the way SHE likes it.

Chapter 1.

The sun shone bright over a small home on a quiet street. The house was only lived in by a girl and her mother, Avery Delaney. The once peaceful silence that filled the morning was disrupted by a loud blaring alarm that seemed like it got louder by the second. A loud groan came from under the blankets as a tired looking girl sat up taking in her surroundings. "What time is it?" She muttered still not fully awake as she turned the alarm off on her phone. 8am. Not a minute earlier nor a minute later, she was actually awake on time. Before she had time to get out of bed there was knocking on her bedroom door. "I'm awake!" She yelled as she stood up and stretched. "Just making sure plum." Her mother said from the other side of the door. Avery yawned and grabbed her clothes from her drawers before sluggishly throwing them on the bed and dragging herself into the shower.

As the hot water ran through her jet black hair she lay out the lessons she had in her head, music, maths, and her personal favourite, art. She still had to do maths in college as she failed it in school but she was in her third year and she felt as if she was better at it. She rinsed the water out of her hair as she stepped out and wrapped a towel around her body. She did her usual face care as well as brushing her teeth before heading back to her room. Her clothes weren't too abnormal, usually. Her outfit consisted of a black tank top, flared trousers, some scruffed trainers and a gray jacket. She brushed through her hair as the dryer blasted it with hot air, she thought about how weird it was she was legally an adult now. Sure, she'd been 18 for almost 6 months but it still felt odd to her. She brushed through her now dry hair before making her way downstairs and grabbing her keys. College starts at 9 and it's 8:30 so she has time to pick up her friend and maybe grab a coffee.

She arrives at Melissa's house and picks her up, blasting her playlist as she begins driving to starbucks. "Girl we don't have time if we're late again we seriously might get kicked outta college!" The anxious girl yelled over the music as Avery rolled her eyes. "Melissa, would you stop worrying about that? They barely live up to the shit they say and you know that" The smaller brunette girl felt affirmed at her words as she nodded her head in tune with the
music as they pulled into the drive thru. The two placed their drink orders. 8:53. "Thankyou" Melissa chirped as she grabbed the drinks and handed one to Avery as they set course for college. Luckily they made it with a minute to spare as they got in and walked to their first lesson.

"Okay settle down people haha, take your seat and your instrument" They did so. Avery smiled, she liked music. She played the piano and she was semi good at it. However, before she could even start practicing the door was rudely swung open as a smug looking blonde boy strutted in, hands in his pockets and gum in his mouth. Our professor just rolled her eyes and continued checking up on people and their instruments as the cocky boy sat down and blew a bubble. Gum was actually forbidden in music rooms as you could be playing an instrument that includes your mouth. "Chris? Do you mind" The professor asked as she pointed at his gum. The blonde boy considered it for a second before taking it out of his mouth and turning around in his seat. "Sure i'll throw it in the bin" He muttered almost incoherently. Avery shot him a death stare as he stared into her eyes, flicking the gum straight into her hair without a second thought. Melissa stared at her in shock as she eyed at the gum now in her hair, she was sure Avery was about to kill Chris. "Christopher!" The professor screamed as the boy continued to smirk at Avery, not breaking eye contact as he got up and backed out of the room. He knew to leave before even being told too.

"Avery? Are you okay? It's not too jammed in i can get it out." Melissa questioned as the girl sat in a silent fury staring at the blueberry bubble gum now embedded into her freshly clean hair. Without another thought she grabbed her scissors from her bag and cut it out, earning a few odd looks around the room but she didn't care. Melissa wasn't a stranger to this look, she watched her friend throw the clump of gum and hair onto the ground and continue to stare forward. She was going to get Christopher back.

