The Love Experiment

Chapter One

Rosalie Kingston sat at her usual spot in the back of the class, her gaze fixed on her notebook as she absentmindedly scribbled down notes. The teacher's words became a muted hum in the background as her mind wandered to a familiar topic - love, or the lack thereof.

She had been through one too many heartbreaks, endured countless disappointments, and seen love crumble into nothing more than empty promises. Rosalie had given up on the idea of finding true happiness with someone. Love had become a foreign concept, an elusive dream that only brought pain and heartache.

Her pessimism had led her to close herself off, building a wall around her heart that seemed impenetrable. Rosalie had become a cynic, with a firm belief that romance was nothing more than a fairytale sold to the hopeless.

As the lecture ended, Rosalie gathered her belongings, preparing to flee the crowded hall. With her head lowered, she weaved through the sea of students, avoiding eye contact and any potential encounters that might disrupt her carefully constructed bubble of solitude.

But fate had different plans for Rosalie that day. As she made her way toward her locker, a voice called out to her from behind.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Rosalie turned reluctantly, her eyes narrowing at the sight of a tall figure jogging towards her. August Giffin. The name alone made her cringe. August was her new lab partner, an unfortunate fate that had been bestowed upon her at the beginning of the semester.

August was everything Rosalie despised in a person - obnoxious, and infuriatingly cocky. He seemed to relish pushing her buttons, constantly challenging her with his snarky remarks and condescending attitude.

"What do you want, August?" she demanded, her voice laced with irritation as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I need your notes from today's lecture," he replied, holding out his hand expectantly.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, reaching into her bag and pulling out her notebook. She handed it over to him, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

"Make sure to return it," she muttered, regretting the decision to provide him any assistance.

August smirked, his green eyes twinkling mischievously. "Of course, cupcake. I wouldn't wanna keep something that belongs to you."

Rosalie clenched her teeth, her patience wearing thin. "Just give it back to me next time we have lab, alright?"

August nodded, tucking the notebook into his backpack. "Sure thing, Kingston."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Rosalie seething with frustration. She couldn't understand why someone like August seemed determined to make her life miserable. It was as if he took pleasure in irritating her, bringing out the worst in her.

With a sigh, Rosalie made her way toward her locker and stowed her heavy lab textbook inside. Angelina, her childhood best friend, was the only person who truly understood her, including all the details of her messy breakups that left her in tears.

They had plans to meet at a vintage diner, so Rosalie swung her backpack onto her shoulders and hurriedly left school. Normally, she would have walked since it was close to her house, but the diner was a bit farther, so she decided to take her car.

Once inside her car, she started the engine and drove towards the diner. Angelina attended the same school, but she decided to skip today because she didn't feel like going on a Friday. However, Rosalie had convinced her to meet up, so she kept her promise. Rosalie parked her car when she arrived at the diner and stepped out.

As she entered, the bell above the door chimed, announcing the arrival of a new customer. With each step further into the diner, Rosalie felt a comforting warmth. She spotted her best friend sitting alone at the back, away from the crowd.

"Hi Angie," Rosalie greeted, sliding into the booth across from her.

"Hi Rose, how was school?" Angie asked.

"It was alright until chemistry class," Rosalie replied.

"Why?" Angie raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Because I ended up with August Griffin as my lab partner," she said, annoyed.

"He can't be that bad," Angie reassured.

"Oh, trust me, he always manages to annoy me," Rosalie stated, crossing her arms and slouching.

"Anyway, enough about school. What are we doing this weekend?" Rosalie straightened up, shifting the conversation.

"To be honest, I have no idea," Angie said, looking out the window.

"Uh oh," Angie exclaimed, a hint of shock in her voice.

"Why uh oh?" Rosalie questioned.

"August is here," Angie responded, pointing outside.

Rosalie followed Angelina's gaze and saw August entering the diner. As she turned around, their eyes met, and Rosalie mentally scolded herself for unintentionally looking his way. August wore a mischievous smile as he made his way toward their booth.

"Hey little red," August said, sliding into the booth beside Rosalie.

"Why do you insist on calling me that?" she asked, irritated.

"Because you're shorter than me and you have ginger hair," he explained.

"Well, I hate it," she mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Would you prefer if I called you cupcake?" he suggested with a smirk.

"Actually, I'd rather you call me Rosalie," she said firmly.

"Fine, if you want to suck the fun out of a nickname," he shrugged, putting his hands up in defense.

"Anyways, here's your notebook back," he said, passing her notebook to her.

"Thank you," she said, a small smile forming.

"Well, I'm going to go. See you soon, cupcake," August said with a smirk before getting up and leaving.

"He totally likes you," Angelina stated once he was gone.

"What? No, he doesn't," Rosalie protested.

"Yes, he does," Angelina replied, giving her a knowing look.

"You're crazy," Rosalie dismissed.

"You're just blind," Angelina stated.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, refusing to entertain the idea that August could potentially have any romantic interest in her. She had been burned too many times before, and she had no intentions of getting her hopes up again, especially not for someone like August.

"He's just being his usual annoying self," Rosalie retorted defensively. "There's no way he could actually like me."

Angelina simply shrugged, unconvinced by her friend's denial. "Well, time will tell, won't it?"

Rosalie sighed, knowing that Angelina wouldn't drop the topic easily. She changed the subject, steering the conversation towards their plans for the weekend, hoping to steer clear of any further discussion about August.

As they sat in the diner, sipping on their milkshakes and catching up on the latest gossip, August's presence lingered in the back of Rosalie's mind. She couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to what her best friend had suggested. But she quickly dismissed the thought, unwilling to let herself be swept up in another spiral of unrequited feelings.