Reign's POV.

"Mondays make me wanna gouche my eyes out," I say to Ari as she drives passed another red light.

I grip my seat, feeling like we might get hit off the road by a giant truck coming from nowhere.

I know she said she'll be giving me rides to school from now on so we can girl-bond or whatever but why am I letting her drive me to school? She's a horrible driver.

"Yeah, mondays suck ass," She responds, checking her face in the rearview mirror and fixing her hair. "You're coming to the football game this Friday, right?" She shifts her eyes from the mirror to me.

"Eyes on the road, please," I urge.

Both her hands grip the steering, finally concentrating on the road.

"Why didn't you ride with Garrett anyways?" I breathe, shifting in my seat.

"He's a dick," she speeds the car on that note and I sink in my seat.

"What did he do?" I dare to ask.

"He called me a slut for having a conversation with his brother at his family dinner last night." She looks at me for a brief second.

"No way!" I gasp dramatically like I'm actually surprised by this information but I'm not, every guy at our school throws the word slut around like it's the biggest compliment a girl could ever receive.

"Yeah, I just need space from him," She sighs.

I look at her and I actually feel bad, I might not know what drives these women insane when it comes to toxic men who don't deserve them but I feel like it's genuinely impossible for them to just let go.

"Ari, what's my favorite song of all time?" I ask her, she turns to look at me and a smile stretches across her red painted lips.

"Love myself by Hailee Steinfeld." She answers proudly.

"Do you know why It's my favorite song of all time?" I question.

"Because it talks about loving yourself and all that other stuff that you're into," She giggles, I roll my eyes, looking out the window.

"No, it's actually about masturbation." I say.

She snorts a laugh, "No, it's not."

I huff, looking back at her.

"When I get chills at night, I feel it deep inside without you.

I take it nice and slow, feeling good on my own.

Got me speaking in tongues, the beautiful it comes." I quote the song. "And let's not forget about the scream my own name part." I add.

"Oh my God," She laughs.

"I know."

She stops the car in the student school parking lot and grabs her phone from the console.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Asking google about that information," She says while pressing the screen, I snatch her phone.

"Google is as blinded as you are, my point is, I listen to that song and it teaches me two lessons. One says that I can love myself and do shit without depending on a partner, the other lesson says that I can get myself hot and be satisfied without anyone else's help. Either way, I should love myself."

"But you already do all that," She points out.

"I do, I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about you, Ari, you need to love yourself," I clarify.

"No offense, Reign, but you wouldn't be saying that if you knew what being in love felt like," She shakes her head at me, opening her car door and stepping out.

My Dad used to say that, one simply can't advise someone on a matter that they've never experienced before, it's like trying to operate on someone's body regardless of your lack of surgical experience, impossible.

I've never experienced love, hell, I don't even believe in it so of course, she wouldn't listen to me.

I get out of the car and I spot Mason jogging towards us.

He reaches where I'm standing and he wraps his arm around my neck, squeezing me into his chest.

"Mason," I whine, trying to get him off, Ari stands at his side and he squeezes her in too.

"I missed you guys so much," He mumbles, Ari giggles in his chest.

We all turn to look in a certain direction when an engine roars.

It's a black sports car that I've never seen around here before.

God help us all if it's a new kid that makes such an entrance cause... Asshole alert.

"Who is that?" Asks Ari.

"Must be a new kid or something," Mason responds when the car parks in the student parking lot.

"We're making them our friend, right?" She asks, staring at the car.

"No, no, we already have one Richardson, we don't need two," My eyes go round.

"You do know you're not supposed to talk about rich people like that, right?" Mason chuckles down at me, I don't respond.

The person opens the car door and steps out of the car, it's a guy in sun glasses. He shuts the car door, locking his car, swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Is that..."

"Luke?" Ari finishes Mason's sentence.

"Fuck me side ways," I heave a sigh, watching Luke as he flips everyone that's staring and whispering.

"Hey, new kid!" Mason shouts after him, he twists his head to look at us.

He turns, walking towards us now. I lean my back against Ari's car, folding my arms over my chest.

Ari wraps her arms around Luke's neck excitedly, he closes his arms around her waist, spinning them around, he puts her down then he and Mason do the side bro hug thingy.