The music class eventually came to an end as the students flooded out to enjoy their 25 minute break. Melissa and Avery walked down the halls but didn't go off campus with the rest of the students and instead made their way to the top floor of the building — the mathematics floor. This is the lesson they had next so why were they here so early? Melissa stood at the door as she watched out for any professors whilst Avery made her way over to where Chris sat every lesson by the window. "What are you going to do?" Melissa questioned, twirling her brown curls nervously as she surveyed the hall for teachers whilst still watching her friend. "Chris never looks before he sits down" She chuckled as she spilt her water bottle over the seat. Melissa gave her a puzzled look. "A little water isn't really going to do anything.." She watched as the raven haired girl grabbed a pot from the teachers desk and emptied a few tacs into her hand before shuffling back and placing him onto his seat. "Ohhh Avery you dog." The girls chuckled as they made their way downstairs and out of the campus to enjoy their break.

Meanwhile Christopher was just coming back in with a few friends, both giving eachover death stares as they walked past eachover. "Dude i can't believe she actually cut her hair" Chris chuckled as he made his way into a break area with his friends. "Bro, she like didn't even say anything she just cut it and threw it" One of his friends said. "She looked freakin' pissed, she's lucky her hair colour hides the fuckin' cut" Another chimed in as the group erupted in laughter. Chris knew how to push her buttons, they'd been back and forth since Grade 7. He remembered perfectly how the rivalry started.

There they were, in a new school with new people ready to start the year. The teacher placed them beside each other and with some small talk the two seemed pretty okay with one   another, they even shared a few jokes. However during the lesson the topic of single mothers came up and without another thought he made a joke about it — a lighthearted one that meant no harm but having a single mother herself Avery wasn't too impressed. She told him that it was rude to say what he did and that we should appreciate mothers for all they are. Having no mother this didn't sit well with him either as he commented how mothers are useless, causing an argument to break out between the two. As stupid and as small the reason was it grew and grew and eventually the two had it out for each over, even in present day.

"Do you think she'll even retaliate?" One of his friends asked, opening a can and taking a large sip. "Eh, we're in the last year of college she knows i've won and that's that" He said confidently. "I mean, the old Avery would've leaped at me. She sat there and took it!" His friends began laughing before the conversation slowly turned to sports. Soon enough break was over and the group of boys split to their separate classes. Chris walked up the stairs with his hands in his pockets, chuckling to himself as he thought of the gum incident as he held his head high feeling pretty good with himself. The blonde boy pushed the door open with his shoulder scanning the room to find Avery and Melissa at the back of the room, chattering away as they usually do. He couldn't wrap his head around it, was she actually unbothered? Or was she just playing the long game? The thoughts pondered in his head as he walked to his seat, his eyes not leaving the girls just incase they were talking about him. He rolled his eyes and got out of his thoughts before sitting down on the seat, his eyes instantly filling with harsh regre as he did so.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!" He shrieked as he jumped up, looking down and seeing the water and tacs. A few students giggled and some girls let out a few "Awhs..." They felt bad for their dreamy boy. The professor rushed over to see the issue as the angered boy turned to Avery who was taking a photo of him holding his butt in pain. "Avery what the actual fuck?!" He yelled as he removed his hands. "Tacs on my seat?! Are you a fucking physco???" She giggled a little but when the professor looked over at her she quickly changed her expression to a puzzled one. "I didn't do this, i would never." The professor removed the tacs and told him to sit on the desk infront as the chair was wet before finally starting her lesson. Chris took the jacket he was wearing and wrapped it around his waist, giving Avery death glares the entire lesson as she gladly returned them.

When the lesson came to an end she and Melissa were quick to leave to avoid an annoying confrontation which would end up in them both being sent home. "Aveeee... He seemed so mad!" Melissa giggled. "Yeah but he was so helpless! It's nice to weaken a boy like that sometimes." The two girls waved to eachover as they spilt ways to their final lessons. Avery loved art, she adored it. She loved painting and sketching as well as listening to music to help her creativity blossom. She sat down and pulled out her sketch she'd been working on the previous lesson before placing her headphones on her ears and playing her playlist. Despite having to cut her hair, today was a good day and it ended in the way she loved ending every day,

With art.