I woke up early to the alarm I set last night. After getting ready in a simple knee-length skirt and shirt, I left my room with my new beige backpack and the belongings I had taken from Leigh yesterday. I made sure to drop them by his doorstep, expecting someone to find them since the keys I left were not in their designated spot.

Regardless, I wasn't surprised that he didn't come knocking on my door last night. He must hate me as much as I hate him. So I hurried downstairs and made myself some extra tea before leaving home, confident that I would make it to school on time and mark my attendance.

In the hallway, Arlen Garret approached my locker, looking fabulous in his neat black leather jacket and boots, just like always. I found myself blushing at the sight of the cute boy facing me.

"Hey, Ava," he greeted me.

"Hi," I nervously replied, shifting and closing my locker door.

Smiling, he ran his fingers through his perfect hair. Damn, he's gorgeous. "We didn't talk much since Tyron's party," he said.

"Yes, we didn't. I'm sorry I didn't ask, how's your shirt? Did it get real damage?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"No, they couldn't save it," he replied quietly. I instantly felt guilty for ruining his outfit. "But how about you help me look for a replacement this Friday after school?" he added, seeming a bit nervous.

With a furrowed forehead, I looked at him, puzzled. "Pardon?" What exactly does 'helping a handsome junior and Hills High football player search for a replacement shirt' mean? Honestly, I'm not that intelligent when it comes to such matters.

"Maybe you could accompany me to a men's clothing store to find a new shirt," he explained slowly.

Chewing on my lip, I could feel my face flushing as I agreed to his invitation. Arlen is a nice guy, and I didn't think there would be any harm in hanging out with him on Friday.

I made my way to class before the lectures began, finding Evie sitting beside me as usual. We attentively listened to the human geography lesson.

I was intensely focused when it happened. My soon-to-be stepbrother, Leigh, showed up in a cheetah jacket and jeans and asked the teacher for permission to talk to me privately.

Part of me wanted to say no, to run away and hide, but I knew that wouldn't be the reasonable thing to do. So, I chose the civilized option and followed Leigh outside the classroom, trying to appear like peaceful siblings. However, that illusion shattered within seconds. As soon as we stepped out, Leigh grabbed my wrist and forcefully dragged me to the end of the hall, pushing me into a small room, which I suspected was meant for the janitor. After closing the door, he didn't hold back his aggression and pinned me against the wall.

"What's the point of this confrontation?" I asked, my curiosity overpowering my fear as I stared at him.

"Tell me, what the fuck was that shit you pulled yesterday?" he practically barked in my face.

"What are you talking about?" I responded, trying to act casually despite the thousands of butterflies fluttering in my stomach and my irregular heartbeat.

He stared at me with intense anger. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I continued to lie, maintaining a firm demeanour.

"Don't fucking lie because I know it was you who locked me in. You were the only one left in the house. Ava, what is your fucking problem with me? Fucking answer me," his voice filled with boiling rage, sending chills of horror down my spine. I wanted to escape.

"Stop swearing at me and get out of my way," I managed to say, my breath shaky.

"You have to answer me," his gaze fixed on me, making my skin feel like it was on fire.

"I don't have a problem with you. Now get out of my way," I repeated, growing irritated with his persistent behaviour.

"Or what?" he rudely questioned.

"I will make you," I angrily shot back.

"We both know you can't leave this place until I let you. You can't even touch my fingers without losing control of your breathing. What is your fucking deal with me?" When those words left his lips, I felt more than embarrassed. I felt emotionally hurt. I felt sad and angry at myself for letting him get inside my head. So, I pushed him away with my arms and made a move for the doorknob, but I wasn't fast enough. He pulled me back by my shoulder to my previous position.

"You are going to answer my question right here, right now. I'm tired of you messing around with my life. I was done with that shit a long time ago. I don't need another person to fuck with," he wrathfully stared at me.

Scoffing, I shook my head. "Messing with your life? I'm messing with your life? You're insane. You're antagonizing me. This will be the last time I warn you, move out of my way." Even in my extreme anger, those stupid butterflies in my stomach wouldn't go away.

"What could you possibly do?" he raised an eyebrow quizzically, questioning my abilities.

"I'm sorry," I innocently pleaded.

Suddenly, confusion clouded his expression, and he stared blankly at me. "For what?"

"For this," I said, and I swiftly drove my knee between his legs, colliding with his groin. His grip on my shoulder released as he doubled over in pain, clutching himself. Seizing the opportunity, I quickly escaped the small room and ran as fast as I could to the nearest restroom. There, I calmed my breathing before returning to class.

