Dedicated to:ShortcakeMistress

Thanks a tonne for being a sweetheart and making me feel proud of my work!! <<33

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A short note: I have had a few readers telling me to increase the pace. I'm so very sorry, I realize that the story is going too slow but I promise to increase the pace from now! And also, I am very very busy nowadays so I can't update on any other day but Saturday. I promise that I'll never leave you hanging with an excuse of a writer's block cause there's nothing like a writer's block in my dictionary ;)

Please continue supporting me, I love all of you :):):)

"What if the kid you bullied at school, grew up, and turned out to become the only surgeon who could save your life?"

~Lynette Mather

Claire's POV

Tuesday arrived. Just like every tedious day, I ambled down the halls of Whitney High without meeting anybody's gaze, stopping only when I reached my locker.

While I was busy with my locker, I fantasised about how magical it would be to have a boyfriend.

I would have someone to call mine. I would have someone who would go out of his way to make me blissful. I would have someone to hold me close when I'm breaking and falling apart. I would have someone to connect all my wrecked dreams together.

But that wasn't going to happen because I was Claire Annesley - just a dreary and boring nerd. Who would want me to be their special one?

It was all so easy for girl like Venetia Grey. She had the body, the beauty and the fame that every guy swoons over. On the other hand, girls like me who, even after trying, are nowhere close to being anything like her.

The sound of a clink echoed in the air from my left, breaking me from my thoughts. Involuntarily, my head turned to explore. Of course, it had to be Dylan Summers standing two lockers away from mine, working on the locker that belonged to him.

Bashfully, I turned my stare away, chewing nervously on my lower lip. All my attempts were helpless because an invincible temptation was tugging on my eyes to look at him. Steadily, without moving my head, I shifted my pupils to view him.

I had never been this close to him before. His delicious, towering posture was leaning against the locker, his long, dark bangs falling all over his forehead.

I swallowed, furrowing my brows. How is he even real?

He bolted his locker shut when he was done, adjusting his books in his hands. Surprisingly, his eyes suddenly shot up and met mine. I was busy glaring at him when the most unbelievable thing happened.

He smiled at me.

At me.

My heart gave a thunderous thud against my chest. For a few milliseconds, it was like my heart fluttered away to heaven. I felt a drop of sweat soothingly trickled down the side of my face.

His smile lasted for five seconds and then he was walking away. When he was completely out of sight, I took a deep breath in and fisted my hands tightly. Did that just happen? Or was I dreaming?

Thousands of questions were frenziedly gushing into my mind when a familiar scent of cologne consumed my senses.

Someone gently placed a pair of hands on both of my eyes from behind me.

The same person whispered against my ear "Guess who?"

For some reason, the voice sent sensual chills down my arms, my legs, all over my body. A smile formed on my lips.

"Someone who calls me 'Cookie Jar'" I replied, gripping the pair of hands and pushing them away from my eyes.

Logan giggled, hugging me from behind "How have you been?"

He didn't even wait for me to reply and immediately asked "Why was that weirdo smiling at you?"

I squinted at him, trying to figure out who he was talking about and then it struck me.

Dylan?

"You saw that?" I blurted, shocked about the fact that Logan spotted a smile that only lasted for a few seconds.

"Of course I did" he shrugged, his face twisted into annoyance "He's such a creep"

"Why, are you jealous?"

Logan's eyes suddenly directed toward me and his lips parted in astonishment. All the humour had drained away from his face the moment I said that and it was replaced with fear. I laughed at his reaction.

"Whoa calm down, I was just kidding!" I continued chuckling linking my arm his, comforting him "C'mon, I'll walk you to your English class"

"You're unbelievable" he roughly muttered under his breath as I pulled him to his class.

What was that nuance in his voice? Was it annoyance? Was it humour?

Or was it anger?

Logan's POV

I sat on the first bench, not paying attention to a word of what my English teacher, Mr. Fredberg, was blabbering about; I had already studied everything he was teaching. There was only one thing that was crazily circling in mind, only one thing that I was focusing on right then...

