Chapter 1

Freya’s P.O.V

I stared at my reflection in horror; at the fresh bruise on my left cheek; watching the skin swell…the dark bruise standing out like a sore thumb. But the instant I touched my finger to the contusion, I yelped in pain, gripping the counter with my fingers so tightly that they turned white.

My lips trembled; tears welled in my eyes as a scream caught in my throat, begging for an escape. But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even scream; I couldn’t even cry.

‘I couldn’t let him know…’ I thought to myself. ‘I couldn’t scare him!’

Breathing through my mouth in short bursts, I tried to will the tears away. I had to be strong, not for myself, but for him. I was the only one he had and if he saw me like this, as the broken shell of the person I used to be…No! I couldn’t let that happen.

But avoiding the bruise wasn’t an option. I had to make the swelling go away, before he woke up.

So I balled up a few pieces of paper towels and placed the lump inside my mouth. The texture of the paper dried out the moisture inside my mouth immediately, making me want to gag, but I didn’t give it time. I took the ice pack and placed it against my cheek immediately.

This time, my scream of pain was muffled by the paper towels and I instantly forgot the dryness. Trembling, I leaned my back against the bathroom door, closing my eyes shut tightly as I worked through the agony.

“You little whore!” My father’s voice again sounded in my ears like a carnival drum, loud and grating as he held an empty bottle of whisky in his hands, ready to strike. “Where is the money? I know you work at that stupid restaurant! Give me the money!”

Trembling in fear, I had told him that I didn’t have any, and I hadn’t been lying. I didn’t have the money he was looking for; the money I had earned after gruelling hours of hard work. But that hadn’t stopped him from rudely searching my pockets; from going into my room to look under the mattress, not caring about invading my privacy.

He had found it there, a total of thirty five dollars that I had gotten as tip from the restaurant after hours of standing on my feet. I had it hidden away inside the mattress cover, but it had fallen out when he had thrown everything on the floor.

“You fucking liar!”I hadn’t seen the bottle coming down on me, as I had shut my eyes tightly, fear making me freeze in place. But I had felt the impact of the glass on my cheek; heard it shatter on contact. But all I could do, as my mind went numb from the pain and black spots danced in front of my vision, was hope that it would’ve been the end of the torture…at least for tonight.

And thankfully, it had been.

My father, had thrown the half broken bottle on the floor next to me, making me flinch away; and then he had strode out of the house, not even bothering to close the door behind him as he took my week’s worth of savings with him.

Scrambling to my feet, I paused for a second as the whole world spun in front of my eyes. And then I rushed to the front door, tripping over my own feet before reaching the door, shutting it tight and locking it securely. Our neighbourhood wasn’t ideal. It was located at the edge of the woods and was filled with people who would love to get their hands on a seventeen year old virgin. However, nowadays it felt like danger lived inside the house itself.

I miss mom…I would give anything to have her back! I wish she had taken me with her when she died…

There was once a time when I wasn’t this afraid to live inside my own house. Back when my mother had been alive; back when my dad used to be a wonderful person who had taught me to dance on his feet in the living room and had cooked lunch for me and my mom on Sundays or taken us out to the Amusement Park. But that felt like ages ago. Mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, right after she found out she was pregnant with my little brother. And everything changed overnight.

Her treatment cost my dad a fortune and he ended up in thousands of dollars in debt. But in the end, nothing had been able to save my mother. She died six years ago, and my once joyful father became a complete stranger overnight. He started gambling to pay off his debt; lost his job and became even more addicted to alcohol and gambling.

Now, he has nothing but a pile of addictions to deal with and debt collectors knocking at our door every other day. But he rarely comes home anymore, and even if he does, he comes for money. And if he doesn’t get any money, then he takes all his frustration out on me, leaving me wishing for death every time.

Why doesn’t he just end it? Why not just end me and be done with it?

For hundreds of times, I had thought about commit suicide to shut this damn miserable life. But I couldn't make it... the only reason I endured everything, the only reason I stop myself from ending my life once and for all… is because of my little brother, my only ray of hope in this hell hole.

Julian is only five years old and twelve years younger than me but he is the dearest person in the world to me. We only have each other and that was the reason why I was holding on to my sanity with sheer strength of will.

I knew that the time would come one day when I would have crossed all my limits or my father would go a step too far… but before that, I needed to make sure Julian was old enough to fend for himself. He would have to learn to defend himself from our father’s wrath, because I wouldn’t be here to take the blow for him anymore.

