Chapter one: Our own little hell (Ellie's POV)

My alarm rang for the third time and that's when I was so sick of it, I just decided to get up. 

"Ellie, you're getting late!" My mom's voice flowed through my walls. 

"I'm up!" I called back out, causing my dry throat to ache. I grabbed my water bottle from my nightstand and took a few gulps before sitting up and just staring at the floor. I let out a sigh before stepping out of bed and putting my hair up in a bun. I flicked the lights on, blinding myself before I rubbed my eyes and eased them into the illuminated room. 

I grabbed the clothes that I laid out for today and headed to the bathroom where I got dressed, brushed my teeth, washed my face, all that jazz. I stepped back out while brushing my hair before tying it up in a high ponytail and pulling my converse on. 

I glanced at the time, my eyes bulging out of their sockets. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" I hissed while grabbing my bag, pulling it over my shoulder, grabbing my phone, car keys, and running out. I halted when I heard what sounded like a car horn. I ran over to my window and peeked through. There was a car in the neighbors' driveway. Wonder who that is. 

"Ellie!" my mom yelled. 

I ran down, grabbed a toast with avocado that my mom was kind enough to prepare for me, an angel, I swear, before bolting out of there. 

"The first day of junior year, you're doing great, Ellie, just be late, that's right," I mumbled to myself while unlocking my car, throwing my bag in the passenger seat, wincing as I realized my laptop was in there before climbing in and hitting the gas, speeding to the school. 

In case you didn't get it yet, I'm Ellie, I'm seventeen and I'm incredibly late for my first day at school. 

Isn't that fantastic? 

Hudson High School. Our own little hell. Well, not quite. I think our school is great and very laid back, sometimes a little too laid back. 

I got there in about ten minutes with five to spare. Five minutes is not enough, I need more time than that to get to my locker. 

"Just give me one spot, God, please," I mumbled under my breath while glancing around, fishing for a parking spot. "Yes!" I cheered as I found one. Unfortunately, someone was about to take it. Absolutely not. I saw it first. 

I hit the gas even harder, causing people to move out of my way and shriek in panic before I swerved and parked. Perfectly. That's right, I am a great driver. I heard the brakes screech of the car behind me while I turned my car off, grabbed my things, and jumped out, locking the car. 

"What the fuck are you doing?!" The guy stepped out of his car. Whoa. He looks like- Forget it. 

"Sorry!" I exclaimed while adjusting my bag and running in, straight to the office to get my schedule. 

That guy looked exactly like him. How is it possible, though? No one's heard from him in two years. It's probably just a coincidence. 

"Ellie Hart, can I get my schedule, please?" I was panting by the time I reached the office. 

She shook her head at me disappointedly before handing it to me. I checked my locker number and dashed to it, avoiding collisions with the people loitering the hallways. I got to my locker, sighing in relief as I opened it, grabbed the things I needed before checking to see where and what my first class of the day was. 

"English Literature, room C24. Other side of the school. Fan-fucking-tastic," I mumbled, resisting a groan while speed walking over there. I got into class as the bell rang, letting out a sigh of relief when I saw that Ashley had saved me a seat. 

Ashley is my best friend. Along with the others. The others being Brett, Nathan, and Spencer. All guys. 

"Sleep in?" she questioned knowingly. 

"Yup," I replied while getting out my pen and paper, ready for class. I tried. 

Mr. Prichard walked in with a little flare and bounce to his step. Mr. Prichard happens to be the best teacher there is. He's extremely laid back and amusing. He also happens to be gay which only made him more popular. 

I respect him a lot. 

"All right kids," he sighed, setting his laptop down at his desk, "It's the first day, frankly, I'm not in the mood to do much. Just go through this year's syllabus and ask if you have any doubts. That's all we're doing." 

See what I mean? 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The day went by perfectly smoothly, we were finally at lunch and were all starving. I don't know about the others, but I sure was. I was also too lazy to get up and grab my food. 

