Reign's POV.

The worst thing in the world is waking up and preparing for school.

I hate high school.

I hate high schoolers.

But I have no choice but to go to school because I tend to believe that it's my way out, school determines who I'm going to be in the world, which is anything other than a girl who works at a small town milkshake shop.

Sigh.

I grab my backpack from my desk, swinging it over my shoulder before rushing out of my room.

I descend the stairs and amble into the kitchen to check if she got up this morning, I spot my mom standing by the sink, looking lost in thought.

"Mom?" I call but she doesn't respond or turn to look at me.

That happens a lot.

I grab an orange from the counter and I walk towards her, tapping her shoulder, she spins around and brings her hand to her chest, looking frightened.

"Rei, you scared me," her voice sounds hoarse and she looks like she hasn't slept in days if not weeks, her hair is literally a bird's nest.

I know she hasn't been sleeping.

Less sleeping and more drinking.

It's been happening since my Dad got arrested and my older sister left home and never came back.

Mom and I don't talk about that.

"Sorry, you looked lost," I say.

"You look great," She tells me, only because she doesn't have anything real to say, I'm wearing baggy jeans with a white crop top and white sneakers. It's my signature outfit and it's so uninteresting to a lot of people because they'd rather I show my legs more.

"Thanks," I respond, turning on my heel to leave.

"It's our anniversary," She speaks, I halt, turning to look at her with a confused expression.

"What?" I narrow my eyes at her.

"Your Dad and I, we got married on this day," She informs me, I just nod my head.

"Cool," I force a smile, "I'll see you later, Mom," I turn around, walking out of the kitchen.

My Dad got arrested for fraud a couple years back and he was sentenced to twenty years in prison. My mom believes that he was framed, I also used to believe that but then I grew and I understood how the law works and all evidence did point to him.

My mom doesn't think so.

Sometimes I think I don't believe in love because I've seen what it does to people, it turns them a little blind and a little dumb. I've seen what it's done to my mother and I don't think I like what I've seen so far.

I take the bus to school and as soon as I get there, I release a restless sigh as I take in my surrounding.

Chatter, fake laughter, stupidity.

Make no mistake, that's what high school is all about.

"Hey, Rei!" Someone shouts my name around the parking lot. I snap my head to look.

Andy Grad.

What is he doing on enemy grounds?

Enemy grounds?

Geez, I sound just like them.

I start walking towards him, he's leaning his back against his car door and he's smiling right at me.

"Hey, Andy, what are you doing here?" I stand in front of him, tucking my hands in my back pockets.

"Dropping off my little sister, she goes here," He looks around the school like it makes him sick.

"Oh, I didn't know that," I say.

"Now you know." His eyes dart down to my body and he runs a hand along his jaw, "You look good though." He hooks his finger through my belt loop, pulling me to him while his other hand curls a strand of my shoulder length pink hair, I crash into his chest and I roll my eyes to the sky, sighing.

And here I was, thinking he was kinda different in some way but I guess there is no such thing as different, and guys should really understand that girls don't like it when guys they are not comfortable with get touchy.

His hands are now on my hips and he's so close I can feel his disgusting hot breath on my skin, making me want to jump out of my own body.

My skin crawls when I realize something.

He's drunk.

And yeah, at seven AM in the morning.

"You want me to take you somewhere? Maybe I can even show you my tongue game then fuck you good till you can't walk," He whispers like it's supposed to turn me on.

It doesn't, it really doesn't.

"Wow." I laugh, "I didn't know guys with tiny dicks could fuck at all, so shocking," I respond, plastering a fake smile and tilting my head to my side.

"The fuck are you doing?" I hear Mason's voice behind me.

I roll my eyes.

Here we go again.

"Hey, morning," I turn to greet him but he doesn't even pay attention to me.

"You're not supposed to touch her or any other girl at this school, death wish much?" He says it like it's a reminder, like they swore on it.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I don't fuck sluts," Andy looks at me with a smirk.

I take an angry step forward and I let my fist collide with his face, punching his right eye which hurt my hand.

Ouch, goddamn it.

"Bitch!" He growls, covering his eye.

Hand hurts but satisfaction engulfs me. He deserved that.

"Nice! My turn." Mason starts shrugging out of his football jacket.

