

"So..." I blinked.

"So she plotted to bring back the Homecoming hazing tradition," Pierce explained. "She told everyone to vote for you as part of the couple-of-the-year-award so she could call you on stage and—"

"Drench me with paint," I breathed, my eyes going wide. "That rotten, little—"

"But I threw a wrench in her plans," Pierce cut me off with a smirk. I looked curiously at him as he continued. "She had planned to pose you and Russo off as the couple-of-the-year—" I gasped at that, "but after our pictures together went viral last night, it threw everyone off and the votes shifted to you and me instead."

"But... I still won..." I said slowly.

"You were the main target, as long as you won, it didn't matter to Vera," Pierce said, "she just had to get you on stage. She made two big mistakes though—one was discussing her plans outside my office and two was underestimating me." Pierce smirked again. "She had no idea what I was capable of." I exhaled, taking it all in.

"Wait... why would she give away her plan outside your office?" I asked in confusion. "Didn't she know you might've been inside and have heard everything?"

"She must not have known I was inside, I was really quiet," Pierce explained. "And it was during the first break. I stood by the door and recorded her entire scheme as she told it to her posse. That's the proof I threatened her with earlier. Besides, she didn't know then that you and I were already dating. She wouldn't have expected me to retaliate on your behalf. Guess she didn't care to take precautions to shut her mouth outside the TA's office."

"Wow..." I gaped at my boyfriend in admiration. "You're not just a golden boy—you're Sherlock Holmes!" Pierce laughed at that. Something suddenly struck me though, and I lightly slapped his arm.

"Hey!" Pierce exclaimed.

"Why did you have to go and get yourself covered in paint if you knew Vera's plan from the beginning?!" I asked irately. "Vera ruined your tux, I'm so mad at her for that! You could've avoided it, stopped it from ever happening if you had to report her or—foil her plan or something!"

"Ah, that." Pierce looked bashful all of a sudden. "That was done on purpose, babydoll." My jaw fell open as Pierce continued.

"After you told me everyone was still razzing you about Russo, I knew I had to do something. That post of us together helped, but I knew it might not be enough. So I decided to turn Vera's plan to my advantage. She wanted you to win the couple of the year award? Fine by me. Only, I was gonna be the guy up there with you. Winning with me, no one will ever tease you about Russo kissing you ever again. So I simply let the chips fall where they may, as it is." Holy smokes. HOLY SMOKES. My boyfriend was a freaking mastermind, the king of schemes. I stared at him in admiration, mind-blown by the lengths he'd go to to protect me.

"Do you have any idea how hot you are right now to me?" I asked hoarsely, glutted with attraction to him. He laughed.

"Well, it's early yet. What say we grab a bite to eat and spend the rest of the time we have left until your curfew alone?" Oh, take me now, golden boy.

"YES!" I squealed out excitedly, and Pierce smiled, seducing me further. Pierce could turn even predicaments into paradise. That's why he was the greatest golden boy prince Bellfort ever saw. Correction, my golden boy prince.

~

I spent all afternoon the following day explaining exactly what happened at Homecoming to my friends and Thea—after she hurriedly dabbed my neck with her foundation to cover the three fresh, bright purple hickies Pierce left there from last night. Thea looked awfully smug about it but I gave her a 'look' to not say a word.

Haruko and Cassie had been shocked to learn about Vera's schemes and how Pierce discovered them although Cassie squealed 'I knew it!' over the part about the Homecoming hazing tradition—and my sister was shocked that Pierce had put himself in such embarrassing jeopardy for me like that.

"Wow, he's seriously in love with you, Amb, he's never put himself out like that for anyone before," Thea said in amazement. I nodded. Pierce's loyalty was on an another level, it was one of the reasons I was so madly in love with him.

"He sure fooled Vera," Haruko laughed. "Man, you should've seen her face after you left, it was priceless!"

"What I don't understand is why didn't any teachers step in," Cassie said with a frown.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Haruko asked her in surprise. "Only Miss Yvette showed up to supervise and chaperone—none of the other older teachers wanted to stay in a hall filled with thumping music that blew their ear-drums out. And she left early so she missed the whole show." I laughed. Miss Yvette was a substitute teacher and a timid thing who rarely paid attention to her surroundings.

"I guess it counted that Hartman was there, as the TA," Cassie conceded. Oh yeah, I'd forgotten that Pierce was still a teaching faculty... to me he was just my gorgeous boyfriend.

"I still can't believe that boy had the brains to devise a plan like that!" Haruko said, looking bewildered. "He's damn brilliant!"

"That's Pierce for you, the brains of every operation," Thea said in amusement. "Ugh, I remember how hard it was for me to try and stay one step ahead of him before he could trip me up with his words." I giggled.

"He doesn't get that way with me, he's sweet as sugar with me," I said, bragging a little. We all laughed.

"At least Homecoming was a success for us, we all got awards," Haruko said triumphantly.

"It was quite a shock that you won couple of the year with Hartman, Amb," Cassie said in amazement. "I almost expected you to win with Trey, but with Hartman—"

"Where was Trey by the way?" I asked with a frown. "I didn't see him last night."