"Brett, bring me food, please?" I stuck my bottom lip out at him while holding my money out for him to take. 

"I'm getting myself a brownie," he stated before taking it and walking away. 

"So, who was the guy you almost killed this morning?" Ashley asked. 

"Huh?" I blurted. 

"You stole the spot he was going to park in..." she trailed off suggestively. 

"Oh, I don't know who it was, I was in a rush," I shrugged. 

"I do," Brett said as he sat down. I glanced at him then at the lunch line. "I'm nice to the lunch ladies. It pays off, clearly," he shrugged with a smirk. 

"So, who is the guy?" Ashley asked while Nathan and Spencer walked to the table. 

"Maybe I should keep the secret, wait for you guys to find out on your own," he chuckled. 

"Find out what?" 

We all looked up to see him standing there. The last person I expected it to be, was right here standing in front of me. 

"Miss me?" he smirked while sitting down in front of me, between Brett and Spencer. 

I was frozen, I couldn't move, my jaw was on the ground, I didn't know what to do. I stared while he greeted the others who seemed to be just as shocked as I was. 

"Ellie," he nodded at me. 

I narrowed my eyes at him, watching him with suspicion. 

What the hell is he doing here? 

"Zach," I replied meekly. 

"How've you been?" he questioned. 

How dare he? How dare he walk back in here like he owns the damn place, and act as nothing happened? 

"You tell me," I cocked an eyebrow at him. 

He chuckled before shaking his head and getting into a conversation with the others. 

I watched him, scrutinizing him, analyzing every little detail and change that he had. His hair was longer, his shoulders were broader, I'm sure his body was more muscular, and his v-neck didn't do a great favor at hiding the tattoo on his bicep. 

It was still Zach, just ten times worse. In the best way possible. 

The bell rang and signaled the end of lunch and believe me when I say, I was the first one out of that room. I was walking to class, completely lost in thought. 

Let's tell you his story, shall we? 

Zach, Ashley, Brett, Nathan, Spencer and me, have all been friends since elementary and middle school. Spencer joined us in middle school, the rest of us have always been together. 

Zach was also my neighbor. Our families were super close, our moms were best friends, so were our dads, it was tradition meeting every weekend while our dads watched the game, our moms cooked and we played in our backyards together. 

Two years ago, at the end of our school year, we were all hanging out to celebrate the upcoming summer. We were all fifteen, having fun, enjoying, messing around. And he acted completely normally, giving us no hints at all. 

Nothing to tell us that he was leaving the fucking country. 

We all found out the next day when we were supposed to hang out and he didn't show up. My parents told us. We were all devastated. I'm not saying I took it harder than the others, but it's possible I did. He was the first person I ever became friends with, not to mention, I liked him. 

Like, really, really liked him. 

He had even kissed me a few days before the summer break, that was my first kiss too, and then? Then he disappeared. 

He was out of reach of all of us. He wouldn't answer our calls, texts, and completely ignored us. We stopped trying after a while and just started moving on, the rest of us sticking together. It broke my heart when I had to act like he never existed and I never cared from him when everyone knew I did. Even he knew. 

He had always been a troublemaker. Always. Breaking things, pranking people, breaking rules. 

His parents were going through a tough time but they didn't want to divorce each other so they thought they should send him to a boarding school, not only to discipline him but also to take some time and sort things out. 

I had no idea about this at the time but my parents told me after a while. They just shipped him off. When I asked them, they said that they thought he had already told us and said his goodbyes. 

Liar. 

After two years, without any contact with any of us, he's back. He looks different. Something about him has changed, I can tell. Something is different. Something tells me, he's come back ten times worse than the devil he was growing up.

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Chapter one

Just to let ya'll know, Hudson High is NOT a real place, not that I know of, I just took the first name that came to mind, so please excuse me if it is.

I hope you liked that chapter, make sure to tap the star and leave a comment on what you thought about it.

<3

Next Chapter: Chasing you

PS-

 ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── 

Represents the time jump, a little more prettier than usual so yeah hehe