Chapter 1
Chapter – 1
Zander P.O.V
Before today, you never acted this excited about going to school. What are you planning to do, Zander? Are you going to beat up another boy?
“What’s wrong with you?” my mom hissed, her voice low and menacing. “You’re always picking fights at school.” I loved my mom dearly, but she had a fierce side that emerged when she was angry. And once she was fired up, not even Dad could calm her down.
“Are you even listening to me?” she demanded, her hands on her hips as she tried to look intimidating. If I weren’t in trouble, I might have laughed at her stance.
“Ow!” I rubbed my head, wincing at the spot where she’d smacked me. She rolled her eyes at my dramatics. “What was the reason for beating up that poor boy today?”
“I didn’t like his shirt,” I mumbled, earning a disbelieving stare from my mom. “Really? That’s why you beat him up?” She sounded incredulous.
I nodded hesitantly, hesitant to reveal my true reason for fear she’d laugh at me. “You’re unbelievable,” she said, shaking her head. “I was humiliated when I got a call from your principal saying you were involved in another fight. And now you’re giving me this ridiculous reason?”
I pouted, trying to look charming, but she avoided eye contact, refusing to fall for my tricks. “Mom, I’m sorry.”
“You’re always sorry after getting into trouble,” she pointed out, her tone firm but worried.
“You’re giving me a headache,” She let out a deep sigh as she massaged her forehead.
“Should I give you a massage?” I asked, taking a step closer, but she stopped me with a stern voice. “No, go to your room.”
“Fine,” I muttered, turning to leave. But she called out,
“And you’re grounded for a week,” my mom added, her expression firm.
I stared at her, wide-eyed. “Mom, you can’t do that!”
“Really?” she raised an eyebrow. “You can fight at school, but I can’t even ground you? Unbelievable. Now go to your room and do as I say before I call your dad.”
I huffed and stomped upstairs, feeling frustrated. As soon as I closed the door behind me, a sly grin spread across my face. I headed to the window, planning to sneak out, but before I could climb out, Alex burst into the room.
“Zander, what are you doing?” he asked, his eyes wide with excitement.
“Should I tell Mom what you’re up to?” he asked, a mischievous smirk on his face. At just 10 years old, Alex knew exactly how to get me into trouble. As the most obedient child in the family, he sometimes annoyed me with his goody-goody attitude. Now that I was grounded, Mom had sent him to keep an eye on me.
“Why are you here, Alex?” I asked, ignoring his previous comment.
“Mom said you’re grounded, so she sent me to keep an eye on you and make sure you behave,” he replied, confirming my suspicions.
“I’m a big boy, I don’t need a babysitter. You can leave,” I said, trying to sound confident. But instead of leaving, Alex sat down on my bed.
“I don’t have anything better to do, so I’ll stay here and keep an eye on you,” he said, a hint of mischief in his voice. I groaned and sat down beside him.
“I’ll buy you your favorite chocolates if you leave,” I offered, trying to bribe him. But Alex shook his head.
“No, Mom already gave me two boxes of my favorite chocolates,” he said, a smug look on his face. I realized that Mom knew me too well, and that wasn’t good for me. I needed to come up with a new plan to sneak out before she leaves the library.
“Alex, what do you want? Just tell me, and I’ll buy it for you if you leave,” I said, trying to negotiate.
“Mom said not to listen to you,” Alex replied, a sly grin spreading across his face. I realized that Mom was two steps ahead of me.
“And Mom said if you do anything stupid, she’ll ground you for a month,” Alex added, a sly grin still plastered on his face. I groaned again, feeling frustrated, and looked at him with a mischievous smile. His eyes widened as he sensed my intentions.
“Don’t even think about it,” he warned, but I feigned innocence. “What?” I asked, trying to sound confused.
Alex was about to get down from the bed when I pounced, tickling him mercilessly. He burst into fits of laughter, unable to catch his breath.
“St-stop! Otherwise, I’ll tell Mom about it!” he managed to stammer between giggles.
“I don’t think tickling someone is a crime,” I said with a chuckle, continuing to tickle him until Mom walked into the room. I stopped, and Alex ran to her, complaining.
“Mom, he was tickling me!” Alex exclaimed, while Mom looked at him with a playful glint in her eye. She motioned for me to come over, and then she started tickling Alex too. I joined in, and soon we were all laughing together.
“Both of you, stop!” Alex pleaded, but we just laughed along with him. The rest of the day was spent teasing each other, and nothing more.
The next morning, I woke up to a sharp slap on my face. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the sleepiness.
“Scarlett,” I said, and she giggled at the sound of her name. My little 7-year-old sister was a bundle of energy, and she was slowly becoming a spoiled brat. She had everyone in the family wrapped around her finger.
“Mommy said to get up, or she’ll come and get you,” Scarlett announced, her eyes sparkling with mischief. I knew Mom would follow through on her threat.
“I’m up, my little Princess. Now go get ready for school,” I said, kissing her forehead. Scarlett giggled and ran out of the room.
I stretched and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. Afterward, I dressed in black jeans, a black T-shirt, and a black jacket.