The rest of the day went by with Embry avoiding all the girls from lunch until closing time. She hurried down to the car park as soon as she could, attempting to slip away from the girls' knowledge. I noticed her, so I stood by her car with a smile on my face.

"Hey, I haven't seen you the whole day. What's up?" I said to her.

"What's up with you? You look hideously gloomy. Now move away from my car," she pushed me aside and jumped into the driver's seat, then drove away.

I stared at her red car as it disappeared into the distance when someone's arm landed on my shoulder. "Did anyone tell you that you look just like Taylor Swift?" Evie complimented me.

I smiled and shrugged off Embry's mean remarks while Evie continued to admire my new hairstyle. Eventually, we arrived at Eagle Hills.

"This is your house?" she asked, her mouth hanging open.

"Not quite. Let's say it's Christian Boyce's house," I replied, inviting her inside.

"This is so luxurious, Ava. People say the Boyces are rich, and that explains the Bugatti and Range Rover for underage kids," she said in awe. "What will you be getting for your sixteenth birthday? A Porsche or a Rolls Royce?"

"What? I can guarantee you I might not even get a bicycle," I rolled my eyes at the thought. I was certain that my mom wouldn't give me a car, even when I'm thirty years old.

Laughing, we headed upstairs and spent hours going through books and mimicking karaoke songs on my radio while enjoying our beverages.

"Leigh's room is right across from yours, isn't it?" Evie blushed as she asked.

I shrugged and took a sip of my tea. "Yes," was all I said.

In reality, I wished I could make him move to another room, or perhaps I could move to a different one.

"That's just life's way of blessing you, Ava," she chuckled, but deep down, I knew it felt more like torture. Evie stayed for a while, and when she left, it was around six, just as my mom arrived back home.

"I thought maybe you could... um..." I nervously started, standing by the worktop while my mom made dinner.

"What? I'm listening," Mom paused and gave me a steady glare, which made me more tense.

"Maybe you could start giving me some money. It's sad when I can't even pay for a drink for myself," I pouted.

"Interesting... so you want me to pay you?" Mom responded, comprehending my request.

"Yes."

"And what do you do for me in return?" she questioned, furrowing her eyebrows.

Now here we go. "Seriously? You're my mother," I whined.

"Seriously? You're my daughter," she imitated my reaction, almost causing me to roll my eyes. "Now, here's your tea." She held out a cup of my tea, and I eagerly grabbed it, taking a sip of the delicious tea for the fifth time today, even though it wasn't Twinings.

Both Lilith and Leigh didn't attend dinner. I might be the reason behind their absence. Christian was a bit confused but let it go as my mom continued telling him about the nurses in her department.

---

Wednesday was the same as the previous day, following my usual routine of making it to school. After literary analysis, I spent most of my free period in the library, finishing up some work. When lunchtime arrived, I headed to the cafeteria to get my food. I was about to head either to the locker room or somewhere more private when Embry called out to me, loud and clear.

Turning, my jaw instantly dropped. The girls were sharing a table with the cheetahs. Embry was sitting next to Leigh, just the way I hated it. What the actual fuck?

"Come over here," she continued waving her hands as if I were blind and needed demonstrations, oblivious to the eyes in the cafeteria now focused on their table.

With each step I took, I pleaded with myself to stay calm, relaxed, and carefree. Leigh wasn't worth it. I sat next to Suri, who was concentrating on her phone, trying to avoid a long blonde boy sitting beside her. Quinn sat between Harry and Lord Zachary, I was pretty sure.

Lilith looked terribly pale as she hurriedly shoved her food, and she was sitting beside a guy I didn't know. Well, there were a lot of guys I didn't know around here.

The question was, why were we sharing a table with the boys?

"Hey, Ava," Arlen said.

"Hey," I returned the warm smile he gave me.

"It's the prettiest English girl herself," Tyron held up his fist for a bump, and I went for it, mentally hoping his hand didn't go anywhere I didn't want to imagine.

"Just like in the days when you're the king and the queen is by your side," Embry murmured seductively to Leigh, who ignored her and continued shoving bread into his mouth. I would have laughed if I weren't so irritated and angry.

I tried to control my annoyance, but it was difficult when Embry acted like a bitch. Why had I agreed to join this table in the first place?

"Friday is just around the corner," Arlen reminded me as he continued eating his chips.

"Yes, I marked it on my calendar," I blushed. Well, great, now all the girls' eyes were on me, looking at me blankly and confused, just like my dear soon-to-be stepbrother.

