Hate Me Love Me

1| The Start 🤞

AN: This is just an intro guys. There will a bunch of explanations, but it's the intro so just suck it up.

֍҉֍҉♥҉֍҉֍

"Keep your head, heels and standards high." --- Coco Chanel.

֍҉֍҉♥҉֍҉֍

Valerie Dornan

The feeling of dread seeps back in as we get closer and closer to my aunt Jo's house. It wraps itself around my throat, trapping me. I can't run away anymore. There's no mummy left.

I'm back.

Back in this hellhole for reasons that're apparently my safety.

We drive past places that I remember from 5 years ago, when I lived here with my father and mother.

We drive past a sign advertising the most prestigious school here, that only the richest or smartest can get into. It has three branches. The majority of students are rich people's kids, but I got in with a scholarship for grade 6, and for this senior year as well, like my cousin.

There's Evermoor Primary Institute - grade 1 to 5.

Evermoor Middle Institute - grade 6 to 8.

And Evermoor High Institute - grade 9 to 12.

I remember studying all day for weeks during public school in grade 5 for my Evermoor Middle Institute grade 6 scholarship.

But at the start of the year, my mother died. And at the end of the year, my dad remarried and we moved away with my stepmother.

Now I'm back.

'You can go get settled in your room while I get dinner ready, and then we can talk about your school. How does that sound?' Jo asks me as she parks the car in the driveway of her two-storey house. It's on the better side of average - comfortable and spacious.

'Sure,' I shrug.

The neighbour on the left-side of the house watches me. She looks around fifty, with partially grey hair and a flowery pink dress. Her eyes ogle me like a hawk the entire time, and she scowls and turns around when I smile and wave.

I have 3 huge suitcases and a bag, and I lug everything upstairs one by one. Julian's door's locked, as always, and Dylan, my 5-year-old cousin, has his door closed too. I walk down the hall to the room I used to stay in whenever I'd visit my aunt.

There's a single wooden bed, a wardrobe and a wooden desk. The window overlooks into the driveway and front yard. I'm going to have to do some serious re-decorating.

The bathroom's between Julian and my room, and after I take a long, hot shower, I slip on a pale blue shirt and bright orange cotton shorts.

I like my colours.

Jo told me to rest, but that's what I'd been doing on the train all those days. I peek out of the window and watch a few cars zoom by. The sun has already set and I look up to the sky. I can't really see the stars all that well from my window, but the few that I can see make me smile. I see another black car pull into the driveway and smile wider when I hear Dylan laugh at something uncle Roland said.

When I lived here before, I had loads of friends in the public school. But the year I went to Evermoor Middle Institute changed that. One particular person made sure I stayed lonely and miserable. One rich, arrogant, sadistic boy from my grade 6 class.

When Jo calls for dinner, I slip out of my bedroom at the same time as Julian.

Awkward.