I wasn't prepared for this at all. Thanks to my stuck-up snobby roommate for not waking me up earlier, I had to rush out of my dorm room in roughly ten minutes wearing a wrinkled red sweatshirt with my hair completely disheveled. What's even worse is that I could make out the loud noises of screaming and screeching coming from the locker area near the hallway. The hysterical yelling grew louder as I came closer that I had to cover my ears.

What the actual fuck. Is this a paparazzi?

Girls were crowding around a certain someone, pushing against each other aggressively with their phones out as continuous screams filled the area. Heck, a few girls even fainted dramatically on the floor with idiotic smiles on their faces. Curiosity took over me as I tried to peek at whoever caused this huge commotion early in the morning to teach that person a lesson but I only caught a glimpse of blonde hair in front of the crowd. I cursed mentally about my short stature before proceeding to my locker to get my textbooks. Unfortunately, when I tried to squeeze into the crowd, I ended up getting squished against the lockers and I groaned in pain at the harsh impact.

"Oh my gosh! He's so cute! Look at all those dimples!"

"I'm so glad he's back in Rosewood! I've been wanting to see him!"

"Why did he came back just now?"

"Apparently, his family went to a vacation trip in Japan."

"Ohh! So that's why he'd always post selfie shots of him at different tourist spots!"

I ignored the glares and screams of protests from the other girls as I pushed through them forcibly. Finally, I was able to escape from the swarming fangirls. My eyes widened when I glanced at my wristwatch.

Forget about the textbooks, I'm gonna be late for class!

* * * * *

Meredith was back to giving me the cold shoulder again. She didn't talk or even spare me a glance during bio class, which really irked me. I thought that we were starting to warm up to each other but then we're back to zero again. I sighed.

So much for playing as the oh-so-friendly roommate.

I was cut off from my train of thoughts when I heard my name being called.

"Before we begin our quiz, Ms. Rockwell, can you explain the follicular phase again?" Ms. Smith asked as she gestured me to stand. I blinked in confusion as I rose up from the stool in a slow motion.

I heard Meredith sigh in disbelief, rubbing her temples before shooting me a hard glare.

"I'll help her with this one, Ms. Smith." She said, tugging on my jacket sleeve to make me sit back down before she stood up, maintaining her calm composure.

"During the follicular phase, the follicles are being stimulated by the follicle stimulating hormones from the pituitary gland. The granulosa cells of a mature follicle then release estorogen and the mature follicle releases a mature egg after the process of ovulation." She answered monotonously. Ms. Smith smiled in satisfaction.

"Very well said, Ms. Gabehart."

I huffed and crossed my arms as I turned my head away when she sat down.

"I didn't ask for your help." I grumbled.

"You looked like you needed it." I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"You're just being a show-off to the class about how much of a smart-ass you are." I shot back.

"Shut up. You have no idea what's going on in my mind." She argued. I jerked my head towards her, about to make a comeback when I felt a sharp flick of a finger against my forehead. I groaned and rubbed the sore spot.

"What was that for?" I whined.

"If you don't want getting any help from me, then pay attention in class, you idiot." She scolded. I only glared at her in response before focusing on the discussion. Out of the corner of my eye, I didn't fail to notice the hidden smile plastered across her lips.

* * * * *

Jack and I continued our planning on the mini diorama project during algebra class. I cut off pieces of cardboard paper to put it together to form a building while Jack started formulating different graphs for the infrastructures.

"How many schools should I make?" I asked as I began applying acrylic paint on the hand made building. Jack glanced at my work briefly.

"Just make it two. And also, can you start painting the rough sketch of the roads that I did on the illustration board?" He inquired.

"I'm on it." Jack had told me about his anxiety towards girls so I made sure to create a good distance from him, sitting across him on the floor, cross-legged. At first, I find it funny since I've seen how he acted around girls a few times whenever I'd encounter him at the hallway. He had a habit of fidgeting with his fingers as well as avoiding eye contact which is common among introverts. Although, seeing him gradually loosen up to me made me feel proud of being able to help him feel at ease.

"Do you wanna come to my dorm tomorrow to continue our project since it's a saturday? " He asked curiously.

"Sure but wouldn't your roommate feel disturbed?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He's a pretty chill guy and all he does is playing video games anyway." He said with a shrug.

"He sounds pretty laid-back. What's his name?"

"Levi Jackson. I'm sure you've heard or witnessed what happened earlier since he's the one who caused the big commotion and he's the reason why the locker area was swarming with his huge fan club." He said, letting out a long sigh. My eyes widened in shock.

"Woah, what?! He's the reason behind that?" Jack nodded.

