CHAPTER ONE:

↳ HIGH SCHOOL SUCKS

RIN SANO LOVED SUMMER. She did like the part of no responsibility but staying at home with her parents and working for them was the worst. So, when she heard that there was a party that night, she decided it was time for her to have some fun.

She walked to the party as it was nearby to where she lived, smiling as she saw a pair of boys walking up as well.

"Zach!" She yelled out and the boy turned, surprised to see the short girl there.

"Rin?" He asked, his eyes wandering up and down her figure in a small dress. "You? At a party?"

She rolled her eyes as she shoved his shoulder. "Shut up," she whined and he laughed, pushing her.

She screamed as she went down on the wet grass, sprinklers hitting her directly in the face.

"Zach!"

"Shit!" Zach yelled as the water hit him directly in the face. A body fell down beside her with an 'omph!' and she laughed as Zach wrestled with Justin Foley, his best friend.

"Watch it!" Justin told his friend and the three laughed as Zach pulled him down to the ground.

"No..." Justin grunted as Zach got on top of him. He laughed victoriously before Justin smacked him in the face.

"Ah!" Zach yelped, "I can't see!" "Not the mane!"

Rin rolled her eyes, getting herself out of range of the sprinklers and noticed the audience on the porch.

"Okay, yeah, he's kind of dumb. But he's the sweet kind of dumb, which is the best." Kat stated and Rin knew who she was talking about. Justin definitely wasn't sweet, Zach was.

Rin frowned, stepping up onto the porch, hand on hip. "Yeah, and he's mine." She told Kat and Clay, her eyes narrowed onto the new girl.

"That's Rin, the girl I told you about." Kat told her friend and Rin narrowed her eyes, never liking the blonde girl. Kat clapped her hands together, trying to get the two jocks to settle.

"Yes, Liberty High's star athletes, ladies and gentlemen."

Both stopped messing around and Rin laughed as Zach slicked his long, wet hair back.

"So impressive," Kat continued. "Sorry, boys. Can't have you in Hannah's house soaking wet."

"Seriously?" Justin asked, raising his hands in question.

"Oh my God, look at you." In return, Justin took his shirt off, staring back at his girl smugly. "Better?" Rin let her eyes run over the length of his body but froze at the glare Zach sent her. She smiled sheepishly, inching closer to Zach.

"Improvement, for sure, but sorry, it's still a no-go."

"C'mon, it's not a party without us." Zach exclaimed, turning to Rin, hoping she would help argue– she didn't.

"Your loss, milady." Justin called out to his girl, he knew that he got on her nerve and he liked it.

"Idiots! I can't even–" Kat exclaimed as she walked away and Rin rolled her eyes, glad to see the queen bee leave.

"Wanna go to Bryce's and smoke some pot?" Justin asked the other two.

"Sorry," Rin answered quickly, shivering. "I should go home–"

"Party pooper," Justin teased her. "What about you, dude?"

"Nah," Zach scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed. "I'm gonna walk her home." Justin rolled his eyes but walked away without a word. Minutes flew passed as they walked out of the neighborhood and closer to where Rin lived.

"Why did you want to go?" Zach asked her, shoving his hands into his pockets as they both began to leave.

Rin sighed, running a hand through her tangled, wet hair. "I don't know, Zach. After last year, I-I just needed to move on. I needed something to help me forget what happened."

"Hey," he tugged gently on her hand and she frowned at the action. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be comforted by Zach because if he did, she might cry.

"I know you miss him." He pulled her into a tight hug, noticing her pink lips trembling and her dark eyes watering. He soothingly rubbed her back with small circles and she let him hold her, her small hands clutching onto his wet shirt.

"I never got to say goodbye."

º º º

RIN WASN'T GOING TO LIE. She knew she was a well liked individual at Liberty High, even though she was just a sophomore. The key to her success, however, was to not give a fuck.

She hid her feelings well and put on this persona of perfection. Rin had been raised in a household that held her to the highest standard. She got perfect grades, got along with anyone, and didn't complain. That was the partial truth. She had grown up to easily mask her feelings because feelings would be her weakness. Especially after she lost him.

She walked through the school corridor, an hour before classes would commence. The young girl liked being one of the first students on campus after her morning run and watch the halls fill up. Today she sat on the floor beside her locker, wanting to finish the assignment that was due.

Her short hair fell into her face and Rin's nose crinkled in annoyance, shaking her head to get her hair out of her line of vision. She focused back on her book, ignoring the footsteps that were slowly approaching her.

A throat cleared and Rin looked up, sighing in annoyance at the tall jock before her.

"Zach." She stated, folding her arms over her textbook.

"Good morning, Rin." Zach replied cheerfully, staring down at the girl he liked, his eye lingering on the blue beret on her head. "Aren't you going to practice today?"

"No," she replied. Rin was a track star at their school and every morning she would run a mile or two, but today was different. She wanted to read and complete her assignment.

"Why not?" Zach's figure plopped down beside her and he sent her a cheeky grin at her disgruntled huff as he leaned up against her.

"Because I had a late night," she replied sharply, tugging on her beret. She was getting annoyed with his questioning.

Her relationship with Zach Dempsey was interesting. It wasn't technically more than a friendship but it was. It was something without a label. Both were just too afraid to admit it.

"You mean because of our talk?" Zach asked her, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yeah, because of that." She told him sharply.

Zach sighed, grabbing onto her hand, reveling in how small it was– yet fit perfectly with his. "Hey, it's okay, Rin. It's okay to be sad."

Rin frowned, ripping her hand from his warm one. "No, no it's not.

º º º