Chapter One
Fia
High School.
A place where teenagers go to break rules and wreak havoc. Make friends, foes, and even decisions that could either help ruin our future or mend it. But do you know the best part of all those things happening?
Having a friend by your side, an accomplice, a partner in crime that will stick with you through thick and thin.
Boy, will that be awesome, to have a friend or even a regular acquaintance to roam the halls with, gossip with, lie and disobey parents with.
But all I’m stuck with is someone who prefers to give me exercise lessons every morning before classes. And that, to my chagrin, is Cole Ross. The captain of the football team. Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes.
Okay, I’m just kidding. He isn’t the captain but he is in it, he’s tall(obviously) but he doesn’t have blue eyes or blonde hair. His hair is jet black and how do you expect me to know the color of his eyes, it’s not like we lock eyes when I’m trying to block out his punches at me.
He made it his life’s goal to mess up mine.
Surprisingly though, he wasn’t around today. This is weird, today is meant to be the day he hangs me on the flag pole through my underwear.
He has never missed it.
Letting that thought go, I strode to my locker that was right in front of the boys' locker room.
Lucky, you might think.
But it’s not. It’s the worst locker to have besides the one next to the water fountain.
The moment I got to my locker, the smell hit me so I hurriedly got my History textbook and went for the fourth period.
I got there in record time given people weren’t interested in bullying me today since Cole isn’t around. Funny how I’m hated but noticed with the presence of a jock but hated and invisible without him.
Story of my life.
I went to the seat closest to the window and put down my things on the seat next to me, no one was going to sit there anyway. As for my routine, I put on my earphones and let myself drown in the calming and relaxing words of my playlist.
“Ms. Skye?“, I snapped my head to the sound of my teacher’s voice, Mr. Filbert.
Firstly, what kind of parent would hate their child so much to name him Filbert, and secondly, why could I hear him? My earphones were made to block out noise.
“Ms. Skye?!“, he repeated with an edge.
“Yes, sir?“, I let the irritation I felt drip into my tone.
“Would you like to explain why you have earphones on?”
No.
“Sorry, sir”, I put them back in my backpack. I hated arguing with teachers.
“You can make up for it this Friday when you help clean the theatre”, he turned his back on me signaling the conversation was over.
I groaned.
“Bad luck huh?“, a deep voice said beside me.
Wait a minute, where did that person come from?
How long was I in the clouds?
I groaned again.
“I’m Ansel,” he stretched his hand out. For a moment I believed it would slap me.
I looked at his hand, then at him, then back at him. I did that for a solid one minute.
“You know I don’t bite,” he smiled. Says he, from the look of his dentition he could pass as a vampire. “Maybe I’ll just go look for another seat.”
“Fia,” I decided against my earlier thoughts of ignoring him. “I’m Fia.”
“Nice name”, the smile he gave me almost made me think it was genuine. Nevertheless, I returned it.
The rest of the class went by just fine if I let go of the fact that Ansel guy was being strangely nice to me. In my four years in the school, I know no one has been nice to me not even when they wanted their homework done or anger sated.
After class, I went promptly to my locker to exchange my books for the next class when I bumped into the basic biatch of the school, Alyonna. What hurts the most was I could not even hate her because she was as pretty as her name.
Sigh.
“Oh, look girls. It’s Fia”, she sneered at me. Just because I said I can’t hate her doesn’t mean she can’t. She’s hated me since grade school when I pointed out to her that she had spilled apple juice on her new white tee her dad bought her.
Yeah, that wasn’t pretty.
“Umm... h-hello Alyonna”, I stuttered pathetically.
“It’s Onna!“, she shrieked. After I mumbled an apology to her, she stuck her hand out, requesting the homework she asked me to do last night. Did I mention it was in the middle of the night?
“Here”, I gave it to her.
“Let’s go girls”, she turned to her posse who just continued on their phone as they walked away.
I went back to get my books when I sensed someone beside me. And I wasn’t wrong, behind my locker was Ansel whatever his last name is.
“Hey, I was wondering if you could show me around. I just moved here and my friend is not around today”, he asked like it was no big deal. Okay, maybe it wasn’t but if he had just recently moved here, it will be better if he spent it with someone that will at least give him a suitable social status.
But I didn’t say anything though, just looked at him. Okay, stared.
“So?”
“I can’t, I will be busy throughout the week”, I half-lied. I was going to be busy just not helping him but avoiding him.
“How about the weekend? You could show me around”, he smiled.
“Uhmmm...sure”, I decided. His smile grew wider.
That was the last time I saw him throughout the rest of the day. And boy was I glad the day was finally over.
“Dad! I’m home” I yelled as I plopped my bag on the couch and went to the refrigerator. Taking out an apple, I went up to his room.
I opened his door to find him in front of his mirror wearing a shirt I never knew he had and his hair was trimmed. His little-more-than-a-stubble was gone too. Either my mum miraculously woke up from the dead or my dad has found a new sweetheart.
“Dad?“, I eyed him warily as I stepped inside.
“Hey there, honey. How was school today?“, he asked distractedly as he tried knotting his tie.
“It went well, we had a new kid around today”, I informed him as I gave up and decided to help him with it.
“That’s great”, but I wasn’t sure if he was referring to what I just told him or his tie.“Listen honey, today we’ll be going to see a friend of mine. So, you need to go dress up. I picked out a few clothes for you, they are in your room”
“I’m not going and absolutely nothing you say is going to make me change my mind”, I told him.
“Not even me promising not to make you go with me to any other event?” he gave me a look.
Damn him.
“Fine but don’t expect me to put on whatever it is you bought.” I left his room and went to my room and sure enough, tons of clothes were on my bed. Most I have never seen in my life. Just one look at them and I knew I would wear neither. So, rather, I took out a pair of jeans with a cute top that had an even cuter koala sleeping on it.
I went down stairs and took out my phone with the earphones then joined dad in his Bentley. He gave me this weird look.
“Why aren’t you in what in what I bought for you?“, he quizzed.
“No offence dad, but the clothes you bought aren’t ever going to see the light of day with me. So who is she?”
“Who is who?“, that liar looking like he didn’t know what I was talking about. No I gave him a look. “Her name is Penelope Ross, she and her husband got divorced the a few years back, remember?”
Oh no. No, just no!
My bully’s mum?! Seriously dad?
“Her son goes to your school. You must know him, Cole”, he continued.
I know him but not as well as I know his fists and his knees and that he constantly carries around with him. I shivered at the thought.
“Something wrong sweetie?”
“Nope, everything is just peachy,” sarcasm oozed from my tone.