How long would it take? I'm not sure. But hopely, mom will pick me up then.

Hey guys! I hope you like my new story! If you do, please drop me a comment.

And a trigger warning will be in place as the first half of the story will contain bullying and other such content. But do not worry, the bullying will not be too severe. As a person who had been bullied pretty badly from kindergarten to high school, I did not want to go to extremes just for the sake of a story, it just felt wrong. But, there will definitely be difficulties in Freya's life, so I hope you are aware of what comes as you read further. So a trigger warning is now in place.

Hope you enjoy the story! Stay safe and happy reading! Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Freya’s P.O.V

Now, I opened my eyes slowly, letting the unshed tears roll down my cheeks before I turned back to the mirror once again, to access the damage to my face. Nothing was broken, that much I was sure about, but the bruise was going to darken even further until it was a blue-black spot that stood out even in the dark. I had to make sure to hide it.

My skin looked as pale as a ghost, which made my blue eyes seem haunting. They seemed too big for my face. Combined with my hollow looking cheekbones, I pretty much looked like a walking-talking horror movie. My bangs covered most of my forehead, reaching past my brows and stopping just above my eyes. I knew I was no looker, but as the days went by, I had started to look even worse.

My ink black hair had once reached up to my waist in long delicate curls, back when my mother had still been alive. But now, I’ve had cut them short to my ears to save myself so much unwanted trouble. Because long hair was easier to grip, easier to pull and they hurt like hell when uprooted in chunks.

But it didn’t matter how awful I looked; it wasn’t like anyone would ever notice me. And neither did I want anyone to notice. I was a loner, a mere shadow at the back of the class; the one everyone was disgusted to even talk to. And I had no intention of changing that. I had no intention of coming into the limelight…ever.

Taking in a deep breath, I grabbed a concealer from the bathroom counter and put it on my face concealing the dark red bruise that I received last night and the tiny blue ones that I didn’t even keep count of. I then brushed my hair back and came out of the bathroom to dress in a faded green hoodie over a crème coloured shirt with blue jeans that had nearly turned white from overuse. Walking downstairs on silent feet, I instinctively pulling the hood over my head so no one could grab my hair…before remembering that my father had already left the house.

Taking off the hood when I reached the living area, I found the mess my father had left on the couch and three empty bottles of whiskey on the coffee table. So I began cleaning the place before Julian could come downstairs. Even when I had been ready to faint from the pain last night, I had managed to clear out the broken shards of glass so that Julian wouldn’t step on any pieces accidentally when he came to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Once I was done with cleaning, I began frying up two eggs and toasted a slice of bread on the same pan so Julian could eat breakfast. I had one egg and a slice of bread while I was preparing Julian’s meal. It was all that was left inside the fridge. Fortunately, meals were one thing I didn’t have to worry about much, because the restaurant where I worked was kind enough to provide me leftovers. Even though the rice sometimes turned out stale or the food sometimes had this smell…it was still edible. It was enough to fill our tummies for one meal.

“Is breakfast ready yet?” Julian asked as he came out of his room, his voice quiet. He was probably worried that our father was still inside the house, passed out on the couch.

“Yes!” I called back, wincing as my cheek stung, while putting his breakfast on to his plate and also getting the last of the orange juice out of the fridge. I checked to see if it was expired or not, and sighed in relief when I found it still fit for drinking.

“Did dad come home last night?” he asked quietly as he sat at the table, his big blue eyes sad yet curious.

I only nodded my head as I he ate silently, while I prepared his bag for school. I brought down my own bag and took out my wallet to see what was inside. My heart sank as I saw the two five dollar bills and a few changes I had left. But I tried my best to reassure myself. I might get a good tip at work today…right? Some kind man or woman might give me a good enough tip if I tried my best. Even another five would be enough! And then, I’ll get my payment the day after tomorrow.

My job didn’t pay much, but it was enough so that we could have daily meals on our table and it also helped me pay for my school. Julian’s Kindergarten was a free Public School, so that was a big sigh of relief as well.

“Here you go.” I handed Julian a five dollar bill. “Get something nice for lunch, okay? But remember to save up for today and tomorrow.”

Julian took the money with a smile and went to put his dishes in the sink while I tidied up the table. With that, I headed towards the door with my bag swung over my shoulder. Julian was already out of the door waiting for me to catch up.