He rolls his sunglasses to his head and he looks at me.

He and I never hug each other or even greet.

"Hey." He greets, sending me a nod, his tone sounds genuine and polite.

I stand by what I said, he and I never genuinely greet each other. Maybe it's because of what went down Friday night and Saturday morning, I'll admit that there was a point where I felt the sexual tension but it was just that. Sexual tension, there's no need to make it weird by greeting me.

"I see Daddy and Mommy bought the brat a new expensive toy," I tilt my chin in the car's direction.

His jaw clenches, his eyes darken and his cold stare pierces into my soul.

"I thought you guys were cool now," I hear Ari speak but I don't break the stare contest that Luke started.

Kyle Ripley bumps into Ari's back as he and his friends walk passed, Luke breaks the stare to look at them.

Kyle walks backwards, looking at Ari.

"Tight." He winks at her.

"Did he just grope you?" Luke asks Ari while watching them.

"Forget about him," Ari waves it off.

"No?" Luke wrinkles his nose at her, "Hey, assholes!" He calls after them, Kyle stops in his tracks, looking back at us, "How about you walk right back," Luke demands, Kyle and his friends look amongst themselves, looking a little lost. "Did I fucking stutter or are they just that dimwitted?" He asks us but loud enough for them to hear.

"What was that?" Kyle takes long strides towards us, standing in Luke's face like he wants the fight to happen.

Luke chuckles, looking at the closeness then he rolls his eyes at Kyle.

"Apologize to the lady," he orders.

"For what?" Kyle scoffs like he's innocent and the idea of apologizing sounds ridiculous.

"You touched her inappropriately, man, just apologize and get the fuck out of our faces," Says Mason.

Kyle looks at Mason then his gaze settles on me. He smiles.

"Oh, hey there, Reign?" He greets with a wink.

"I don't associate with narcissists, fuck you very much," I show him one of my not-so-sweet smiles.

"Hey, boys, what's going on?" Ms Dawson joins in but no one pays any attention to her except for me, of course, because I respect the woman even though everyone else thinks that she's young, nice and beautiful and totally shouldn't be respected.

"Nothing much, Ms Gorgeous, just catching up with my buddy, Luke," Kyle pats Luke's shoulder, Luke savagely slaps Kyle's hand off, Kyle shoves Luke's chest, Luke launches back to get his hands on Kyle but Ms Gorgeous stands between them, extending her hand in front of Luke's chest.

"Get out of the way, Patricia." Luke calls Ms Dawson by her first name, I widen my eyes while Ari's palm flies to her mouth, laughing into it.

"Luke, go to class," She points to the school.

God, she's so bad at this.

Luke narrows his eyes at her, taking a step closer and glaring into her eyes.

She looks intimidated by him, defeated even.

"I'm sorry, who the fuck are you to order me around?" He asks her calmly.

I watch her swallow, fluttering her long lashes up at him and almost looking... Nervous? Or is it anxious?

"C'mon, Kyle." It's almost a whisper and she literally runs off.

"Of course, Ms Gorgeous," Kyle smiles at us before following behind her.

"That was fucking disrespectful," I say to Luke, he shoots me a side glare.

"She's fucked five students in our year, she lost the rights to be respected at number two." He says.

"Are you one of the students?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"Watch your fucking mouth," He points at me warningly.

"Then how do you know that information if you're not one of the students?" I lift my shoulders.

"Fuck you, Reign and get the fuck off my dick, will you?"

"Nah, I was never on it to begin-"

"Okay, that's enough arguing and swearing, Jesus," Ari cuts me off, "Luke? Do you wanna use some of that rage on my boyfriend? He called me a slut," She changes the subject.

"I don't get it, why are girls so into assholes?" He mumbles.

"Do exclude me," I raise my index finger, he looks my way and smirks.

"You're excluded but only because you're broken beyond repair and way deep into your own head to let someone love you." He says in a mocking tone.

I push off the car, ready to walk away from this stupid interaction.

"Fuck you." I bump into his shoulder, he laughs because clearly, he feels like he just won this round.

Prick.

"Nice ass though." He comments after me, I raise my middle finger without looking back.