Chapter one: A Jerk So Sweet

NUELLA's POV

"I'm going to pair you up for your last group assignment. Did you get that?" Mr Myer asked with a keen gaze.

"YES SIR" the entire class shouted.

"That's it for today," Mr Myer said before exiting the class. I sighed in disappointment I hated group assignments so much as my last group assignment was not so interesting. I had to do all the hard work while my partner did nothing. But we were scored equally.

I hastily shoved my books off the desk into my backpack when I realized what day today was. Today was the day my first book, "Jane's addiction", a steamy romance between two newlyweds was going live. Writing has been my passion ever since I was young and I was finally sending my work out there into the world. I hope the world loved it as much as I did.

My night job was writing romance books and partying like there was no tomorrow and my day job was being a high student who 99.9% of the population considered as failed.

I played chess on my phone while I waited for Elsa and Kate, my two best friends. They studied history while I studied government as an electives course.

"You still play this game," a grumpy voice mumbled into my ears and I jerked up startled.

"What the hell..." I squawked without shifting my gaze. I knew who the voice belonged to. I had no time for people like him. It was Cole Grey, the friend who broke my heart.

I couldn't discern the whirlpool of emotions whenever I saw him. But one thing was for sure, he ruined my good mood whenever he was present. How could he even approach me after what he did? He slid into the seat next to me.

"How are you, Nuella?" Cole asked in a calm tone.

"Just let me be Cole. I warned you to stay away from me, ''I said in a low tone, suppressing the volcano of anger that was erupting within me.

"I just wanted to... em. Party tonight, I just wanted to know if you are in?" he asked, tapping on the table silently with his index finger, a habit whenever he was desperate.

"No. Never. I'll pass. Just get lost" I blurted out. I looked up at his face and met his strong gaze. And of course, Cole looked as charming as ever. His beautiful skin was as brown as honey. He wore a grey shirt that hugged his body perfectly and rare blue denim jeans. His beautiful hazel eyes had turned red out of desperation. Still, he was gorgeous.

Girls fell for him in a glimpse but I knew better. He had a stone for a heart and never gave in to love. He just dated girls out of boredom and dumped them whenever he wanted.

Cole let out a sigh and walked out of the classroom without saying a word.

Cole was my best friend till a few days ago. We would have been laughing and teasing each other right now if he didn't treat me like whore. And the worse part was that he showed no remorse.

The jerk kissed me abruptly and continued to kiss me even when I resisted. Someone pulled me before he could advance. And till now I was still thankful to my hero. My heart got broken because I trusted him.

My phone buzzed as I fiddled with it. I quickly tap the screen notification hoping it was a message from Sam, my newfound crush. But to my disappointment, It was an email notification.

I checked and it was one of those strange emails—the ones I received from an unknown person. I received the email again, an email from "ohfuck". I checked and it was another one of his letters.

To: NuellaBBB

Hello,

I just can't stop it. I wish it would. I act stupid all the time so that I can let it stop. But it doesn't stop. I guess it is me again. I won't disturb you again.

Even though I understood nothing the email said, I was reluctant to block the sender. The mail always ended with I won't disturb you again. But it came eventually.

At first, I thought they were suicidal emails. But as I read every single one of them, I realized it was rather an important decision the person had to make. Maybe I was tripping. I tried hard to figure it out but it made no sense. The more I tried to understand, the less sense it made to me. They ended up being meaningless emails I enjoyed reading.

The emails did not come within any period. It just randomly popped up on my phone screen. Sometimes every day of the week. Sometimes once a month and other times once every two weeks. It varied from time to time. It hadn't come for about two weeks, and today it was finally here. I read the mail for the third time and slipped my phone back into my pocket.

"Nuella!!!" A voice pulled me out of my stupor. I turned and saw Elsa pacing in my direction.

"YOU won't BELIEVE THIS Nuella. Guess what?" Elsa shouted at the top of her voice as she ran into the classroom. Her black 4c hair was tied into an afro bun. She wore a pink T-shirt which was tucked stylishly into her black denim jeans.

"What is it?" I asked, with widen eyes. 

"This is huge," she said, fanning her face with her palm, flaunting her perfectly manicured nails.

"How huge is this, Elsa? Come on, tell me. The suspense is killing me" I said furrowing my brows. Elsa was a part of the school's editorial board. And she told the freshest and juiciest news.

"My prayers just got answered, Nuella. Chance is single again" Elsa said as we both jumped in excitement.

It looked so weird, right? But, Chance being single brought me happiness. I didn't necessarily want him. But I wanted him to be single for my happiness. His being single just made me happy.

