LIAM'S POV

Leora Lahey.

The bane of my existence. A pretty little thorn in my side, who had no right being as beautiful as she was. A girl who was a constant source of irritation for me, a source of trouble, a source of heartache, a source of unfulfilled desires, a source of anger, a source of pain, and a source of joy. Yeah, I said it. Joy. Because I had never met anyone in my life who had made me feel the range of emotions that this one particular woman could make me feel, and that's probably a good thing, considering we were supposed to hate each other. At least, that was the case on the surface. In reality, I knew deep down in my heart that I didn't hate her. I knew that, even after all this time, I was still hopelessly, helplessly in love with her.

Okay, let me explain.

I had first met Leora Lahey back in pre school. Back then, she was a pretty, blonde haired, hazel eyed girl with the sweetest smile and an even sweeter disposition. She was the nicest girl in the class, and the prettiest too. I may have not really knew what love was back then, but I did know that she was someone that I wanted to get to know. Someone that I wanted to become best friends with, and spend as much time with as possible.

We were best friends growing up, believe it or not. We did everything together, and our friendship was pretty solid. We did just about everything that two little kids could do. Played tag, hopscotch, tic tac toe, hide and seek, and all kinds of things. We spent hours at the playground, and the park, and playing together. Our mothers were friends, so it was natural that we would be close, and I couldn't ask for a better friend than her.

Until we got to elementary school and everything changed when we were in fourth grade. That's when the teasing started. Leora had to get glasses because her vision was getting bad, and the other kids teased her and called her four eyes and nerd. They also made fun of her braces which were only temporary and would come off in a few years. My anger issues were slowly getting worse, and I didn't take kindly to them picking on my best friend. I tried to stick up for her and told them to leave her alone, and they left her alone. They didn't tease her again after that.

That is until fifth grade and teasing got even worse. That's when Leora started developing into a young lady. And not just physically. No, her personality started changing. Her grades started slipping, and she was more defiant. She wasn't as friendly anymore, and she wasn't as sweet. She didn't get along with the other girls, and she didn't even get along with me, and we were best friends. She was getting into trouble, and her parents were worried about her. I was worried about her too. I had no idea what was going on with her, and she wouldn't talk to me.

And then the summer between fifth and sixth grade came, and that's when the teasing got a whole lot worse. That's when things escalated and changed between us. That's when she had her first kiss, and it wasn't with me. It was with another boy.

A boy who didn't deserve to even be in her presence. A boy who was an a-hole, and a jerk, and a bully. A boy who didn't care about her, and didn't even like her. She didn't know all that at first. She was too blinded by his good looks and the attention he was giving her. She thought he was just misunderstood and that he just needed some love. I knew better. I saw what he was really like, and I was not gonna let her get hurt by him.

So I told her the truth. She didn't believe me, and I tried to show her proof. But she wouldn't listen to me. She didn't wanna listen to me. And eventually, she started turning her back on me and spending more and more time with him. Until I found myself alone, and abandoned, and brokenhearted.

After that, we weren't as close. Not even close. Our friendship had all but dissolved. It was almost nonexistent. She was too wrapped up in him, and his attention, and the things he did for her, to even notice me, or have time for me. And I hated it. I tried to warn her, tell her that he was bad news, but she wouldn't listen. She just kept on seeing him, and spending more and more time with him. He became her new best friend.

They started hanging out more and more, and eventually, they started dating. I hated it. I hated her boyfriend. I hated him with a passion. There was just something about him that I didn't trust. And there was no way in h**l that I was ever gonna approve of him, or her being with him. So when she found out how he really was, and when he did break her heart, she came crying to me. I told her I told her so. It was the worst thing I could've done, and it was the biggest mistake of my life. I should've comforted her, and tried to heal her heartbreak. I should've tried to be a better friend to her, but instead, I told her I told her so, and rubbed her nose in it. It was a huge mistake. I wasn't really thinking, and the words just came out. It was a low blow, and it was a dirty move. But I had still been feeling upset and abandoned by her for leaving me for him, and I didn't handle the situation well.

She ended up slapping me and storming off. And that was the end of our friendship. The end of our friendship and the beginning of a deep hatred and dislike for each other. I tried to apologize to her. Tried to make things right. But she wouldn't have it. She hated me, and couldn't forgive me. I don't blame her, and I'm not proud of the way I treated her. But that was the turning point for us. We grew apart. We grew up, and we changed. We went our separate ways, and didn't hang out anymore. And we definitely didn't become friends again. That was when our friendship took a turn for the worst, and we became bitter enemies, and the never ending feud began.

The feud and the feuding was all my fault. I admit that. But you try telling a ten year old boy who's been betrayed, abandoned, and had his heart broken that it was all his fault. Especially a ten year old boy who had anger issues, and who didn't know how to deal with his emotions and his feelings. It was all too much for me to handle, and the resentment and bitterness took root. It grew and blossomed and turned into a deep seeded hatred for her. A hatred and a dislike for her that lasted for years, and that never went away.

