Chapter 1

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Azriel's POV:

6:48 A.M. I woke up from yet another nightmare. These are becoming quite frequent nowadays but oh well. I thought of going back to sleep but let's be honest, that disguised hell is better than staying at home.

I am actually kind of glad it's fall and school's starting. That way at least I can stay away from my mother. God I fucking hate her.

Anyway, I dragged myself out of the bed for a cold shower and changed into the white button-down and dark pants my school called uniform. I chucked the tie, not bothering to completely button up the shirt or tuck it in either.

Grabbing the school blazer that I didn't intend to wear, I ran a hand through my dark hair carelessly and walked out the door, munching on a protein bar. I honestly couldn't be bothered to give two shits as to how I looked.

Braxten High School is like a communal pool of the biggest idiots of New York fashioned into rich, upper-class kids of the most popular people of the city.

The headmaster, Mr. Braxten III, is an asshole who only cares about his oh-so-prestigious school, pretending for it to be perfect but we students know that's not the case. Well, some of us do. Others are just dumbasses whose parents are 'donating' to the school for them to get graduated. Anyway, I pulled into the school and parked into the spot I claimed as mine in the freshman year of high school.

"Here we fucking go again.", I muttered to myself as I once again ran a hand through my hair. Guess it's a habit, huh?

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Zara's POV:

I woke up to the sound of my alarm set two hours before the actual school time. My best friend Scarlett said that I was way too excited for the first day of my senior year. Well, I agree with her but I wanted everything to be perfect.

With much excitement I got out of my bed and tucked Scar in with a small smile on my face. Scarlett and I moved in together in a penthouse near to our school a few months ago.

My father Brent Orion, businessman and the owner of Orion Industries, stays away from home most of the time and my mother Elizabeth Orion, is a social worker who has to travel a lot in order to help people.

I never got much attention from them as they were barely home and I was honestly done with being alone all the time, which is why I got this penthouse in the first place.

Anyway, I never really felt bad about that. I did feel lonely but I always have Scarlett by my side and I am eternally grateful to have her.

I got out of the washroom after a warm shower in a bathrobe and headed to the kitchen to cook breakfast for Scar and I. I still had an hour and a half to school. I carefully put the waffles on a plate and drizzled Scar's favorite chocolate syrup over it. Unhealthy, I know, but the poor girl deserves it. I really am the mom friend, as Scar says.

After changing into my uniform which was a white button-down and a black pants along with a red tie, I headed into the room to wake Scarlett up, which was quite a task in itself. I slipped on the black blazer that had the school's crest embroidered on it, making sure everything was immaculate.

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Scarlett's POV:

Waking up to the warm covers and the smell of waffles wafting through the air, I was convinced I was in heaven. And then I saw an angry Zara glaring down at me, already dressed in her perfect uniform.

I groaned and turned to the side, suddenly remembering it's the first day of school. I slept through my alarms again, which wasn't really a surprise being the absolute bear I am.

I didn't really like waking up. I was grateful for what I had and all, but reality wasn't all that appealing. But really, Zara was the best and made my life somewhat bearable.

"We have a fucking hour to school, why are you dressed already?" I grumbled, sitting up and wolfing down the breakfast that she made.

"These are amazing," I remarked with a mouth full of waffles. This made Zara give me a stern look and then smile at the compliment. After breakfast I headed into the washroom for a quick warm shower and slipped on my uniform with the skirt haphazardly, skipping the blazer entirely.

You see, the pants are just a little too prim and perfect, and that's not me. I decided that a long time ago, as a way of showing my true self and rebelling against my mom, who forgot me a long time ago after dad passed away and I wasn't a carbon copy of her fake self.

The result? Zara is now my only family, really. Mom is waiting for me to turn eighteen to sever ties with me completely.

Which reminds me, if I don't leave in ten minutes, Zara is going to get late and bite my head off. I grabbed my book bag from beside the mirror in my room, avoiding looking at my reflection. Yes, I have insecurities and no, I do not deal with them in a healthy way.

But then again, who does?

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Ayden's POV

Being the early bird that I am, I came back home from a jog in The Central Park which was a few blocks away from my apartment. I usually went for a run to clear my head.

I had an hour left for school. Which is plenty of time for a guy who lives alone with a caretaker and a driver. Pushing all thoughts aside I went to the washroom to shower and got out in about twenty minutes.

I slipped into my uniform and carefully tied the tie around my neck, made my hair and grabbed the blazer off of the chair. Giving my reflection a once-over in the mirror quickly to reassure everything was perfect, I headed out.

For any normal kid, their first day of senior year would be special. They'd have their mother waiting in the kitchen with their favorite breakfast and their father would be there to wish them luck.

But that was not the case here. My caretaker, Janine had my breakfast ready for me and my driver had the car waiting for me at the door. But we gotta learn to adjust, right?

Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for the finance they've provided ever since I was little, but the lack of parental presence kind of got to me. Anyway, I quickly downed my orange juice and headed to the car.

Once I got into the car, I stared at my mother, Violetta Richards's caller ID for a long while, deciding whether I should call her or not. Fighting against rational thoughts, I dialed her anyways. After a few rings it went to voicemail. Like always. I sighed and left a message for her.

The voice of my driver pulled me out of my thoughts, and I mumbled a brisk thank you and got down the car while putting on my blazer.

As soon as I stepped out of the car, I saw my friend Zara with her best friend Scarlett. I caught her eyes and gave her a smile and she did the same by returning it. I smiled at her best friend as well to be polite, although she returned it with a scowl.

I shook my head while chuckling to myself and joined the crowd that was headed to the welcome assembly headed by our headmaster Mr. Braxten III.


-zoie and dawn

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