Nico Vaughan, the junior class "Nice Girl" wants to be free from her abusive and obsessive ex-boyfriend.
Valen Henford, the school's resident "Rich Guy meets Bad Boy" wants to spend his senior year with the girl he's been in love with for years.
W...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"it's hard to turn the page when you know someone won't be in the next chapter but the story must go on" (Thomas Wilder).
|◁ II ▷|
Valen's bag plops down beside mine Friday morning in PreCal, and he sighs, stressing, "Football tryouts are today."
"Dude, I can feel you stressin' from here. You'll do great," I guarantee. "Have you seen all those muscles you have? You are very... in shape. It's very nice."
His anxious expression morphs into a smirking one. "Oh, now, am I your new eye candy?"
I smile and reach over to smack his arm. "Yes."
His head leans back in a laugh. "I did not expect you to admit it."
I shrug. "What can I say? I die over some good muscles."
Especially back muscles. Yum. I wonder what Valen's back muscles look like without a shirt on.
"Um, so you know the gala that had to be rescheduled?" Valen says, snapping me out of my inappropriate thoughts.
"Yeah?"
He bites the inside of his cheek for half a second. "It has a date now. It's on a sunday evenin' three weeks from now."
I quickly open my calendar app, making sure I'm free that night. Yep.
"Perfect," I respond, telling him I'm good to go that night.
He smiles, repeating "Perfect" before his eyebrows furrow. "My parents are gonna be there. They were ecstatic that I have a date."
"Nice," I say, not knowing what else to say.
Valen looks at me for a moment. "They're gonna be all over you."
I shake my head. "Oh, that's fine. My mom was all over you a few days ago, so I guess this makes it even."
He lets out a short chuckle. "Yeah. They, um, they need your measurements for the dress?"
Nope. Not happening.
"I'll get my own dress," I confirm. "Tell your parents not to worry."
"You can get your own dress," Valen says, leaning closer to me. Our eyes are locked on each other, and I watch as his pupils expand slightly, making his pretty pond-colored eyes murkier. "But I'm paying, okay?"