Sighing, I locked the door and headed to school; pushing my way through another gruelling day. Julian’s Kindergarten and my school were only 5 minutes apart so it was another advantage. It also meant that I could keep an eye on him if needed.

“See you later, sis! Oh! And I’ll be a little late; Ms. Lindsay said that she’ll show us a movie with talking fishes in it.” Julian said with wonder as he described Finding Nemo and I felt horrible for not being able to show him movies and cartoons that a kid his age should be watching. I could barely manage food and other supplies for our home with the income I made so paying for a TV was out of the question. Julian might be the only kid in class today who hasn’t watched Finding Nemo yet.

“Alright!” I waved him goodbye with a kiss to his forehead and waited to see him enter the school building before I continued on to my school, Belfast Public High.

As I neared the gate, I saw people talking and laughing merrily in their own little groups that you can easily find in any high school. I didn’t belong to any of these group and neither did I have any friends. I was a loner, the person everyone hated and stayed away from. So it’s not like I have people lining up to be my friends in the first place.

“Move freak! You’re blocking our way.”

I balled my hands into fists as that annoying voice came from behind me. The voice of the person who has made my high school life a living Hell. The school’s most beloved bad boy and player.

Cameron MacGyver.

Chapter 3

Freya’s P.O.V

I moved out of the way hastily as the red and black jeep sped past me through the open gates and headed straight for the parking lot. It was followed by another sleek black car that left a gust of smoke in the air, making me choke on the fumes.

Derek Roland and Alexander Cabot were the first to step out of the jeep. They were Cameron’s best friends and some of the hottest boys in school. Derek with his jet black hair and grey eyes and Alexander, Alex, with his brunette hair and green eyes that were usually behind gold rimmed glasses.

And the next person to step out was Cameron MacGyver himself. The boy with the sandy blonde hair and electric blue eyes that had the entire school mesmerized.

All three boys were not only good looking with the perfect athletic body, but they were also great at studies as well as good athletes. They were the elite students of our tiny school, the boys who made the entire town proud.

And then there were the cheerleaders. Cindy Stewart, Laura Winsor and Trisha Smith, the trio who were always hanging around the two boys. It was difficult to say who was dating who but the three girls have been involved with both Derek and Alex at different times. But while Derek was a known flirt, Alex was the more reserved type who people didn’t want to get near easily because of his ‘stuck-up’ vibe. In general, Alex hardly spoke and was positioned as the soccer team goal-keeper, while Derek was the quarterback.

Cameron on the other hand, was the captain of the soccer team. And even though the whole school loved to gossip about who he was dating, it wasn’t much of a question for speculation. Because there was only one girl who was allowed to ride in his car and that girl, was none other than Sarah Parker, the captain of the cheerleading squad and the most beautiful girl in our school.

As I watched the group from afar, much like everyone else in the parking lot, Cameron moved around the car to the passenger’s side and held the door open for Sarah as she stepped out in a pink cardigan over a white top and light blue jeans. The color of her cardigan matched the pink highlights in her long blonde hair that reached her mid back. I watched Cameron extend his hand for her, which Sarah took gracefully while stepping out.

I don’t know why but the gesture made my chest tighten just a little bit, especially as Sarah smiled up at Cameron, her face radiant as they gazed at each other.

Frowning at the ridiculous tightness inside my chest, I decided to go inside the building first because the entire school seemed to have stopped what they were doing to watch the popular kids get off of their high horses. Honestly, it was the same scene every morning. Their parents were super rich and their kids were super spoilt. They owned the latest cell phones, the latest cars and the latest fashion. Everyone here wanted to either be friends with them or date one of them, or simply just hated their guts because they got their chance but were rejected.

Me? I wasn’t even on their radar. Because I was the loner girl who wore clothes from the Goodwill donation centre; ate the cheapest breads in the cafeteria and didn’t even own a cell phone. What was the use of a cell phone if I couldn’t even afford money to make calls?

My first class was English, one of the classes which I wasn’t actually terrible at. I shared this class with Alex, who was another topper and sat up front. It was good thing though, because I sat right at the back, away from all the commotion and the fangirling and concentrated on my own work peacefully, as much as I could.

My second class was Biology and that went by smoothly too, without any problems. However, lunch came next and it was the only part about school that I wasn’t a fan of. Lunch time meant that every single student from all classes would be roaming around the hallways and the cafeteria and I would get more than a few snide comments or whispers behind my back.

