Never.

Fuck me.

Of course, just my fucking luck. Today, here of all places, I had to see the boy I hate the most.

Damien. Fucking. Sinclair.

He sat there, with his toned abs and his unnecessarily large biceps and that stupid fucking smirk and God, I hated it. With every fibre of my being actually. His brown curly hair was a mess, all sweaty and stuck to his forehead, his green eyes were squinted into tiny little crescents because of how hard he was laughing with his teeth out like a fucking hyena.

I hate that laugh.

Then, the lasers shooting out of my eyes finally burned through that thick skull of his and he noticed me. He looked me up and down like he could not believe his eyes and I wish my eyes were fucking joking too but nope, here we are.

Again.

Then, like the bastard that he is, he smiled at me. He smiled so wide and so bright I wanted to choke him out right then and there. Asshole.

“Em!?“, he gasped.

And just like that, senior year had become ten times harder, right at the damn starting line.

Okay, let me back track a little.

**********

Damien and I had been neighbours for as long as I could remember. Right next door to each other, his house breathing down my neck, looming over me, just like he did.

Originally, Damien and I were, unfortunately, rather close. He hung out at my house every day, even stayed for dinner most nights and sometimes, dad would let him stay over. Life was pretty calm, as chaotic as a 7 year old’s life can get really. We were so inseparable, one time, at the playground in the park 5 minutes away, 7 year old Damien and 6 year old Emris... kissed.

We thought we’d get married one day for fuck’s sake.

It was nothing major, we were fucking children but God, did he torment me for it. Like he wasn’t the one who kissed me, and again I say... Asshole. Long story short, things changed. Not because of the kiss, I don’t even know the fucking cause and if I knew I’d slit its throat because, as much as I’d never say it out loud, I miss the cute little tolerable and decent mannered Damien.

It was like a switch had flipped. Like suddenly I wasn’t good enough for the stupidest fucking reasons and him and his new group were way fucking better. They were taller, louder, whatever the fuck kind of reasons he listed to help him sleep at night and I hated it.

I hated him for it.

Naturally, nature took its course and when I evolved and he stayed a dick, we grew apart. Aggressively so. It never really turned violent, just verbal and threatening before someone pulled us apart. He is so lucky they always pulled us apart.

The things I’d do to him if I ever got him alone.

Damien the dickwad had gone off to live in fairy princess land with all his new friends at some new school and we only had time to fight when we caught each other but everybody knew us as hot headed whenever we were around each other.

It’s a pretty small town, word gets around fast. Especially since we were on rival football teams until, well... the schools decided: “Hey, let’s screw Emris over and make him go through hell his last year of high-school by merging the schools for no reason on a random ass Tuesday!“.

And now, here we are!

Congradu- fuck-you- lations! They succeeded.

**********

Now I was standing there,brown eyes wide like a fool, eyebrows disappearing into my pin straight black hair and my fist clenched tightly around the strap of my bag.

What. The. Fuck.

I scoffed and marched straight past him. I was not going to let him ruin football for me too.

“Real mature”, he rolled his eyes.

“I swear-“, I almost snapped before Gabriel patted me on the back.

“Calm your tits, coach will have us hung in his backyard if you don’t hurry”, he nodded at the clock above the lockers, his spiky blonde hair poking out.

I sighed and nodded, scowling at that brunette mess waiting to happen before beginning to take of my shirt.

“New hair?“, I smiled at Gabriel, trying to distract myself.

“You like it? Gia said-“, he smiled putting on his socks before I interrupted with a groan.

“Seriously man, Gia, still?“, I rolled my eyes at him and he rolled back.

“Yes, still”

“She’s horrible for you, dude. Like actually a blood sucking vermin”

“It was one time, she said she wouldn’t cheat again and she’s... different”, he sighed.

“You idiot, the only thing different is she’s taking less dick and hiding it better”, I snorted.

“Fuck you”, he hit my lower back with a towel.

“You’re offering?“, I smirked, “You know, you do look awfully sexy with spiky hair”

“I fucking hate you”, he groaned, getting up.

“I love you more! Make sure to get the lube, yeah?“, I shouted after him as he walked out of the locker room, earning a few chuckles.

I giggled to myself, sitting on the bench to put my shoes on now, and then I felt a weight plop next to me. I turned, expecting to see someone I knew, any kind face but no. It was this bitch again.

“God, you’re even scarier up close”, I gasped dramatically, clutching my shirt in exaggerated fear.

He just rolled his eyes at me, “You fucking the blonde?“, he asked.

“Wow, straight to the point... how off brand”, I turned away from him.

“You just go around fucking guys now, Em?“, he shook his head disapprovingly, “Shocker, I thought I’d be the first”.

“Absolutely fucking not”, I grimaced. That thought would now haunt me for the rest of my fucking life, thanks, Sinclair. “I have standards, Sinclair. But if you’re looking, try the dumpster behind the grocery store, I’m sure they’ve got a jar of peanut butter small enough”, I tilted my head, staring at his crotch with the widest grin I’d worn all day.

“You talking from experience, Emmy?“, he tilted his head, mimicking mine.

“Fuck you”, I spat. He knows, he knows I hate that nickname.

“You’re offering?“, he grinned, “Oh, no...“, he pointed out of the locker room door, “There go your standards”, he snickered before getting up and leaving.

Fuck him.

Fuck him for always getting the last word in.

This was going to be a lot more than just ten times harder.