Against All Odds

Prologue

Up until one eventful lunch time, my life had been relatively simple where relationships were concerned. Good mates, good grades, no complaints. It happened fast, and in the blink of an eye, my school life was thrown into chaos. The culprit? Love.

For me, an unsuspecting seventeen year old, feeling attracted to someone was almost alien. It was like; I punched him, I caught feelings.

Lunch had been pretty normal that day, with all my mates sitting around our usual in the canteen, my best mate Alfie James on my right and Leo Mason on my left, arguing with Charlotte as usual. Those fraternal twins always managed to find something to argue about, even if it was something as pointless as 'whose sandwich is better?' The hot headed blondes clashed a lot, but their relationship was close, even if they weren't proud to admit it.

Alfie James (known as AJ to his mates) has been my closest from since year five, when he'd flicked a pencil across the classroom, almost resulting in me losing my sight. To say he felt guilty was an understatement and he didn't stop apologising for at least a month. Ever since then we've been more or less inseparable, and I love him to pieces.

"I'm still hungry." AJ whined beside me, leaning over my shoulder and sighing when he saw my lunchbox empty.

"You're always hungry." I reminded him as a smile tugged at my lips.

"I'm a growing lad." He defended, hazel puppy eyes meeting mine innocently, and I could tell what he was going to ask. "Just £2?"

Giving him a deadpanned look, I opened my mouth to try and play the 'stern best friend' card.

"Pweeease Evie, my bestest friend in the whole world!" AJ begged, his pleading eyes finally making me cave with a sigh. Rolling my eyes, I searched my pockets and handing a £5 because I was simply too nice.

AJ cheered in triumph and bounded to join the end of the queue for food. He was like a little kid that boy, I smiled to myself.

"Eve, don't you agree that chicken salad sandwiches are way better than BLT's?" Leo spoke seriously, him and his twin staring at me with the same stubborn blue eyes.

"Personally I prefer chicken and bacon." I compromised between the two, hiding my amusement when they both huffed at me.

"Coming to watch rugby training tonight?" Charlie Harrison asked from opposite me, bringing the conversation up to a slightly more mature level.

"You bet, Coach is gunna work your arses off." I smirk at his pained expression. It's kind of a tradition we have to watch the boys train and of course we attended the matches.

"I can't make it tonight." Lex said, sitting next to Charlie with Matilda (preferably called Mattie) on her left. Lex and Mattie have been best friends for ages and you rarely see one without the other.

"That's the second time now, what's up with you?" Charlie poked her shoulder, faking a grumpy face.

Lex replied with a shrug, opening her mouth to speak when he happened.

That arsehole. Leo gasped and pointed over Lex's head, making my attention automatically flicker to whatever he was pointing out. When my eyes found the scene, my face mimicked the shock that had spread across all my mates faces.

AJ was mid-air, falling flat on his face, tray of food flying everywhere. In my head it took ages for him to land but in reality I doubt it was more than a second. That's when I noticed Michael Beech with his foot out, laughing hysterically at my poor friend.

My emotions went from shock to anger in a millisecond and before anyone could stop me, I stood from my char and stomped across the hysterical canteen. Michael was bent over double along with his mates when I knelt beside AJ and helped him up, his face flamed red with embarrassment. This only built up my anger towards the arse, crying with laughter in front of me.

"You're such a dick." I spat at him, making him sober up.

"What did you say to me?" Michael, or as he liked to think of himself 'Mr Perfection', recovered from his laughing fit and fixed his eyes on my seething form.

"You. Are. An. Arsehole." I spelled it out as though he was a retard, which he clearly was if he thought it was amusing to trip up my best mate.

"Eve, just leave it." AJ tugged at my arm, sensing my anger. "He's not worth it."

"Yeah, walk away with your queer coward." Michael sneered and I saw red. Before I knew it, my fist flashed out and smacked his eye with such force the self-centred twat fell backwards onto his mates, causing them to buckle under his muscular weight until they were all sprawled on the floor.

"Don't you dare talk shit about my best mate." I seethed at him, physically shaking.

"HARPER!" The deputy head screeched at me and before I had time to protest I was being marched to the head masters office.

Michael and I received a weeks after school detentions, an overreaction in my opinion but hey, I'm not the head teacher.

The first detention was spent in more or less silence, as I was determined to stay angry at the dickhead. He'd tried to talk to me a few times, complaining he'd have a black eye for weeks now but I ignored his pathetic whining. What was he expecting? My sympathy? His complaining simply made me smile.

During detention number two, his charms somehow made the feelings of anger towards him fade, and somehow we ended up chatting. In that hour, he surprised me by cracking jokes and making me laugh on numerous occasions. I found myself warming to this new side of Mike, a side I never normally witnessed.

On the third detention, I'd been quiet because I had to miss a rugby match and I felt a little guilty for not being able to support my mates. Michael had sensed my unhappy mood, so he decided to take me out to the cinema after our detention. It was fun, too fun for my liking and I began to fear my fast developing feelings.

It all happened so quickly, one minute I hated Mike more than anything, the next I wanted to be near him all the time. Because I was never one for hiding my feelings, I confronted him about it and not long after, he asked me on an official date.

I'd been nervous and unsure about whether dating the guy I'd punched was a good idea, but it happened all the same.

More than three months have passed since then, and now I look back I wonder whether we'd have ended up together if we hadn't had each other's company forced onto us.

"Here's to us." Michael breaks my wondering thoughts and clinks his beer bottle against mine. We're both sat on the floor of my room, our backs pressed against the side of my bed. "Three months and still going strong."

I nod in agreement and press the cool bottle to my lips, letting the liquid run down my throat.

"You got a match to watch this Sunday right?" Mike ran his hand down my shoulder, slipping my bra strap off, making my skin tingle.

"Uh huh." I answer vaguely because my mind is preoccupied by his wandering fingertips.

"I'll be there too." He leans closer, lips inches from my own. "Maybe I can be the teams lucky charm."

"You're so the girl in this relationship." I smirk, causing a laugh to escape his lips.

"And you never forget to remind me that Eve." Mike ran his hand across my cheek, then presses his lips onto mine. I find my eyes closing, kissing him back and biting his bottom lip, asking to deepen the kiss. Of course, Mike obliges and soon we're having a major make out session.

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This isn't a great beginning I know but its an introduction for the first chapter...probably seems like this went waay to far but hopefully it will make sense as you read on.
Thanks much for reading :)