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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"Be weird. Be random. Be who you are. Because you never know who would love the person you hide" (C.S. Lewis).
|◁ II ▷|
A loud shout and the slamming of a door rips me out of the best sleep of my life. I groan as the lights go on, and I snuggle closer to the warm body next to me.
I groan again as the yelling continues, and I open my bleary eyes and slightly remove my head from Nico's neck. I yawn, blinking against the light in the room.
I ignore the yelling as Nico's eyes blink open, her nose scrunching cutely. She yawns, and my sleep-addled mind coos at the adorable sight.
"Get out of that bed right now, Nicolina Vaughan!" the angry voice continues to shout.
I pull away from Nico, and my eyes widen when I see a very angry West standing beside the bed, still yelling. Nico laughs beside me, and she gently kisses my cheek before she untangles our legs and moves to get up, making West yell louder.
West quiets as Nico walks over to him, and they talk in hushed tones as I leave for the bathroom to give them some privacy. I take my shower and pull my clothes on. I brush my teeth and get some deodorant on. With a quick thought to tonight that sends my nerves into a frenzy, I spray some cologne on my neck and fluff up my hair.
I open the door slowly when I finish, but West and Nico aren't talking anymore. West is standing with his arms crossed, looking down at the ground with a contemplative expression. Nico is wearing her usual smile, but somehow it seems brighter today.
Nico goes into my bathroom a second later, her hand patting my arm as she passes, which shoots my nerves up.
Tonight is the night.
Tonight is the night I confess.
West stares at me for a second, his green eyes dark with deep thought.
Do I... Do I need to tell West my plan? It's not like I need his permission, and she might not even want me to be her boyfriend. Maybe it would raise West's respect for me, though, and maybe, if Nico says yes tonight, he'll welcome me as a friend instead of stare at me like an enemy.
"Be careful with my sister," West grumbles, staring up at me as I walk closer. "Or you'll regret it. Just because I'm a Christian now doesn't mean you can just—just walk all over her and I'll sit here. This is not a warning. This is a threat. You make one wrong move, and she has an army of friends at your door, courtesy of me."
I blink. "Uh, okay. I know you might not believe me after—after what went down with Hunter, but your sister means the world to me. She's... she's everything good in my life. Nico will never have to worry about me. I'll be careful and gentle with her. I'll keep her safe. I promise."
