The Queen Back From Hell - Chapter 73: Chapter 73

Just as James's hand grazed Arielle's hair,suddenly, a pair of warm, small hands clamped down on his wrist with bone-crushing force, holding him fast as if she might snap it.
Arielle looked up, shooting him a cold, sideways glare.
He stood, and she sat.
Her grip didn't loosen as she glared daggers at him, her eyes clearly saying, "How dare you touch me!"
Their movements quickly drew the attention of the other students, phones came out in a flash, some snapping photos, others recording videos.
Everyone waited with bated breath for the showdown between the campus king and queen.
No one dared to watch openly. Instead, they stole glances from the corners of their eyes.
The room was filled with gasps of shock.
Arielle actually dared to grab James's hand.
"Is she crazy? She's totally lost it!" the crowd whispered.
The students who missed the beginning thought the two were in a fight.
They imagined James was about to hit Arielle, and she was warding off his blow.
Within seconds, everyone's minds were "spinning wild scenarios."
Now, forgetting their fear, all eyes were glued to the pair at the back.
James's lips curled into a devious smirk. With a flex of his fingers, he wrenched free from her grasp.
His hand swept swiftly past her hair, and suddenly, a fingernail-sized leaf appeared between his fingers.
Meeting Arielle's hostile glare, he flicked the leaf away with a snap, letting it flutter to the ground.
Arielle turned away, withdrawing her gaze and ignoring him completely.
She thought, 'So... was he actually helping me get something out of my hair?
'Either way, he shouldn't have just touched me. He could've just said something.'
Arielle kept flipping through her book, solving problems, completely ignoring those around her.
Seeing that she didn't react at all, James found it all rather dull.
He hooked his foot around a chair leg, dropped into the seat, and leaned back lazily with his eyes closed, pretending to nap.
The warmth from Arielle's fingertips still lingered on his own.
He absentmindedly rubbed his fingers together, savoring the fading heat.
He placed the book over his face, reclined further into the chair, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
The golden sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing their two flawless faces, one feigning sleep, exhaustion evident. the other deeply engrossed in her book. The sunlit scene was breathtakingly picturesque.
Seeing that the two involved didn't come to blows, everyone reluctantly looked away, a wave of disappointment washing over them.
"Did you guys see that? How did Arielle end up grabbing James's hand? I thought they were about to throw down," one of the boys whispered.
Celeste strolled by indifferently. After last time, when provoking Arielle landed him copying the school regulations fifty times, he'd learned to behave himself.
He thought, 'That woman is downright ruthless. I can't afford to mess with her, and honestly, I couldn't care less about her business.'
A student said, "Looks like James was about to hit Arielle, but she saw it coming and grabbed his hand first."
Another said, "Damn, that's badass! James isn't the type to back down. Could it be that even he's scared of the demon queen now?"
"No way, man! James isn't scared of anyone, not even the devil himself. Maybe he just couldn't bring himself to hit a girl."
One boy scoffed. "Come on, since when has James ever been the chivalrous type? Last time, a girl from another class confessed to him, and he turned her down flat. She wouldn't give up and ambushed him on his way home. You know what he did? Threw her halfway across the street!"
One of the boys said, "Yeah, you've got a point. James isn't the type to hold back just because she's a girl. Maybe he was just in a good mood today and decided to give the demon queen a pass."
That was the boys' take on the situation.
However, the girls' reaction was the complete opposite.
Olivia scowled in disappointment. "That bitch has nine lives! She's provoked James time and time again, yet she always gets away unscathed."
Sophia snorted disdainfully, casting a contemptuous glance at Arielle, who was diligently working on her assignments.