g w e n:

"You weren't expecting that were you?"

I looked up at Calum, whose desk was now attached to mine as we started to work on our semester project, a slew of papers strewn across our two desks.

I shook my head, "why me? You could've had anyone as a partner but you chose me."

Calum shrugged, "I know your name."

"I'm the new girl, and you've been here for how long? I'm pretty sure you know the majority of names in this classroom," I expressed, feeling annoyed with him.

"You caught me," Calum threw his hands up in defeat, "I do know their names... but I don't care about them."

"And you care about me?" I raised a brow, "I don't think so."

"I care about anyone who has the power to turn in a criminal but doesn't," Calum spoke, "you intrigue me Gwen Guzman. Your polished look, your good girl demeanor... you're hiding something."

"Why does my outer appearance mean that I'm hiding something? You don't know me," I told him.

"Don't know you yet... but I will," Calum grinned at me, biting his plump lips as if the gesture would make me crumble to my knees.

But I knew better than to trust a bad boy.

"So um, which novel did you want to read for the project?" I asked, changing the subject. "I was thinking 1984 or A Scarlett Letter?"

I decided to put all my energy into my schoolwork; especially this project. I didn't know what Calum was up to, and I didn't want to waste my time finding out. He was a distraction, and I couldn't let myself succumb to that.

"Eh," was all Calum said.

I let out a sigh, "okay? What about Catcher in the Rye?"

"Over my dead body," Calum sneered.

"Adventures of Huckleberry Fin?"

"Stupid,"

"The Great Gatsby?"

"Rich white people problems,"

"Calum," I grew very annoyed with his attitude, "can you please take this seriously? I need to do well in this class and you're not helping me accomplish that."

"Wuthering Heights," he said.

"Wuthering Heights?" I repeated, looking at the boy before me. His choice confused me. I didn't peg Calum as someone who would enjoy this type of novel-- honestly, I couldn't imagine Calum enjoying any type of novel, period.

As I gazed at him, I noticed that his neck tattoos creeped out of his collared shirt and I wondered what it was. His eyes were so dark they looked black, and he had this aura about him that I couldn't quite read.

Calum raised his hand, "professor, Gwen Guzman and I want Wuthering Heights."

"Uhm we kinda chose that book already," a boy from the other side of the classroom announced, prompting Calum to snap his head in the direction of the boy, sending him death glares.

"No, you didn't," Calum seethed, his eyebrows narrowed in on the frightened boy whose knees rattled in fear.

"You're right," the boy croaked, "we actually chose The Grapes of Wrath."

Calum let out a smirk, clearly satisfied. I however, was disgusted with his actions. Controlling someone through fear was careless; it was something Hitler did in his time and we all know how that ended.

"You can't just do that," I scolded.

"Do what Gwen?" Calum scowled, as if he didn't know what he did was wrong.

"You can't just scare someone to get things to go your way. If we're going to be partners in this project then can we please lay down some rules," I pleaded.

He groaned, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms across his chest, "what kind of rules? No cursing? Sharing is caring? No elbows on the desks?"

I grew silent. Calum was mocking me; poking fun of my image and the way I portrayed myself. I may not take risks often and I may not do things normal teenagers do like experiment with alcohol or sneak out, but I liked myself. And it sucked to be made fun of for being a good kid.

"What now? Did I hurt your precious feelings Gwen? Did I strike a nerve?" Calum quipped, his voice full of distaste. "Well get used to it because life's going to bring you down... a lot. You can't be some naive little girl for the rest of your life and you can't keep your head in the clouds, pretending life is some kind of fairytale with a happily ever after. So before you get your dreams crushed, do yourself a favor and grow up because happy endings don't exist here."

At this point my eyes were brimming with tears. My feelings were hurt, no lie. Criticism I could take if it was constructive and given to me as a means to improve. Calum however, took everything I stood for, stuck it in a blender, added a cup of acid and pulverized it into slush.

I blinked, causing the tears that lined my waterline to dribble down my cheeks. I turned my head away so Calum couldn't see and wiped them away with the back of my hand. I'm usually not one to skip out on class early but I was humiliated. I felt like a kicked dog and while Calum had no right to make me feel this way, he managed to do so.

"I'm not working with you anymore," I said quietly, but still loud enough so he could hear. I started to pack up my things, throwing them into my bag.

"What?! Are you serious Gwen? Don't leave, good Lord, can't you take a little honesty?" Calum testified. I ignored him and continued to pack up my belongings.

"Miss Guzman, why are you packing up? There's still thirty minutes left of class," Professor Duncan approached.

I looked up at her, my eyes red and puffy, "I don't feel good."

"Sweetie are you alright?" she asked. By this point the entire class had stopped what they were doing and all attention was geared towards me. My back heated up and my heartbeat pumped faster.

"I have to go," my voice cracked slightly, and I could feel the tears begin to form again. I slung the strap around my body, standing up from the desk. Before the fresh set of tears could fall, I hastily walked out of the room.

I made my way down the empty hallway, trying to locate the girl's restroom. The school was huge and I still have yet to figure out where everything was, so I wandered down random halls. The bright florescent lights in addition to the soft echoes of my shoes padding along the linoleum floors somehow intensified the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach.

"Gwen!"

I turned on my heel, my eyes focusing to the end of the hall where Charlie was. She waved her arm in the air before running in my direction. Her long, black hair was pulled in to a high ponytail, and it swayed back and forth behind her.