I didn’t get these people. If they didn’t like me, why couldn’t they just ignore me? Why did they have to make stupid comments that made me question my very existence every single day. I was sick and tired of them, to the point where I had thought about quitting school several times. But if I had to keep feeding myself and Julian, I needed a job and a job with a decent salary would require a high school degree at the very least.

Heading over to the lunch lady, I looked over at the magnificent spread of food that most students always complained about. If I got to eat something like this every day, I would never even think about complaining. But I didn’t have the luxury to enjoy this meal. I was a half-scholarship student, owning to the fact that I hadn’t always been a total failure. But in order to eat lunch at school, I needed to provide money, money that I didn’t have. So I had opted out of school lunches.

Now, I dug around inside my wallet for the changes that I had seen this morning. With a total of one dollar, I handed it to the lunch lady, who gave me a disdainful look before counting every last penny. And then she roughly handed me a slice of sweet bread.

But just as I was about to leave with the bread, I bumped into someone standing right behind me and the bread fell to the floor at my feet. Scrambling to the floor, I picked up the bread and dusted off the outside so it was still edible. Five second rule, right?

“Watch it!” A hiss sounded from above and I stood up to come face to face with Cindy, one of the cheerleaders in Cameron’s group.

Silently, I moved out of her way, not wanting to fight with her for no reason, but it seemed like Cindy was dying for a fight.

“Hey! Stupid bitch!” She yanked me back with a grip on my hoodie. “What’s with that attitude, huh? Apologize to me this instant!”

Before I was forced to do something that wasn’t my fault, a voice stopped her from behind.

“Cindy.”

Cindy looked over instantly, letting go of me as she followed after Alex, the person who had called out to her. Was it just me or had it sounded like there was a warning in his voice. However, I didn’t dwell on the tiny act of kindness and made a dash for the door, so I could go to the courtyard and have my lunch in peace. It was sunny outside, with not many shady trees in sight, which is why I opted to eat outdoors, because I would be left alone here.

And the reason for me deciding to eat alone was also Cameron MacGyver.

I would never forget the first day of high school and my first encounter with the boy who I found incredibly attractive. It had been lunch hour and I had been looking for a seat, but before I could take a seat, someone had tripped me by holding out their leg, making me fall on the ground. That hadn’t been the end of it. While getting knocked down, I had tripped into two other students and the entire contents of their lunch had fallen onto my head the next instant, making me a laughing stock for the entire cafeteria.

It was then that I had seen Cameron and Derek high-five each other as they had laughed their asses off. Since then, I never eat inside the cafeteria.

But that incident had just been the start of my misery. He and his group liked to make fun of those who were weak and defenceless and then their ‘followers’ would do the same just to please them. In fact, I think even the team had no idea how devastating one single, careless gesture from them could do to ruin someone’s life.

Cameron didn’t even know I existed, but since he insulted me a couple times, in the hallway or in a class that I shared with him, his wannabe buddies kept that taunt alive even months after the incident happened. A single even had started a never- ending chain reaction.

Sometimes I wonder if I was in my right mind. How could I find Cameron attractive after all the humiliation he put me through?

I wish I could get the answer one day.

Chapter 4

Freya’s P.O.V

“Freya,” the math teacher, Mr. Agnes, called out to me in his usual strict voice while handing out our test results from last week. “Come up here.”

The instant he told me to ‘come up here’, I knew that I had failed the test. And even though I could conjure up a thousand different excuses for my failure, the truth was, I had never been good at math or science. I don’t even know why and how I ended up in these classes in the first place. With everything going on in my life, I was pretty sure I was just sleep-walking from one day to the other, just waiting for Julian to grow up so this could all be over.

Pulling my hoodie down lower on my face, I got up from my seat and headed straight for the teacher’s desk. He handed me my paper right away, his expression grim. “You’ll need to complete another assignment if you wish to pass high school, Freya.”

F+

Could’ve been a minus, right? At least it’s a plus.

Without saying anything, I nodded my head, letting him know that I understood, since was cheek had started to hurt when I spoke. But it seemed to have enraged him even further.

“You ungrateful little brat!” He threw the papers on his table at my face, making me flinch back. “I’m trying to help you graduate here, but look at your ridiculous behaviour! You don’t even know how to be grateful!”