Leigh seemed incredibly interested in my conversation with Arlen that he couldn't contain his curiosity.

"What's happening on Friday?" he asked, glancing between Arlen and me. The table was noisy with the teammates discussing the homecoming game.

"Ava and I... well..." Arlen seemed to struggle with his words, so I mustered up some courage and looked Leigh in the eyes.

"We are going shopping and probably grabbing dinner because we might be hungry after all. Every pedestrian needs comfort after a long day," I answered, and my words seemed to have the desired effect. Leigh appeared to swallow more than necessary, his jaw clenching sharply. With a warm smile, I looked back at Arlen, whose cheeks turned a faint shade of red as he smiled back at me.

"What the fuck? You and her? Are you fucking kidding me? I talked to her first. I was so close," Tyron pouted, and Arlen chuckled at him.

Feeling relieved that I could still feel the girls' eyes on me, including Lilith's, I lowered my eyes to my food, making sure my hair shielded me from their gazes. But then Leigh unexpectedly uttered, "Oops, maybe I misheard, but your mom told my dad that you and Lilith are repaying her for the mint plant you took from her garden, and you're doing that on Friday after school." Leigh seemed unconcerned as he drank from his juice.

"What?" I exclaimed simultaneously with Lilith.

Glancing my way, Lilith angrily asked me, "You told her we took it?"

"It's pretty obvious someone snatched a pot from an organized row," I shrugged and shook my head at her.

"What the fuck?" Lilith practically yelled, causing the whole table to turn their eyes between the two of us.

"I told her this morning when she asked," Leigh clarified, clearing Lilith's accusation against me. Just then, the hottest girl in Hills High walked over to our table in her cheetah cheerleading outfit, leading a group of girls behind her. She stopped by Leigh, handed him a textbook, and planted a peck on his cheek before giggling. "Let's do it again when you're free," she said to my unbelievable big brother, and with that, she walked away, leaving not just me, but the entire table and cafeteria in shock.

"What the fuck?" Lilith broke the silence.

"Whoa, bro. I am minding my business," the muscular guy from the team said, his palm against his mouth.

"I'm out of here," Lilith angrily grabbed her tray and left the table. I was sure she had enough of the unbelievable events taking place at this unfortunate table, just like I had.

Leigh remained neutral and continued eating his lunch as if nothing had happened. It was as if he hadn't just caused Embry a heart attack, sitting next to her. Or made Lilith mad at him for making her believe the "Leibry" ship was about to sail, only to cruelly sink in our eyes.

Believe me when I say I was confused too, and I needed an explanation. The whole time Leigh disappeared last night, he was with Sofia Halt. Why? But then again, I fought the urge to laugh at Embry's woeful face, biting hard on my cheeks to prevent myself from bursting into laughter.

And then, as Embry's eyes darted in my direction, she shot me a bitchy look. "Hey Ava, I wonder why you went for a Brazilian wax on Monday. It's not like nuns are allowed to have sex, or are they? I saw some on porn sites, though," Embry launched a grenade at me, and countless eyes turned in my direction.

What the fuck? Did she just say that?

I heard Suri and Quinn asking Embry why she needed to attack me so crudely. I also heard her telling them to mind their fucking business. She was just talking to the mother's superior, she said.

Though I was shocked, I couldn't look anywhere. Every word echoed in my ears, trailing lower. My vision became blurry as I stared at my almost untouched lunch.

Fingers wrapped around my forearm, leading me through the eyes of every student in Hills High and back to the empty hallways, eventually reaching the entrance door to the car park. Tears freely poured down my face as Leigh guided me into his car and fastened my seatbelt. I didn't know where we were going, but I didn't want to ask, knowing that as soon as I spoke, I wouldn't be able to stop the sobs that would follow.

We drove for a very long time until the tears dried on my cheeks, leaving me miserably quiet next to someone I didn't want to be close to. When Leigh finally parked, it was in an unknown location, somewhere that didn't resemble Las Vegas much, with no roads and long-distance mountains with sand everywhere.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Somewhere far from dilemmas," he responded, getting out of the car and leaving me puzzled.

I stepped out, following him as he rested on the car's bonnet. "Why am I here, Leigh?" I asked again.

"Don't think, don't worry. I drove you away from all the stress. Now you can have some air here," he said, patting the space beside him.

Sitting next to him, I sighed, facing the beautiful view ahead of us. "No, Leigh, I carried it along with me," I whispered hopelessly. Leigh's eyes met mine, filled with a thousand questions.