"What are you doing here?!" Stefani angrily asked in a low voice so that no one near them would hear her. Only then she realized it was Jonathan who was being swarmed by these stupid ants of her schoolmates. She couldn't help but curse under her breath, just what was this person trying to do by coming here of all places?
"I came to pick you up," Jonathan said simply and uninterestedly, then grabbed Stefani's hand and dragged her to and inside the passenger's seat of the car. 
"Get in," Jonathan ordered and Stefani's mouth gaped. How dare this guy do this to her?
"I don't want to!" She exclaimed, angrily looking at Jonathan.
Jonathan sighed, "Get in."
"I said I don't-"
Stefani wasn't able to finish her angry shouts though as she was pulled then pushed roughly inside the passenger seat. Frowning, she turned to the side where Jonathan just sat and turned the ignition on.
"What do you want?" Stefani asked, her face turning red as she kept glaring at Jonathan.  When Jonathan didn't answer her, Stefani's irritation and anger rose. 
"Why did you pick me up? Is this your way for me to say yes to Dad's idea? Do you really want me to be your fiancée? Because I don't!  I don't like you at all! In fact, I hate you so much I'd rather die than kiss you, do you know that?!"
Stefani was beyond mad. She couldn't take this. While she was all mad and was about to go crazy because of her life's situation, Jonathan was just driving calmly and collectively beside him, like everything was fine in his life. The fact that this whole setup was "okay" to this person made Stefani's heart become more upset than she already was. Slowly, probably due to exhaustion and more emotions in her heart that she could not define, Stefani stopped talking and ranting. She stared outside through the window, head resolutely turned and not ever wanting to look at the driver.
Jonathan didn't pay much attention to Stefani's rants and just focused on driving. He also didn't mind the sudden silence and appreciated it even. 
Soon, they reached Stefani's house. Jonathan pulled the car over and decided to speak with a tone and voice he usually used in business meetings. "I'll come and pick you up again tomorrow. You should know by now I-"
"I hate you," Stefani suddenly said, her eyes cast down on her lap.
Jonathan shouldn't feel it but a stab came to his heart and he didn't know why.
"Don't worry, I hate you too," Jonathan replied without looking at Stefani, either.
Stefani jumped off the car and hurriedly ran inside their mansion. Jonathan sighed as he got out of the car as well and followed suit. He heard Stefani's footsteps going up the second floor where her bedroom was located. 
"Come in, Sir Gonzalez. Let me call Miss Hernandez, please have a seat," the maid offered to which Jonathan only nodded at.
He sighed as he sat down on the sofa while waiting, unable to think of any good thoughts. 
The kid hated him. It was clear that Stefani didn't want to be with him, let alone, be her friend. So how can Jonathan make this thing, as Mr. Hernandez wanted, work?
Jonathan took deep breaths, sighing heavily as he rubbed his hands on his face.
This was definitely going to be a tough one.
**
"Are you sure?" Jonathan asked again, his eyebrows meeting at some point. The caller, one of Stefani's bodyguards, answered the same response making Jonathan heavily sighed out.
Stefani was missing. The kid clearly didn't like the idea of Jonathan picking her up at school every day. Jonathan already knew that but he still didn't expect Stefani to actually run away from him like Jonathan was a bad person. It was just the second day of fetching the younger and she already ran away. Why was this kid so hard to tame?
Jonathan shoved his phone back into his pocket as he drove slowly down the street. He was checking the street carefully where he hoped he could find Stefani walking on it. As much as he hated Stefani's bad behavior, he didn't want Stefani to be in danger. After all, Stefani's father entrusted her to him. If something bad happened to Stefani, Jonathan might as well bury himself under the ground.
Jonathan sighed for the fiftieth time of the day and was about to turn the car around when someone along the street caught his attention.
The teenager, still in her uniform and wearing her black and pink backpack, was helping an old lady cross the street. Curious, Jonathan intently watched her grab the grocery bags from the old lady then flashed a smile on her as they continued passing by the pedestrian lane. For a second, Jonathan thought it was his vision deceiving him. There was no way that girl could be Stefani, right?
Suddenly, something fell from the bags of the old woman. The girl in uniform, Stefani, quickly went to pick it up and cheerfully returned it to the old lady. The action made the old lady's smile wider which was being mirrored by Stefani herself.
It was the first time Jonathan saw Stefani smile like that. Usually, the smiles he'd get from the younger were smug and not friendly at all. The Stefani he knew was always frowning, glaring, complaining, whining, and shouting names at people. Yet here she was, flashing her smiles to the old lady she didn't even know the name of.
Unconsciously, Jonathan smiled and felt a thud in his heart. He couldn't help but look at the scenario before him, particularly staring at the teenager and her smile that shone brightly under the sun...
Before he knew it, Stefani was already waving her hand goodbye to the old lady she had helped. Jonathan woke up from his reverie, pressed  and made a loud honk, startling Stefani who had her arm up waving.
Stefani turned her head to Jonathan's car, her eyes squinting, thinking she had seen it from somewhere but could not exactly remember where.
Jonathan got out of the car and walked towards her. 
Stefani's eyes widened as she found Jonathan walking to her, and she was about to sprint away from Jonathan when Jonathan grabbed her upper arm, stopping her from escaping.
"Let me go!" Stefani tried to get Jonathan's hand off of her arm. "I said let go, you monkey!"
Jonathan bit his lower lip, annoyed at the fact that Stefani was trying to escape from him again. Jonathan wanted some answers to his questions. Why was it that Stefani was treating him this bad when she can give a smile to a stranger? Thinking about it, Jonathan was not even a stranger, so how come Stefani could treat other people well but not him?
Sighing out in annoyance, he dragged Stefani to his car and pushed the complaining, resisting the younger inside. Jonathan quickly went to the driver seat, though didn't start the engine.
"Now you're going to force me to come with you? Don't you know I could sue you for kidnapping? I'm 17 you know! I can-" Stefani's words were muffled when Jonathan placed his hand on her mouth. Seriously, this mouth needed to stop. Stefani talked too much and it was starting to annoy Jonathan.
"Why do you hate me?" Jonathan, finally, asked.
Stefani was shocked to hear the question from Jonathan all of a sudden.
"Stefani," Jonathan whispered, making another beat skip his heart. His eyes were focused on Stefani as he removed his hand slowly from the younger's mouth. He badly needed to hear why this person hated him to the core. To his disappointment, however, Stefani did not give him an answer.
"Let's... just go home," Stefani said almost in a whisper, eyes now suddenly staring down her lap. Jonathan thought it was like déjà vu. He intently watched Stefani's eyes waver, her hands clutching tightly on her uniform as if letting go of the cloth would finally reveal her emotions. She hated to say what she felt inside. 
Jonathan knew Stefani had a reason for her hatred towards him and he wanted to know it. He badly wanted to hear it... So that he would be able to fix it and make Stefani accept him and love him.
... Did he just think that? No... No way.
Jonathan's grip on the steering wheel tightened, desperately trying his best to stay focused and not turn to look at the person sitting on the passenger seat.