Immediately, I lowered my head, trying to find my voice as I fumbled with my words. “I’m sorry-thank you-I-I-”

“Enough!” He snapped back at me. “Pick up the papers and get back to your seat! And stay back after class.”

“Yes, sir.” I lowered myself to the floor, scrambling to pick up the rest of the papers. Once I had all of them neatly lined up, I set aside my own paper and placed the rest on the teacher’s desk before turning back towards my seat.

But just as I was heading to the back of the class, someone placed their leg out at the last moment and caused me to trip and fall face first on the floor; causing the entire class to erupt into laughter.

Pain erupted in my entire body as I tried to pick myself back up. Worst, I think I hurt my knee on something when I fell. The laughter all around me sounded deafening, but it was nothing new. At least I tried to remind myself that as tears welled up in my eyes, both from the pain and the embarrassment.

“What’s the matter, F+?” Cameron’s best friend, Derek’s voice sounded right then, as if he was rejoicing in my suffering. “Need a hand or are you gonna start cleaning the floor while you’re down?”

Oh how badly I wanted to punch the crap out of him! To permanently wipe that smile that taunted me even in my dreams. To humiliate him the way he does me. But I couldn't. I'll always be a coward, never strong enough to stand up to him or any other bully. I had enough scars for a lifetime, I didn't need any more. So, timidly I got up from the floor while he and his best friends laughed their asses off, accompanied by their cheerleader groupies.

Reaching my seat, I folded the test paper and put it back inside my bag. There was no point in going through my mistakes anyway, since it was a failed test. Silently, I began taking notes as the teacher wrote down equations on the blackboard.

The bell rang only thirteen minutes later, causing the entire class to sigh in relief. Apparently, a lot of people hated math. But while the others packed up their bags and left, I was stuck in this room for god knows how long, since the teacher had asked me to stay back.

Suddenly, just as the class was almost cleared out, I felt someone’s eyes on me, their gaze intense enough to raise the tiny hair at my nape. Lifting my head just a little, I peaked from under my lashes to find Cameron’s electric blue eyes staring directly at me. I lowered my head instantly.

It was the way he stared at me that had a shiver run down my spine. The intensity of it made me feel like he could see right through to my soul…know all my deepest, darkest secrets. Even though our eyes had met for hardly a fraction of a second, I had felt my heart hammer against my chest, the wretched organ filled with false hope.

Once again, I was struck anew with just how gorgeous he was. Sandy blond hair and blue eyes the same colour as that of the ocean surrounding us; with a face sculpted by an expert Greek sculptor. He was the soccer team Captain, so it was obvious that he worked out, but I often kept wondering how a seventeen year old could have that kind of a figure when guys twice his age would have to work countless hours at the gym to get half the number of abs he had.

And no, I wasn’t a stalker who liked to peak in through his bathroom. The entire soccer team liked to do stretches in the field quite often…without their shirts on and I, along with the rest of the school, happened to have glimpsed them in their shirtless glory.

In fact, all of Cameron’s friends were the sexy, hunky, kind. And the girls who hung out with them were pretty enough to be models. They also happened to live in the same neighbourhood…a neighbourhood filled with blessed genetics.

That why I could never even dream about standing next to him. I wasn’t worthy.

“Cameron?” Mr. Agnes called out, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Do you have something to say?”

“Yes, sir.” He spoke in his usual husky-rough voice that always made my skin tingle. “I wanted to ask about this question that you marked wrong.”

“Alright, bring it up here.”

Great! The guy was a literal genius. Didn’t he just get an A in his test? I was sure he was now going to get an A+.

I shook my head as Cameron reached the teacher’s desk. Why was I even bothered with how much he got on this test or what that single second’s worth of eye contact even meant?

He was on a completely different level than me. There was no reason for me to even imagine a comparison between the two of us. Yes, I may or may not have had a crush on his handsome face, but who doesn’t? The entire school had a crush on Cameron MacGyver! But that didn’t mean I was going to act on that crush and make a fool of myself!

Besides, Cameron hated my guts too, just like everyone else in this school. Not that we had many students to begin with; Belfast County was a pretty small area. But that was what made my life even worse. Everybody knew me, the girl without a mother and a gambler dad who was never present, The Pitiful Loser.

As Cameron and Mr. Agnes were engaging in their conversation over the exam papers, I tidied up my table and put my books back inside my bag before heading to the teacher’s desk. I stayed behind so as not to interfere with their work. Not long after, Cameron took the papers back with a ‘thank you’ and went out the door without a backward glance.