But I never stopped loving her either, it kept growing and I hated that. I hated it so much. It was just as painful as the hatred, if not more. Especially when you were constantly fighting with someone.

Especially when you were constantly fighting, and arguing with, and feuding with, the person that you were secretly in love with.

And that's why I hated Leora Lahey.

LEORA'S POV

Liam Dunbar used to be my best friend. My absolute best friend. I had known him for as long as I could remember. I couldn't remember a time in my life where he wasn't there. And it had been nice. It had been great. He was always there for me, and we had gotten along very well. He was the best friend a girl could ever have. And he was a true friend.

I had first met Liam Dunbar back in preschool. I had been super shy as a kid. I was so shy that I barely spoke to anyone. And when I did speak, it was in a quiet, stuttering voice. And I had been an awkward and clumsy girl who didn't have any friends. At least not until Liam came along. He sat by me during lunchtime, and he struck up a conversation. I was really surprised. No one had ever tried talking to me before. I was really grateful for that. Grateful and happy. We became fast friends, and we had a great friendship. We were always having fun together, and doing everything together. We had sleepovers and did arts and crafts together. We had a blast.

But then we got to elementary school and the bullying began. When I had gotten glasses, I was immediately teased and made fun of by the other kids. They called me names, and picked on me. I hated it. I really, really hated it. It made me feel like crap. It made me feel horrible. Even more so when I got braces. Kids are so mean, and the teasing and bullying only got worse when I got my braces. That's when it started getting really, really bad. They called me metal mouth, and they said I sounded weird because I had a lisp from the braces. Liam was a real trooper. He defended me and stood up for me. He even punched some and got detention for it, but he claimed he didn't care and would do it again. That's the kind of friend that he was. I really appreciated him. He was an awesome friend.

Things started to get even worse when we were in fifth grade. That's when my life changed. That's when I started changing. That's when the teasing and the bullying got even worse. Because that's when I started developing into a young lady. That's when I got my period, I became more moody. My grades started getting bad, and I started developing breasts and getting curves. I started wearing makeup and dying my hair and trying new styles. I was starting to develop an interest in fashion and boys. I was changing. I was becoming a teenager and it was terrifying.

It was a time of transformation and discovery. I was discovering myself and who I was. Who I wanted to be. And it was a tough time. It was a confusing and overwhelming time. I was trying to figure things out, and it was hard. I didn't understand myself or what was happening. It was so confusing, and I had no one to talk to about it. I couldn't even talk to Liam about it.

But then I met this guy. This boy. He was a couple of years older than me. He was in middle school, and he was the coolest guy I had ever seen. He was the coolest guy in school. The most popular guy. He was really cute too. Tall, dark, and handsome. All the girls wanted him, but he chose me. He chose me, and we ended up dating. He was my first boyfriend. At first, things were great. They were perfect. He was amazing. He treated me well, and I felt lucky to be his girlfriend. We had a great relationship, and it was going well.

Until it wasn't. Until the abuse started. Until the emotional and verbal abuse started. Until he started cheating on me and lying to me. Until he broke my heart. And when it was over, I was left a shattered shell of a person. I should've listened to Liam. He kept warning me about him. He tried to tell me. He tried to show me proof. But I wouldn't listen. I wouldn't believe him. I was so stupid. He was so charming and manipulative. He had a way of getting me to believe anything he wanted me to believe. He had a way of getting inside your head and controlling you. And I was young, I was naive, and I was easily influenced. But I should've listened to Liam.

After things had ended between me and my ex, I was a wreck. I was a broken and empty shell of a person. My grades were awful. I was miserable, and my parents were worried about me. I was angry and depressed, and I didn't know how to cope. Liam was the one who was there for me. He was the one who helped me through it. He was the one who held me and comforted me, and dried my tears. He was the one who had my back.

But then he opened his mouth and ruined everything. When he told me he told me so, that's when things took a turn for the worse. When he said that, I lost it. I was furious, and I slapped him. And after that, we were never the same. We weren't friends anymore. We were bitter enemies, and it was all because of his big mouth.

And it had stayed that way. That's how we were, and how we remained. When my older brother Isaac decided to move to France, I went with him. Our father had been dead for awhile, we had been staying with the McCall family, but after Allison's death, it hit Isaac hard. It hit Scott and the pack hard, but it hit him especially hard, and he decided to move away. I decided to go with him. And that meant leaving Liam behind. I didn't say goodbye to him, part of me wanted to, part of me wanted my best friend back, but another part was still furious and didn't want anything to do with him.

So I moved to France, and I left Beacon Hills behind, and Liam with it.

Now, six years later, I was returning home. I was back in Beacon Hills. Back home, and back in the place that I had grown up in. Back where it all began. And I was going to have to face Liam again. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but I knew that I would have to get it over with. And the sooner, the better. 

A/N decided to try smth new for the prologue & do their pov of how things started & what they thought of each other !! i love how it turned out tbh