Why, are you jealous?

I clenched my teeth hard to lessen the pain that those words were giving me. The truth was - Yes. Yes I was fucking jealous. Extremely jealous.

But there was nothing I could do to stop Dylan from having that kind of effect on Claire. Moreover, who was I to stop Claire from liking him?

"Mr. Walker?" Mr. Fredberg's voice alarmed me and I instantly looked up.

"Yes?" I asked.

Mr. Fredberg told me about a book that he forgot in the staffroom and asked me to get it so he doesn't waste any teaching time. I was his favourite student; he never showed though and he knew that I already knew most of what he taught.

I agreed and jogged out of the class. Digging my hands into my pockets, I walked down the never-ending, empty halls.

The staffroom was a long way from the classroom and something was making me tensed with every step. The hefty sounds of my shoes gliding across the gleaming, tiled floors bounced off the walls and the bolted lockers, echoing everywhere.

I licked my lips as the sound of my own breathing reached my ears. I could feel my heart beats and every pulse in my arteries as my feet suddenly slowed down.

I stopped; standing in the middle of the corridor, without any other soul in sight, staring into the eyes of the person I feared the most.

Carlton Hargrave stood a few metres from me, blocking my way, his gaze dangerously locked with mine. Like an enraged panther on a fierce pursuit, he snarled at me.

The floor shifted from beneath my feet. My head started to throb as I furiously explored my mind, trying to recollect something I did that made him so mad at me.

And then, he started walking toward me. His palms were fisted and his strides were long and sturdy. Just when I thought it won't get any worse, three other guys appeared from behind him, looking almost as treacherous as him.

My breath caught in my throat. It felt as if some kind of rope had tied me to the ground and I couldn't move even if I wanted to.

He ceased a feet away from me, glaring angrily. His jaw was taut as he exclaimed "Stay away from her"

I gathered my thoughts. He knew that I knew who this 'her' was.

I had had enough. I have been running away from him for three years straight, spent nights worrying about what would happen on my next day to school, tormented every day if I would make it back home safely.

I've had enough.

"You can't go around ordering me" I blurted, gritting my teeth.

Almost as if a demon took over him, Carlton pushed me hard at the lockers and clutched the collars of my shirt.

His actions were swift, and the impact of my back on the lockers sent a painful sting down my nerves. I groaned. Carlton's breaths were harsh, like he was resisting himself from killing me on the spot.

"You fucking virgin dipshit!" he yelled loudly "Who do you think you are? Look at yourself! You can't even get yourself a girlfriend!"

I tried to battle Carlton's grip on my neck but all my actions were helpless in front of his immense muscularity.

"Stay. Away. From. Her." He demanded one last time before forcefully punching my face.

I dropped feebly on the floor. Pushing myself off, I tried to make a run for it but the other three guys grabbed me from behind.

I tried to scream from help only getting muffled when all of them started beating me. It felt like claws ripping me from all sides, pain shooting madly down my body. The world started to fade in front of my eyes, the corridor spinning with exceedingly fast speeds.

A few seconds, they suddenly stopped. I fluttered my eyes open and saw Dylan grabbing Carlton and pushing him away from me. He was angrily screaming at him that he might get suspended for hurting me.

Their voices were a blur; merely faint yelling could be heard. A few other students had gathered around and some tried to help me get up from the floor.

But all I could think of was one person.

Claire.

This wasn't the first time Carlton had hurt me. He has done it before and Claire was there.

Just like that day, I wanted her to be here for me. I wanted her to lift me up and tell me everything was going to be okay. I wanted her to caress my face and let me know that she's always going to be there.

I was afraid of losing her and I wanted her to tell me that I was wrong.

Please...stay.

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Oookkaayyy, dropped a few mysterious things here ;)

Please tell me your opinions on this chapter! It was kinda hard to write...

And as always, thank you so much for the amazing support!

Love, K

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