CHAPTER ONE

When I met her in class that day, I had no idea the impact she would have on my life. The way she would bring me out of my shell and make me a better person. How we both helped each other actually. Now here I am, in the middle of the night running as fast as my unathletic body can carry me. My eyes, nose and cheeks burning from the cold bite of the wind. Adrenaline is the only thing keeping me going, that and fear. The fear of losing her. I push my body to move faster as the thought crosses my mind. I was built for sitting behind a computer and on the couch with a controller in my hand, not for sprinting down roads after the girl I cannot stand losing, but I do it for her. I would do anything for her. I can finally see the bridge and there she stands on the edge. I allow myself a split second to catch my breath and ease the sharp pain in my lungs. I instantly regret it as I see her fall and hear her body hit the icy water below.

***

Six months ago

I hear the school bus pull up in front of my house just I get my second shoe on. The bus driver honks the horn as I take the steps two at a time. Downstairs I grab my lunch from the kitchen and kiss my mom on the cheek. Reaching the door I hear her yell, "Have a wonderful day at school, I love you!"

"Love you too, mom!" I shout as I get out the door and head for the bus.

Everyone on the bus is loud. They're laughing and throwing things around as I make my way to the back of the bus, away from everyone. Just before I reach my seat a foot sticks out from my left, hoots my ankle and causes me to lose my balance just as the bus takes off. I look back over my shoulder and see Bryce give me a sly smile and a wink. I give him the most real smile I can manage as I continue to my seat. I ignore everyone in the bus giggling at and whispering about me.

I sit down and reach in my lunch bag for my morning protein bar. A hand grabs the bar just before I bite into it. Bryce sits down next to me and looks me right in the eye as he takes a bite of my protein bar. I look down at my feet.

"Hey Willy!" he says, and I hear the entire bus erupt with laughter.

"Hi Bryce," I manage to say without looking at him.

"What did your mommy pack me for lunch today?"

He grabs my lunch bag out of my hand and starts digging through it. He pulls out my spiderman Juicebox and holds it out for everyone to see.

"Aren't you a little old to still drink from juice boxes willy?", Bryce says while the rest of his friends continue to laugh, "especially ones with superheroes on them!"

I finally manage to look him in the eyes.

"Actually, juice boxes don't have an age restriction, they're suitable for all ages. Same with Spiderman", I say as confidently as I can.

Bryce obviously did not enjoy me talking back to him because the laugh immediately dies down and his smile is replaced with a scowl. He stabs a hole in the juice box with a pen from his pocket.

"It actually comes with a straw, so you don't need to- ", I'm cut off by him squeezing the juice box over my head and emptying the whole thing all over me. My vision gets blurry as the apple juice drowns my glasses. I feel the juice run down the back of my shirt while the rest of the bus are hysteric with laughter.

I wipe my glasses off on a dry section of my shirt as Bryce makes his way back to his seat. The bus pulls up to school just I get my glasses back on my face and wipe myself off with the wipes y mom always makes me carry round.

I wait until everyone leaves before; I make my way off the bus. Walking into school is extremely uncomfortable as the juice begins to dry and get sticky. My shirt sticks to my skin and I smell like apple. I can feel everyone staring at me and I hear the guggles and snickers as I walk to my locker.

My locker has the spiderman juice box stuck to it. A hand grabs the box off my locker and throws it in the bin a few feet from us. I see my best friend Benji and relief floods through me.

"Rough morning?", he asks.

"It was nothing really, just Bryce pulling his pranks again", I say and look through my locker for a spare shirt.

"Will, those aren't pranks, that's just being an asshole"

"Its fine, its nothing really"

"What's nothing?", I hear a voice from behind us ask. We both turn around and see Lucas. His eyes go wide as soon as he sees me.

"Jesus Will, what the hell happened to you?", he says and sniffs me.

Benji answers him, "Bryce happened"

Lucas opens his locker next to mine and digs around for a bit before handing me a shirt with the Justice League on it. I take it from him with a smile.

"When are you going to stop taking crap from that shitbag?", Lucas asks as I start walking towards the bathroom.

"it's just fun and games guys, it's not like he's hurting me", I say and quickly walk inside before they can respond. I find an empty cubicle and quickly pull the shirt over my head then throw Lucas's shirt on

I stop at the sink to wash off the stickiness on my face and neck then wash the excess the juice on my glasses.

When I walk out the bathroom after drying my glasses, I see Benji and Lucas talking, and they instantly go quiet when I approach them.

"Something wrong?", I ask and look at them both.

"Of course not, why do you ask?" Benji says as he runs a hand through his hair and looks at Lucas.

"Yeah, all good", Lucas agrees.

"Guys I know I am not exactly the best at reading social cues, but I trust me I know an awkward interaction when I see it," I say a start walking to class.

"Don't we all, I mean have you seen us interact with people of the female species?", says Benji as he catches up with me. Lucas nods along with a small chuckle. I can't help but smile too.

"Did you hear we're getting a new kid today?", Lucas asks before we reach the maths class.

"This late into our last year?", I ask.

"Yeah, I heard they were kicked out t of their last school for selling the teacher drugs", says Benji as we walk into the class and take our seats.

"Where exactly did you hear that? We are literally the only people you know", Lucas says as he slaps Benji across the back of his head.

"Hey! I may not be good at talking to other people but that has made my eavesdropping abilities extraordinary"

I laugh as Benji rubs the back of his head. Mr Banks walks into class and takes his seat in front of the class. He looks around the class as if looking for someone then when a girl walks through the door he says, "Ah there you are!"

The girl looks at him with the most unimpressed look on her face. She has short black hair with purple streaks that covers her face. She is wearing all black. Black tights, black boots, and a plain black hoodie. I can't help but stare. She is very different from everyone else in the school, and I certainly have never seen anyone like her.

"Everyone, can I have your attention please," Mr banks shouts over the loud chatter, the class goes a little quiet but there are still some soft whispers and from what I can hear they are all about the girl with black and purple Hair.

"This is Skyler Smoke, she will be joining us for the rest of the school year, I hope you can all make her feel welcome!"

Mr Banks whispers something to the girl called Skyler. He points in my direction, and I pull my eyes away from her for the first time since she walked in the room.

Skyler walks up to me and sits in the empty seat to my left. I look at her and I think I stared a little too long because she turns her head to look at me and I turn back to the front of the class. Before I looked away, I noticed her brown eyes and the shiny ring on her eyebrow that compliments the shiny silver lip ring that she has. I take one more glance at her and she has pulled out a notebook and a pen, her attention focused on the trigonometry on the board.

I spend the whole lesson stealing glances at her and not paying attention to the lesson. Before I know it, the lesson is over, and we have to get to English class. I notice that she sits next to me in English as well, in Lucas's seat. Lucas finds another seat after I shrug, my shoulders at him. Skyler sits next to me in almost every class we take together, is she doing it on purpose or is it just a coincidence? Where I take science, she goes off somewhere else. I can't help but wonder where.

At lunch she disappears, and I sit with Benji and Lucas in our usual spot at a table outside a good distance away from the school garden.

The end of the day arrives, and Lucas's mom gives us a lift to his house where we get our homework done then decide on a movie to watch. It takes us half an hour to decide on a movie because Benji is in the mood for marvel, but Lucas is feeling more DC. We eventually decide on Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone instead, to avoid further arguments.

I don't focus on the movie or Benji and Lucas's debates on the movie. I can't get Skyler out of my head. I see the unicorn on the screen and can't help but notice the complete opposites between the unicorn's white mane and Skyler's dark black hair.