"Hey, you okay? What did Calum do?" she questioned, the moment her feet met mine. She threw her hands to the top of her head, trying to catch her breath.

I shrugged, "he was just mocking me. Making me feel bad about myself."

"Ugh, figures," she groaned in disgust, "I'm sorry sweetie. He's an ass, a douchebag, a cup of sour-feet smelling piss."

"I just don't get why he'd be so mean to me when he's the one who requested to work with me in the first place," I expressed with a sigh, rubbing my temples in hopes to soothe the headache I was beginning to feel.

"Honestly, I don't know. He's got some kind of ulterior motive going on. Seriously? Why pick on the new, nice girl?" Charlie wondered out loud. "So are you going to ask Professor to give you a new partner? Maybe you can work with my partner and I as a trio?"

"The syllabus says that once partners are assigned we can't switch, but I'll talk to her after school. Maybe she'll make an exception," I hoped.

"You going to skip out on the rest of the day or..." her words faded and her lips formed a mischievous grin.

"No Charlie," I playfully hit her shoulder, "I'm not skipping the rest of the day, just this period. I have other classes with Calum though."

"Just ignore him and try to distance yourself for a while," Charlie advised, "he may actually come around. Calum is a bad boy now, but he wasn't always. I've known him for years and there was a time when he was everyone's friend... I'm pretty sure that Calum is somewhere still inside of him. He's just a lost soul."

"I hope you're right; it'd be great to see a nicer side of him," I stated. "Did he say or do anything when I left?"

"No," she shook her head, "he just stayed in his seat and was quiet... that's when I left to come find you."

"I see. And thanks by the way, for coming to talk to me," I smiled, "I feel a little better now."

"No problem. I know what it feels to be the new girl and I also know how it feels to be harassed by cute, intimidating boys," Charlie mentioned.

"Well, I--" I stopped mid-sentence, cocking my head to the side, "did you just say cute? Calum is intimidating, you got that right, but cute? Really?"

"Come on Gwen, everyone always has a thing for the bad boys. His tattoos, that piercing, his dark eyes... All girls secretly want the bad boy who's only nice to them, and all boys secretly want the good girl who's only bad for them. It's science," she declared matter-of-factly, confident in her theory.

I wasn't sure how I felt about Charlie's statement. I'm about as hopeless romantic as they come-- Taylor Swift and I could be best friends. I've seen A Walk to Remember and other films just like it: the good girl changes the bad boy who falls in love with her and despite their differences, they make it work. But those are movies; scripted by Hollywood's best.

Calum Hood was in no doubt a bad boy, and I will admit that he doesn't lack in the aesthetic department, but I couldn't see myself being attracted to him. There was still some kind of magnetic lure that kept me intrigued, but at the end of the day, I don't think I could trust him.

The rest of the school day went by as awkward as the epic hug between Lord Voldemort and Draco Malfoy at the end of the 7th Harry Potter film. Thank God Calum didn't try to talk to me once because I don't think I could've handled it. I still felt his presence though, and during class, I caught him looking over at me several times. He had the same scowl on his face, like he was the one who was upset with me, when it clearly should be the opposite.

After the last class of the day, I trudged back to Professor Duncan's classroom, trying to catch her before she headed out. When I stepped foot back into the room, she looked at me with concern. This was a sign, I had hoped, that meant sympathy.

I was wrong.

"Gwen, you're back," she smiled, "and I know why you're here, but no, I'm sorry, you can't switch partners, work with another group, or work alone. The syllabus clearly states this and although you and Mister Hood aren't off to a great start, I'm sure you two can find some common ground."

My head drooped, "I'm so disappointed."

"I'm sorry Gwen, but rules are rules," she gave me a pat on the back, "Calum may surprise you. He's actually a smart kid. Rough around the edges for sure, but he's nothing I know you wouldn't be able to handle. Promise."

"Okay Professor, if you say so," I sighed, feeling my stomach drop fifty feet at the thought of having to work with Calum for the rest of the semester.

"Well I have to go," she told me, "I took the bus this morning and if I don't get a move on the 331 will move on without me."

Professor Duncan laughed at her own pun, but I wasn't laughing myself. Not when I had forgot about my plans to go to the outreach center after class. The 450 bus normally left about 10 minutes after school ends and when I glanced down at the time on my phone, I saw that I only had 2 minutes to catch it.

So I ran.

Probably leaving my teacher confused as to why I suddenly launched myself out of her presence. I ran out the building doors, standing at the top landing of the large staircase. I looked out into the distance-- past the roaming students, past the green trees and past the parking lot, my eyes landed onto the street corner where bus 450 sat idle.

I ran again.

Faster this time. Down the steps and racing through the campus pathway. I sped pass my peers and I just knew that they were all staring at me with odd expressions painted on their faces. I made it to the main sidewalk, sprinting towards the big, white bus. Its doors swung close, the rear lights stopped blinking, and at a moment too soon, it drove off, leaving me with red cheeks and panting in the warm sun.

That's when he came.

"Need a ride?"

//

Oh no! Poor Gwen. I definitely know how she feels to be picked on for being the nice girl. No one used to understand me for being the good girl. I never wanted to change though because honestly, partying wasn't my thing-- and it still isn't. Unless it's with a close knit group of friends.

Anywaysss! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to vote, comment, and tell your friends about it.

I've decided to dedicate this chapter to the wonderful calumbreon who wrote A Brighter Day. It was one of the first fanfictions when I first joined Wattpad several months ago and it's still one of my favorites!

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