Chance was just like Cole, both very handsome and the two notorious Princes of Fripz High. The only difference was that Cole amassed a lot of exes who hated him while Chance was adored, for whatever reason. Chance was in his final year at Fripz High school while Cole was in his second year just like me.

There was also another thing that made Chance so popular here in Fripz, 99.9% of girls on the school premises one way or another had a crush on him. A more reason why I didn't want him.

A day never went by without Elsa breaking the news about something new she discovered about Chance. I even knew his shoe size. His favourite colour and his favourite food.

"I hope I am his next girlfriend," Elsa said. "He has dated Mandy for too long, that cheating whore". I nodded in agreement with Elsa. Mandy cheated all the time. She even cheated on Chance with Cole Grey.

"Nuella," a voice I knew so well shouted out my name interrupting my conversation with Elsa. I checked and it was Cole. He was about ten meters away from me. And all eyes were on him now as a group of people gathered around him.

"Nuella Baiden" he shouted even louder this time, all eyes on me now. My name was a name everyone knew. I wasn't exactly one of the cool kids, but I was one of the popular kids since I attended every party and things took unexpected turns.

There were a lot of party girls but I was a bit special. I was a household name since I left a mark everywhere I went. I wrecked things unintentionally. I broke a lot of stuff; bottles, televisions, windows, porcelain, chandeliers, human heads and sometimes my bones. In short, I was accident-prone. The clumsy bitch.

Cole took a few steps closer and now he was about eight meters away from me. He knelt on his knees and stared into my face.

"I'm so sorry Nuella," Cole said bringing out a rose flower he hid behind him." Please forgive me. I know I've been a jerk and all that. I know I don't deserve to be in front of you. I know I don't deserve you but I still wanted you to know what I feel for you. I love you, Nuella to the point that my heart aches for you. I care about you so much and I want to be with you. You alone"

Cole moved closer with a smile plastered on his face. And all I did was stand still as strings of thought entangled and detangled continuously in my head. This is so embarrassing. What did this jerk think he is doing? Can y'all believe it? I knew he was messed up lately but he was taking things too far.

I was expecting an apology, not a confession. I stood there dumbfounded. He moved closer and closer till he was just two meters away from me. He let out a deep sigh and I already knew what was going to come next.

"Nuella, I promise to cherish, respect and love you with all my heart. I will make you the happiest woman on earth. Will you be my girlfriend?" Cole continued, a smile growing on his lips as he took my hands in his and put the rose in them.

Was he for real now? There was so much sincerity in those hazel eyes. The last time I saw him like this was when he talked about his dead mother. He must have gone insane.

The crowd around made cute noise. 'Kiss already', 'OMG, Cole is in love 'say yes already.

Maybe, I should just feign madness and run out.

At that moment, I wanted the earth to swallow me alive, I wanted to be shot. The crowd was too excited. I wish I had the power to vanish.

"Cole," I said. I couldn't continue because of the sudden uproar of the crowd that surrounded us. Everyone seemed to make way for the one person who approached us. I moved a little to the left and I saw the cause of the commotion.

Dark brown eyes, sharp jawline, sharp-pointed nose, short black hair, beautiful brown skin with the body of Zac Efron, it was no other than Chance Dee. The new single Chance Dee everyone adored. And I was shocked when I saw him walking towards us, his gaze on us. No! he was approaching me. Oh shit.

Chance walked closer and stood between Cole and me. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his teeth clenched. His jawline appeared sharper than ever. He looked pissed. His eyes scanned Cole and then back to me. Cole stood still not moving an inch.

Chance suddenly snatched the rose flower from my hands dropping it to the ground. He gently took my hands in his and pulled me out of the crowd.

Without uttering a word, he moved toward his car which was a red Corvette. He opened the door and I got in. We sat in the car in silence. He started the car and drove off. I was so relieved I got out of there but this situation was weirder. What was I doing in here and where the hell was Chance Dee taking me to?

It felt so weird sitting in his car. His expression was dark and he concentrated on driving, not sparing me a glance. He turned the music on so loud that I felt my ear drum explode. I watched how he moved his hand on the steering wheel and how his muscles did wonders from such simple action. He looked like a Greek God.

My eyes widened when the car stopped in front of my house. Chance got out of the car, walked to my side and opened the door. I got off his car.

That was so sweet, I thought.

"How did you know I lived here?" I asked with a smile on my lips. His eyes scanned me. And for some reason, he still looked angry. Without a word, he walked back into his car, slammed the door, started the car and took off.

H was acting like a Jerk but he was so sweet.