"Why do you sound so shocked?" I cracked my knuckles as I huffed in annoyance.

"The nerve of that guy! Once I cross paths with him, I'll kick the shit out of him!" I growled. Jack looked extremely baffled.

"Um, did something happen?"

"Yes, definitely. If it wasn't for his stupid fangirls, my ribs wouldn't be in pain right now! Not to mention that it still hurts. Why is he so popular anyway?"

"His popularity grew rapidly when he was in freshman as his exceptional talent in soccer grew and became known as the star player in the team. His charismatic behavior have captured the hearts of many girls in Rosewood which is why he had to deal with their love confessions almost everyday."

"What the hell? So he's a playboy after all!" I exclaimed. Jack waved his hands in front of him in defense.

"No, he's not that type of guy. In fact he hasn't dated anyone since freshman and all the girls are literally battling against each other for the entitlement as Levi's first girlfriend."

"Psh. That just sounds stupid. Girls should give up on him. He's not even worth it." I said casually. Jack gave me a timid smile.

"Um, Ash? This is my childhood friend we're talking about." My eyes suddenly became the size of dinner plates.

"Say what now? Why would you even hang out with a douche bag like him? He would just corrupt your innocent soul!" I exclaimed dramatically as I waved my arms around comedically to emphasize my point. Jack stared at me weirdly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about but Levi's not a douche bag. You'll eventually warm up to him when he reveals his true personality." I scrunched my nose in disgust.

"Over my dead body. I will never trust a playboy. I already know his strategy. He'll just coax and hypnotize me with sweet nothings and treat me like a princess and say those famous cliche lines in romantic movies like, 'Oh, you're the most beautiful person I've ever met, you're the only one I'll ever love!' Or like, 'Your eyes shone like the brightest star in the night sky and there is nothing I can compare it to!' Well? That's just how he is, right?" I said with a smirk. Jack stared at me, dumbfounded before shaking his head in dismay.

"Ash, you dwell too much in fantasies. Try to look beneath the surface and you'll soon realize it." I raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"You're not making any sense at all, math genius."

* * * * *

Sitting back against the tree, I opened the novel I borrowed from the library as Mason and Soren sat on the picnic mat.

"The drama club's auditions will be happening on monday during lunch time, will you guys watch my performance?" Mason asked as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"Of course, man. We wouldn't miss it for the world." Soren said, nudging him on the shoulder. I nodded with a smile.

"Yeah. We'll be rooting for you. What's the title of the upcoming play of the drama club anyway?"

"We'll be doing Hamilton. One of the best Broadway musicals ever known in the whole world." Mason said, grinning from ear to ear. My eyes lit up.

"Really?! That's one of my favorite plays! You see, I'm a huge fan of musicals!"

"Woah, that's sick Ash! Never thought we have something in common up until now!" He offered me a fist bump which I approved happily.

"So, what's the role that you wanted to take?" Soren asked. Mason then stood up and placed his hands on his hips proudly as if he had done something heroic.

What's your name, man?

Alexander Hamilton
My name is Alexander Hamilton
And there's a million things I haven't done
But just you wait, just you wait

My fangirl instincts began kicking in when Mason began singing his lines, moving his arms around gracefully and his voice suddenly sounded so much like the main character, Alexander Hamilton. When he finished singing, I whooped loudly and clapped my hands vigorously.

"Bravo, bravo! You rock, Mason Adams! I'm officially your number one fan!" I cheered as Mason chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.

"Gee, thanks Ash."

"That was hella awesome, dude! Once you're on stage, you'll have the spotlight all for yourself!" Soren said, giving him a two thumbs up. Mason grinned.

"You guys are the best."

* * * * *

I stood in front of the bulletin board for what seemed like forever, squinting my eyes at each and every paper filled with different slots.

Basketball club.

Art club.

Drama club.

Glee club.

Volleyball club.

I sighed in defeat. No matter how long I tried to look at it, neither of the clubs captivated my interest. Looking at the other students, they'd immediately write down their names on a certain slot in less than a minute. I frowned sadly. Everyone in Rosewood is so physically gifted. But what could I offer? Eventually, I gave up and walked away with a deflated expression and my shoulders slumped down.

Oh, well. There's still a next week anyway. I'll just go and watch Soren's soccer practice.

The soccer field was right in front of the classroom. As I walked closer, the big grass field grew larger and I could hear faint whistles and yells echoing. Narrowing my eyes, I could distinguish boys doing shooting practice as soccer balls whizzed towards the goal area everytime. I grinned widely upon spotting a redhead by the goal line as I immediately knew it was Soren.