"He didn't show up," Haruko explained, "guess he didn't wanna come after the humiliation of being suspended."

"Your friend Trey Russo got suspended?" Thea asked in surprise. I groaned.

"That's a long story for another time..." I said.

"Well, I'm glad you at least had a Homecoming to remember," Thea said, patting my shoulder. I smiled impishly.

"Mmm. Homecoming was great, but revenge will be even better."

~

Monday morning felt like a cakewalk for me as I strolled through the school with Pierce, hand-in-hand. Everyone applauded on seeing us and I couldn't help laughing in delight. How things had changed for me thanks to Pierce! No one dared to razz me anymore, everyone was convinced that Pierce was my boyfriend. No one had a shadow of a doubt about who I was dating now. Oddly though, none of the teachers were any wiser to the fact that the TA was dating a student. Guess the adults don't have Instagram... Oh well, I got off lucky. Unlike Vera Wallis.

She was summoned to the principal's office immediately before first period and came back looking so peeved she could curdle milk. When I caught Pierce at first break to ask him what happened with her, he smirked.

"She tried to deny everything at first, until I whipped out my phone and played the recording of her plot," he said looking mischievous, "she was trapped after that. Principal Mortimer came down hard on her since her prank affected not just a student but a member of the teaching faculty."

"What sentence did she get?" I asked, wide-eyed. Pierce grinned.

"Principal Mortimer has a twisted sense of humor... she said that since Vera likes making messes, she could very well clean them up. She and her accomplices are tasked with cleaning the auditorium up and restoring it after Homecoming—and she'll be polishing everything in the trophy room when she's done with that." I laughed heartily at that.

"Serves her right. But I feel she got off lightly..."

"At least she won't mess with you again," Pierce said to me. "She knows who she's dealing with." I nodded complacently. True, Vera might've learned a lesson, but she was still about to face my wrath. This imp's back in business, Vera was gonna pay big time for what she did to my precious Pierce.

~

"Maybe we can leave it in her locker!" Cassie suggested. I had teamed up with my two partners-in-crime—Cassie and Haruko, to plot against Vera. I used to be the queen of pranking people who deserved it—but I'd retired after becoming a senior, feeling too old for such childish behavior. But after Homecoming, heck. Vera was gonna get it good from me.

No one gets away with messing with my golden boy!

"Small problem, we don't know how to pick locks," Haruko interjected.

"But I know someone who does," I smiled impishly. That evening, during our tutoring session, I pondered about asking Pierce how to pick locks without making it seem like I was planning mischief.

"Uh-oh, I know that look. What are you planning, troublemaker?" He asked me. Whoops, he was onto me. I giggled sheepishly.

"Nothing, nothing... just wondering how to pick a lock... it looks so easy in movies..." I blinked innocently at him. "Can you teach me, pleeease?"

"Hmm, something tells me to keep that information to myself or else I'll have to give you detention," Pierce said, laying my textbook aside. I smiled impishly.

"You gonna discipline me, Mr. Hartman?" I asked, fluttering my eyelashes. I gasped as he had grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head on the couch in a moment, hovering over my lips.

"Don't tempt me," Pierce rasped before crashing his lips between mine. We made out for who knows how long after that. Sure, it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon but I still hadn't learned to pick a lock...

Looks like I'd need a plan B.

"Okay, is everything ready?" I asked Haruko the following Friday morning before school started. We got here early and were in the disused newspaper room setting up the prank I'd finally devised for Vera—I was gonna give her a taste of her own medicine in her own environment. We'd fixed a dozen balloons filled with red paint on the ceiling and Haruko assembled a remote control mechanism that would pop them all at once as soon as our unsuspecting victims came under them... it would be like a rain of blood. Ah, revenge is a dish best served red.

"All set. Now all we have to do is lure them here with our story," Haruko grinned mischivously. Cassie was busy setting up the last of the balloons, humming a song.

"I know that tune... they played it at Homecoming during the king and queen's dance," I said slyly. Cassie stopped, giggled shyly.

"Hehe, yeah."

"Somebody's got it baaad," Haruko drawled. I smiled.

"Cass, what's the deal with David and you?" I asked sweetly. She blushed.

"Well..."

~

By lunchtime, it was time to execute my revenge. Haruko and I stood near Vera and her gang, out of sight behind a wall. But not out of earshot.

"How could you have been so foolish and leave them there?!" I hissed in exaggeration at Haruko. "The photography room is all the way at the other end of the building!"

"I forgot!" Haruko whined with good acting. "I thought the newspaper room did all the printing!"

"If anyone sees those embarrassing pictures, we're done for!" I gasped with fake dismay. "We have to try and get them out of the newspaper room before anyone finds them!" We heard hurried scurrying behind us and glanced around the wall in time to see Vera and her cohorts running toward the newspaper room. Haruko and I smirked, doing a high-five.

"Like cheese in a trap," I said in triumph.

💜

Hehehehe... If you're wondering, Amber gets her mischievous side from me😈😁. I was a prankster in my heyday. So did you enjoy the show?😏😆 And those steamy moments... Literally 🥵😳🥰❤️‍🔥 the prank will continue in the next chapter, see you there!😙