After slipping on my black shoes and grabbing my school bag from my study table, I headed downstairs. I had never gotten ready for school this quickly before, but yesterday I had missed seeing her, and today I was determined to catch a glimpse of her beautiful face before class.
As I approached the kitchen, I overheard my parents chatting. I entered the room, and they looked up at me in surprise, clearly not expecting me to be ready for school so early.
“Morning, Mom,” I said, kissing her cheek.
“Morning, Dad,” I greeted them, taking a seat beside Dad.
“Morning, son,” Dad replied, raising an eyebrow. “You’re up early today, before your siblings.” I gave him a sheepish smile.
“I didn’t even have to wake him up today,” Mom said, looking surprised. And she was right. Every morning, Scarlett would wake me up with a slap, and I’d hit the snooze button, thinking a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt. But those few minutes always turned into half an hour, and Mom would have to wake me up with her scolding.
“It’s not a big deal, Mom,” I said, trying to downplay the situation.
“Yes, it is, son,” Dad chimed in, sipping his coffee.
I groaned. “Mom, about my breakfast...” She rolled her eyes at my tone and served me my breakfast.
As I ate, my siblings started to trickle in, taking their seats at the table. When they saw me eating breakfast before them, they looked at me in shock.
“Today is going to rain,” Ryder said sarcastically.
“Why?” Scarlett asked innocently.
“Because Zander’s having his breakfast before us,” Ryder said with a smirk. I groaned as everyone burst out laughing at me. Ryder, my little brother, loved using sarcasm in his sentences. He was a lot like me, always getting into trouble.
“I’ve finished my breakfast; can we leave now?” I asked, standing up. But Dad chimed in, “Let your siblings finish their breakfast, then we can go.”
I slumped back into my chair, impatiently waiting for them to finish. “Can you guys eat any faster?” I groaned, tapping my foot impatiently.
“Don’t be impatient, Zander,” Mom scolded, giving me a stern look. I waited for what felt like an eternity, watching the clock tick away. Finally, after a few more minutes, my siblings finished their breakfast.
“Finally, can we leave now?” I asked, already walking out of the house.
“Before today, you never acted this excited about going to school. What are you planning to do, Zander? Are you going to beat up another boy?” Mom asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she placed her hands on her hips.
“Why do you always think the worst of me, Mom?” I asked, trying to sound innocent.
“Because I don’t want you to get into trouble, Zander,” she replied, her expression softening. My eyes met hers, and for a moment, I felt a pang of guilt.
“Don’t worry, Mom, I just have some important work to do,” I said, trying to reassure her.
“And that doesn’t involve getting into trouble?” she asked, her eyes still filled with suspicion.
“No, Mom,” I promised, trying to sound convincing.
“Fine, today I’ll drive because your dad has an important meeting to attend,” Mom said, settling into the driver’s seat. I buckled up in the passenger seat, while my siblings piled into the backseat.
After we were all secured, Mom pulled out of the driveway and we were off. At 17, I still didn’t have my own car, thanks to my parents’ rule that I had to wait until I turned 18. While I didn’t have a problem with that, it sometimes got frustrating having to rely on our driver to take me wherever I needed to go.
But I was counting down the days until my 18th birthday, just two months away. Finally, I’d have my own set of wheels, and a little more freedom. The thought was a welcome relief to my sanity.
“Here we are,” Mom announced, and I looked out the window to see our school. I kissed her cheek and slid out of the car.
“Bye, Mom, bye, guys,” I said, waving at my siblings. I made my way towards my friends, who were already standing near the school entrance.
“Hey, guys,” I greeted them, and they turned to face me.
“You’re early today,” Chase said, and I rolled my eyes in response. Our group consisted of four friends:
First, there was London Greene, the ultimate playboy. He changed girls as often as he changed his clothes, but despite his reputation, he was fun to be around.
Next was Lucian Scott, our resident silent type. He rarely spoke, only chiming in when absolutely necessary. Lucian was attractive, but he didn’t seem to care about girls. His aloofness only added to his mysterious charm.
Then there was my best friend, Chase Thompson. We’d been inseparable since childhood, and his parents, Chris and Kiara, were like family to us.
And last but not least, there was me – the troublemaker with a good looks and charming smile and a habit for getting into troubles.
“He’s right, bro. Everyone’s shocked, just like us,” Chase announce while I scanned my surroundings. And indeed, everyone was staring at me with a mix of surprise and confusion. I couldn’t blame them, though. I was notorious for strolling into school late and skipping the first period. But today was different. I had a mission, and I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way.
As I caught their gazes, the other students quickly looked away, intimidated by my glare. I smirked, feeling a sense of satisfaction, and walked into the school building, my friends London, Lucian, and Chase following closely behind.
As I made my way to my locker, I caught sight of her beautiful face, laughing with her friend. I didn’t know her friend’s name, but I knew she was always by her side. Just then, Flynn, that annoying guy, appeared and wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug. My fists clenched instinctively as I watched them exchange bright smiles.
I’d warned Flynn multiple times to stay away from her, but he never listened. When she finally noticed me staring, she shot me a glare and walked away to her class.
Chase fell into step beside me, a confused look on his face. “Why does she always glare at you?” he asked.
I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “No idea, man.” With that, I headed to our shared class, my eyes scanning the room for her.