"Eyes on the ball, Rockwell!" A tall brunette man instructed sternly by the sidelines with his arms crossed which I guess is the coach of the boys' soccer team.

A soft sigh escaped from my lips as nostalgic memories flashed through my mind instantly, reminiscing the times when I scored my first goal, got my first championship trophy and when I got my first MVP medal. I quickly shook my head.

I shouldn't be thinking about that anymore.

Soren formed into a goalkeeper stance, his knees bent and his arms spread apart as his eyes were narrowed in concentration on the ball. When the next player kicked the ball, Soren did a dive to the right side and caught the ball with perfect timing before his body landed on the ground gracefully.

"Good save, good save!" One of the players exclaimed as he clapped his hands. The coach then blew his whistle.

"Alright, shooting practice is over! We'll move on to the practice game this time. Show me what you all got if you want to be part of the team! I have high expectations to all of you!"

"Yes, coach!" They chorused. While the coach was deciding the teams, I went to the bleachers and sat down. Taking out my laptop, I opened it to continue on my narrative essay.

I'd occasionally glance at the field whenever something interesting happens like when one of the players execute a perfect scissors technique against the opponent or when someone scores an astonishing goal on target. Rosewood was a very solid team as I expected. All of them were exceptionally talented and physically gifted at heart. Their performance is similar to that of the professional athletes; calm, composed, and graceful. Returning my attention back to my laptop, I continued typing.

Better finish this so that I didn't have to cram everything during the weekend.

"Watch out!" A desperate cry from the brunette coach scared the shit out of me and before I could process as to what's going on, I felt a harsh impact against my head and I yelped in pain. Luckily, my reflexes are quick as I used my elbow to support my weight from collapsing on the steele bleacher. A loud thudding sound caught me off guard and my eyes widened in shock upon seeing my laptop on the ground, a tiny crack visible on the upper right corner of the screen which is already pitch black. I glanced at the soccer ball beside me.

So, I've been hit by a soccer ball?

Ignoring the dizziness I felt from the impact, I climbed down the bleachers to check on my laptop as I began to grow panicky about the situation. I could hear loud murmurs and footsteps coming closer but I paid no attention to it as my eyes remained glued on my laptop. Luckily, I was able to turn it on and the screen was set to home screen. I sighed in relief and checked on my english folder to look for my essay file. Upon clicking on the folder, I blinked in confusion. Convinced that I was hallucinating, I rubbed my eyes.

No.. Oh, no, no, no, no, no!

Leaning closer to the laptop screen and narrowing my eyes, my mouth hung open in shock.

Behold, the empty content of my english folder.

My eye twitched in annoyance as my hands balled into fists, my knuckles turning white. I feel like strangling someone to death. Or even burying someone alive. No pun intended.

"What the hell, Jackson! You just hit the poor girl!"

"I know, I know! I'm gonna apologize now, alright?" Looking up, I saw a guy running up to me, his blonde hair was cut straight across in a no-nonsense style. His hair was parted on the left side and combed straight across to reach ear top level on the right side. His clear blue eyes were glued onto me as he ran. Glancing at the bleachers, I took the soccer ball and dropped it on the ground and shot Levi a cold glare. I was in a really bad mood now.

So that's Levi Jackson, huh? He doesn't even look handsome at all. Not in the slightest bit.

"Oh! Thanks for getting the ball for us. Now, I just wanted to say I'm so--" Loud gasps were heard among the boys' team after I kicked the ball right at Levi's face with incredible force that caused him to stagger backward before collapsing on the ground, groaning in pain. I smirked. Serves him right.

Wow, I really kicked the shit out of him.

"Oohh! You just got roasted by a girl, Jackson! Get burned!" I heard one of his team mates hollered from afar as whoops and cheers resounded in the background. Levi grunted as he struggled to sit up, staring at me in shock while pinching his now bloody nose. He flinched when I gave him a menacing glare.

"H-Hey, how did you..?" I didn't let him finish his sentence as I pick up my laptop, turned my heel and stormed out of the soccer field.

"Woah, wait a minute! I'm talking to you, redhead girl! I said wait up!" I ignored his pleas as I jogged all the way to the classroom until I could barely hear him anymore. Since it's already dismissal time anyway, I headed to my dorm room. Plopping my laptop down onto my desk, I opened the window and leaned my head forward then took a sharp intake of breath.

"I hate you, Levi Jackson!"

ʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔʕ•ﻌ•ʔ

A/N: Woohoo! Finally, the chapter I've been waiting for! I hope yall enjoyed reading it! Look forward to the next chapter and see what happens next!

Word count: 2878