See? How could it be possible that the clown would stand beside the shining prince?

It will never happen.

Chapter 5

Freya’s P.O.V

I hadn’t expected him to wait for me, or even bother to look back even once. Then why…why did it feel like a betrayal when he left the room suddenly, like the mere thought of being around me was like poison to him?

Was I over-thinking? Did the searing look he gave me a few minutes ago all part of my imagination? What was wrong with me today?

“Freya.”

Upon hearing my name, I came forward to greet the teacher.

Mr. Agnes brought out a stack of papers and placed them on the desk. “Here you go. Complete these papers by the end of this month and I’ll consider giving you a better score. Remember, the lesser the mistakes, the higher you score.”

“Yes, Mr. Agnes.” I bowed my head out of gratitude, thankful that he was at least trying to help me pass high school.

I reached out to take the papers, but before I could remove my hand, Mr. Agnes reached out to place his hands on top of mine. My entire body froze in shock as my eyes widened. W-what was going on? I looked up into Mr. Agnes’s eyes to find a shrewd expression on his face as he looked back at me. I didn’t like it…that look. It held a deeper meaning that I didn’t even want to comprehend.

“Remember to be grateful, Freya…” Mr. Agnes’s voice changed almost completely as he spoke to me now. “Remember how hard I’m trying to help you pass…so try harder too…okay?”

A shiver of horror ran down my spine as he pronounced ‘harder’ in a not-so-pleasant manner.

“Y-yes…” I swallowed past the lump forming in my throat, taking a hasty step back so that he was forced to let go of my hand. Clutching the papers to my chest, I gave Mr. Agnes another nod, with a stuttered out ‘thank you’ and all but ran out of class.

Heading straight to the locker room, I placed the papers and my bag inside my locker and headed straight to the washroom. Once I’d checked that all the stalls were empty, only then I let myself break down a little.

Letting out a shuddering breath, I let the tears fall as my entire body shook vigorously from the shock. I gave myself the permission to whimper as the scene from the classroom played over and over again inside my head. Having my classmates humiliate me was an everyday occurrence for me. But a teacher? This was the first time something like this had happened to me…and it was like my worst nightmare coming true in front of my very eyes.

After a few minutes had passed and I had calmed myself down enough to finally be able to function normally again, without shaking like a leaf, I took off my hood to check on the swelling on my cheeks. Thankfully, it was now back to normal, so I wouldn’t be frowned upon when I went to serve at the restaurant this afternoon.

I splashed some water on my face and hands and wiped them down with some tissues carefully, so as not to agitate the wounded area. Then I took out my concealer from the pocket of my jeans and reapplied on the dark red bruise that was now turning blue around the edges. Just as I was done applying, I heard the bathroom door open and two of the cheerleaders walk in. Immediately, I put up the hood and stored away the concealer.

“Yeah, it’s weird too, don’t you think?” Trisha, the girl with brunette hair and wide hazel eyes was laughing with her friend, Cindy. “But hasn’t Cameron always been like that?”

Oh lord! More fangirling over Cameron. Rolling my eyes, I entered one of the stalls to take care of business. But I still kept an ear out to their conversation.

“I mean…yeah, but he’s almost eighteen, you know.” Cindy replied with a giggle, as if they hadn’t even noticed me. “So it’s only natural that he starts to notice everyone around him.”

“Eeeepp!” Trisha made a weird sound and I could almost imagine her bouncing up and down in excitement. “Who do you think it’ll be? Damn, I want it to be me, so badly! But I think it’ll be Sarah!”

“Yeah…I think so too.” Cindy’s voice sounded upset…almost sad. “They just fit each other, right?”

“Sadly, yes.” Trisha’s voice began to fade as they began to walk out of the bathroom. “But still…let’s not…”

The door slammed shut, cutting off the rest of their gossip as I flushed the toilet and came out of the stall, trying to figure out exactly what their conversation had meant.

Cameron was turning eighteen soon, that much was clear, but what did they mean by he was starting to notice everyone around him? And wasn’t Sarah, the head cheerleader, already Cameron’s rumoured girlfriend? I mean…they literally went everywhere together and they even had the same classes.

But the most startling fact among all was…why did I suddenly feel so upset upon hearing the two cheerleaders talk about him and Sarah?