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...
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"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 ▷|
I can't handle this stupid gala anymore. I can't handle Valen being so close because it's just confusing and scary. I can't handle all the stares I'm getting, because everyone knows I shouldn't be here. My family isn't pretentiously rich like all the pretentiously pretentious pretents here.
Urk.
I manage to find some Dr. Pepper, even though it's in a stupid, pretentious glass cup, and go along side the back wall. I push through the curtains, checking each knob on the tall glass doors that lead outside. I finally find one unlocked, and I escape the stuffy atmosphere.
It's really not that bad. I'm just mad and dramatic.
But that's okay.
I rest my arms on the balcony ledge. I look up at the stars, finding solace in the utter majesty and beauty they bring the sky. I'm being really unreasonably unfair to Valen. I'm scared. I'm terrified. That doesn't mean I can just ghost him and hide, though. I've got to learn how to handle my feelings. It's unfair to him. I could just explain...
Explain what? That I'm falling in love with him? That's mortifying. Should I just find a way to make the feelings leave? Maybe explaining would embarrass the feelings out of me.
I hear a soft clack and turn my head around. A tall, large dude's light eyes meet mine.
"Oh, sorry," He clears his throat. "Didn't know anyone would be out here."
He leans against the balcony beside me, still a good distance away from me. "I'm Darnell."
"Nice to meet you," I murmur. "I'm Nicolina."
It's quiet for a moment, so I speak up. "Um, sorry, I'm not great at conversations. I'm not, um, I'm not part of the high society group here. Just a date."
Darnell laughs under his breath. "Me, too. You'd think these people never seen a mixed dude, though. Got some passive aggressive comments, so I came outside. Who'd you come with?"
"Valen Henford," I supply, feeling more at ease. "What about you?"
"Magnolia Croft. She, uh. We met through some of my friends at that private school she goes to. She's—I think she has feelings for this one dude here, and she left me at the mercy of these people. Why did you come out here? Hiding from Valen Henford?"