"No, Mason, no." I grasp his arm, dragging him with me towards the school entrance but he's barely moving, his attention is still on Andy who thinks his eye is bleeding.

"I'd watch my back from now on if I were you," Mason threatens Andy.

"I'll be waiting and same goes to your bitch, man, I know where she works and I know she walks home alone!" He shouts all dramatically.

"Son of a bitch." Mason tries to walk back to Andy.

"Mason." I pull his arm, "He's just fucking with your head, let it go," I lecture.

He groans, adjusting his football jacket and walking towards the school at a fast pace, I hurry to walk beside him.

"Rei, from now on, if you want to flirt with someone, flirt with someone from this school," He sounds serious, he's barely ever serious.

Is their rival that deep?

"Yes, sir." I say sarcastically.

We enter the school and someone bumps into my shoulder from behind without excusing themselves, Mason extends his middle finger at this person's back and I laugh at that.

Mason hands me gum and I release it from it's wrapper, tossing it in my mouth.

"Hey, guys," Jasmine Diaz greets with a smile that shows her perfect set of white teeth, waving her beautiful manicured fingers at us as she strides passed us. She's in her cheer uniform and her long raven hair sways from side to side as she walks.

"Hey, Jasmine," Mason and I respond at the same time. I don't have to look at Mason to know that he's drooling right now.

Dude has had a crush on this chick since middle school, I kid you not.

"When are you going to ask her out?" I whisper to him, popping my gum.

"She's going out with Kyle Ripley," He's now staring at her ass.

See? There's no such thing as a guy who's different.

"Kyle Ripley is an ass, didn't he try to drown his last girlfriend in a river last summer?" I ask.

"She didn't die and it was her words against his so.." he shrugs, I shake my head.

I think every person should do a background check on someone they're interested in before getting serious with them.

"Look," Mason jerks his chin forward, I follow his direction and it lands on Luke, leaning his back against his locker, surrounded by three girls.

"I could have lived without looking," I scowl my face in disgust, chewing slowly.

"He would rather be locked in a room with you than be there right now," He chuckles softly. Luke does look uncomfortable.

"Why do girls gang up on him like that?" I ask what I thought I'd never ask.

"Rumour has it, Luke studied the female body and every girl gets in line and hopes he one day does an experiment-"

"Ew," I cut him off, wishing I didn't ask.

"You don't think so?" He nudges my shoulder with his.

"I think that's high school rumor slash exaggeration on a whole different level," I wrinkle my nose.

"Maybe you should try him and prove these bitches wrong." He whispers to me teasingly, I punch his shoulder playfully.

We reach where Luke and his future experiments are standing and he mouths the word help to Mason but Mason only shrugs in response.

"Hey, ladies, we'll borrow him for a second," I fist Luke's jacket and yank him to me. the girls shoot glares in my direction but I don't care.

I look up at his face with my fake smile, "You're welcome, sweetheart."

"Didn't need your help, honey," he fake smiles back at me. I lazily pop my gum in response and he rolls his eyes.

"Are you guys even ready to spend an entire weekend in the same house?" Mason asks us.

"No." Luke and I respond in union.

"Why's everyone chewing? I wanna chew too." He looks back and forth between Mason and I.

"I'm all out." Says Mason, spanking Kendra Grayson's ass as she ambles passed him, she looks back at him and winks flirtatiously.

I fight back the urge to give her a whole speech about.... self respect.

Gotta remember that some girls like it when guys do that.

"Reign." I hear Luke call my name, wanting me to respond about the gum thing, I shift my gaze back to him, holding the gum between my teeth, gesturing for him to take it. He cups my jaw, bringing his mouth to mine, snatching it from my teeth with his teeth.

"Luke! Gross!" I slap his arm, halting, so does Mason.

"The fuck just happened?" Asks Mason.

"Oh relax, she and I share a birthday which is so much more worse," he chews, walking backwards. "See you at practice?" He points at Mason, Mason hums in approval and Luke gives me one last look before walking to class alone, leaving us behind.

"What was that?" He asks me, I sigh.

"That was Luke annoying the shit out of me, like always." I inform him.

"What are you talking about? That was like the hottest thing I've ever seen." He chuckles, I glare at him playfully.

"That's because you're gross too." I point out, trudging to class.

He jogs up to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and teasing me more about it.