Breaking Boundaries (unordinary love story)

Chapter 1: A Perfect Storm

I was at my desk doodling in my sketchbook before school started. Cartoons, to be precise. I loved cartoons and comics. As a kid, I was absorbed into the world of cartoons.

The bell rang, and students came pouring in loudly. Someone bumped into my elbow on the way past, my pen drawing an ugly line across my doodle. I looked up to see Rick.

"Whoops," he deadpanned, smirking. Obviously he had done that on purpose.

I sighed as he walked away and left me with my ruined cartoon. I was about to tear out the page when someone suddenly swiped it off my desk.

"It...looked really good until Rick ruined it," said Miranda Parker, who goes by Rand.

"Really? Thanks," I replied, surprised she was even being nice. She and Rick loved tormenting me. Ever since they became a couple, it has been worse. Occasionally, their friends Phoebe and Zach would join in as well. Phoebe and Zach were currently dating and the second hottest couple in Northbrook High - second to Rand and Rick, of course.

She sneered at me. "Just kidding. I would have hurled on it just looking at it." She threw it back down on my desk and tossed her hair in my face.

I bit down on my lip and swallowed. Whatever. Those two may have always hated me, but I wasn't going to let them bother me.

Rick was a football jock. He had a square face and shaggy brown hair. The bridge of his nose was sharp, leading straight to his thick, knitted eyebrows. He looked like he had a smirk glued to his face, because he would smirk so naturally.

Rand had blonde hair that hung way over her shoulders. Her long eyelashes brought her mascara to life when she batted them. She also had high cheekbones that curved downward, which somehow made her look pretty. Her tan complimented her eyes, which were crystal blue and pierced into my soul.

Rick and Rand cornered me at my locker after first period ended. I had tried to avoid them in the hall, but they were already there before I was.

"Nerd alert," said Rand.

Several people laughed, and I felt my cheeks burn.

"How you doing, onion head?" sneered Rand.

"Fine," I answered simply.

She calls me onion head because I used to tuck my hair into a short high ponytail in middle school, which she thought made me look like an onion. I hate that nickname, and it stuck till today.

Whenever Rand and Rick were together, I would be intimidated. They were worse as a pair. I tried to get my hands to stop shaking, but my heart was still pounding because I really did not like them. They acted like they owned everyone.

"Oh really," said Rick, stepping toward me. He grabbed my shirt and slammed me straight into the locker. "Still feeling fine?"

I could not reply because my heart was stuck in my throat. I really wanted them to buzz off, but at the same time I didn't want them to think they bothered me.

"Go pick on someone your own size, Rick," said my brother Max, who showed up out of nowhere.

"Oh, it looks like Misty needs her brother to help fight her battles," said Rand.

"Leave my sister alone." Max grabbed Rick's arm and stared him in the eye.

"Ohhh, I'm so scared," deadpanned Rick. "Soooo scared."

"If you're going to blow me, then come at me," said Max. "But I'll make sure to hurt you enough so that you'll never be able to play football again. Would you want that?"