If hell existed—and I’m not entirely convinced it doesn’t—then it would probably look like my Monday morning.
Let’s rewind a bit. So, there I was, doing the stupidest thing possible the night before my first day at a new school: pulling an all-nighter talking to Jackson. Why? Because I missed him like hell and because we got caught up in one of those late-night, deep convos that feels too important to cut off just for the sake of sleep. The last time I checked the clock, it was like, 4 a.m. I figured I’d close my eyes for just a second, you know, take a quick nap before my alarm went off.
Yeah. That didn’t fucking happen.
The next thing I knew, my alarm was screaming at me at 6 a.m., and I was dragging myself out of bed like one of those zombies from The Walking Dead. Except, you know, even they probably had more energy than I did. My head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, my eyes were practically glued shut, and my limbs? Forget it. My legs were moving, but my brain had no idea how or why.
My mom, bless her annoying heart, refused to let me skip the first day of school. Something about making a good impression. Because that was clearly going to happen when I looked like the fucking Grim Reaper.
I gulped down some coffee in the hopes that it would bring me back to life. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. I was still basically dead as I stumbled out the door, squinting at the too-bright sky like it was personally out to get me. My school was only a ten-minute walk away, but I swear I don’t even remember half the trip. I was that out of it. I must’ve looked like I was drunk, weaving all over the sidewalk like I was about to collapse at any second.
When I finally stepped through the doors of my new school, it was like I’d walked straight into a rave. The place was loud—like, high-energy, first-day excitement levels that made me want to punch someone. Everyone was all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and here I was, looking like death warmed over. If someone had told me there was a zombie apocalypse, I would’ve believed them and happily joined the ranks of the undead.
I pushed my way through the hall, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. The last thing I needed was to make an impression as “the guy who collapsed on his first day.” But, of course, life never goes easy on me, and that’s when I met Aiden.
Now, if you’ve never met someone who just radiates pure, innocent energy, let me introduce you to Aiden. Blonde hair, blue eyes, glasses, and a vibe that screamed “puppy energy.” He was shorter than me, but not by much. He looked like the kind of guy you’d see in a rom-com: sweet, probably bakes cookies for his friends, and definitely the type of person you want to protect at all costs.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” he asked the second he saw me, eyes wide behind his glasses like I’d just come back from the dead. Which, to be fair, wasn’t far off from the truth.
“I’m fine,” I lied, rubbing my face. “Just didn’t sleep much.”
He gave me this look, like he didn’t believe me for a second, but decided not to push it. “I’m Aiden. You’re new, right?”
“Yeah. Sam.” I tried to smile, but I’m pretty sure it came out as more of a grimace. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same! What class are you headed to?”
I dug through my backpack and pulled out my crumpled schedule. “First period... science.”
“Cool, me too! We can walk together,” he said, bouncing slightly on his toes. Jesus Christ, how did this kid have so much energy at this hour?
I followed him through the halls, trying to keep my eyes open and not trip over my own feet. Aiden kept talking, something about how the school wasn’t too bad, how the teachers were mostly chill, and how there was a great coffee shop nearby. I was too tired to process most of it, but I nodded along anyway, grateful that at least someone was being nice to me on day one.
Honestly, Aiden wasn’t bad. He was cute in that way that made you want to wrap him in a blanket and make sure he never saw anything bad in the world. The kind of cute that made you want to cherish the guy, maybe even make his day a little brighter. I felt like the day might actually not suck as long as I didn’t pass out halfway through.
And then I walked into my first class and saw him. Zayne. Fucking. Martinez.
The last remnants of tiredness evaporated from my body faster than you could say “Oh shit.”
He was sitting at the back of the classroom, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he slouched in his seat like he was trying to become one with the desk. When his eyes flicked up and met mine, I swear he looked like he was ready to bolt.
I, on the other hand, felt like I’d just won the goddamn lottery. I had someone to annoy. Someone who couldn’t run away because, guess what, we were in the same class now, motherfucker.
Without a second thought, I made a beeline for the empty seat next to him, grinning like an idiot. “Well, well, well,” I said, plopping down in the chair. “Fancy seeing you here, Zayne.”
He stared at me, his face a perfect mix of horror and disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered under his breath.
“Oh, I’m very serious,” I said, still grinning like I’d just hit the jackpot. “Looks like we’re gonna be spending a lot of time together.”
Zayne didn’t reply. He just sighed deeply and stared straight ahead, clearly regretting every life decision that had led him to this moment.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t stop smiling. Sure, I was still sleep-deprived and running on pure spite, but now I had a reason to stay awake. Annoying Zayne was quickly becoming my new favorite hobby, and I wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip by.
Class dragged on, but every few minutes, I’d poke at Zayne just to see how close I could get him to snapping. I’d make stupid comments under my breath about the teacher, whisper random jokes, or just tap my pencil on the desk until I saw his eye twitch.
It was glorious.
By the time the bell rang, Zayne looked like he was about ready to kill me. I, however, was having the time of my life.
“You know,” I said as we packed up our stuff, “this whole sitting next to each other thing? It’s gonna be great. I can feel it.”
“Feel free to not sit here tomorrow,” Zayne grumbled, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
“Aww, don’t be like that. We’re gonna have so much fun together, Zee.”
“Don’t call me that.”
I smirked. “Too late. We’re already besties.”
He didn’t bother responding. He just walked out of the classroom, leaving me behind, still grinning like a maniac.
As I stepped out into the hallway, I spotted Aiden again, waving at me from down the hall. “Hey, how was your first class?” he asked as I walked up to him.
“Oh, you know,” I said, shrugging. “Just made a new friend. Or enemy. Haven’t decided yet.”
Aiden laughed, pushing his glasses up on his nose. “Well, at least you’re making connections.”
“Yeah,” I said, glancing back down the hall where Zayne had disappeared. “Something like that”
YOU ARE READING
Breaking the silence
Romance"Sam... I think I'm in love with you." That was the last thing I expected Zayne Martinez to say to me-especially after all the shit I put him through. I mean, the guy is ice cold, always glaring at me like I ruined his day just by breathing near him...
