~∆~

Just like yesterday, I did not go home and ended up with multiple missed calls and messages from my mother. She wanted me home because my father was suddenly demanding my presence. I wasn't going to see his face anytime soon.

I parked my car in a free spot and got out with my backpack in my grip. I locked the car and turned around, only to pause at the sight of my brother, Axel, getting out of his car across the parking lot.

I tightened my hold on my backpack when I remembered all the times our father had hated me and compared me to him, as he was the perfect son. The one that brought a good reputation to the family name, the one that would take over the family business when the time came while I was the unwanted one.

It hurt each time I looked at him which was why I did everything possible to make Axel leave the house so I would get peace of mind whenever he wasn't around for him to be used as a yardstick.

I locked my car and walked away, heading toward the entrance of the school building. I had practice this morning and wasn't about to be late. I was not in the mood for any punishment from the coach.

I entered the school building and went straight to the locker room where I changed into my basketball shorts and shirt. The room was noisy with the voices of the other players, talking about our upcoming game or some of the girls on the cheer squad.

"Hamilton."

I looked over my shoulder to see the coach at the entrance of the locker room. I closed my locker and walked over to him.

"Yes, coach Jenkins?"

He narrowed his eyes at me, a frown on his face.

"Your father called me last night, asking where you were. Is there a problem at home, son?" He asked in a concerned tone.

"There's no problem at home, coach. I have not been able to go home for some days now. I just took a few days away, is that supposed to be a problem?" I asked with my eyebrow raised at him in question.

"You and I both know you're lying," he said in a strong tone of voice.

Coach Jenkins used to be my father's best friend. They attended Redside when they were younger and were two of the most popular people of their time. The coach had been the one to help me get on the basketball team through vigorous training. The only thing I hated about him was that he would always take my father's side since he always fed Jenkins bullshit about me.

"I don't want to talk about it, sir," I said and went back to my locker.

~∆~

The practice had been bad because almost everyone on the team was disorganized. There had even been some minor injuries and fights almost happened. Josh, being the captain had a problem with one of the players which resulted in us running around the basketball court fifty times. By the time we were done, everyone was exhausted and sweaty.

My muscles were strained and tight as I rushed to the locker room to wash off. I had to wait for everyone to be done before I used one of the shower cubicles.

As the cold jets of water dropped onto my body, I felt relaxed. While I showered, I thought about going back home to finally face my father, even though I knew what was waiting for me at home.

I heard the door of the locker room closing, making me wonder who was still around as I had been the only one left. I waited to hear their voice but nothing came so I continue to wash up.

After two minutes, I turned off the water and grabbed my towel then wiped my body. I wrapped the towel around my waist and took my other towel before stepping out of the cubicle.

I opened the bathroom door and exhaled out loud then started to wipe my wet hair with the towel.

"Coach hates us to punish all of us for what that bastard of a captain did," I said in slight anger.

I made my way to my locker while focusing on trying to dry my hair. As I was about to take the towel off my head, I heard a noise behind me. I stopped and furrowed my eyebrows then spun around. My eyes widened at the sight of a girl close to the entrance.

The girl before me had to be the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen. She had long dark hair that fell past her shoulders, with a few locks framing her face, a few locks were wet and stuck to her forehead. Her eyes were big and wide with shock all over her small face. Her lips were plump and parted as she stared at me. My eyes swept over her body, even in her odd outfit of long black skirt and shirt, I could still see the shape of her body.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to understand what a girl was doing in such a place. I smirked when I realized that she might be one of the player's girls or one of the cheerleaders.

"Who are you? Are you one of the booty calls for someone here? If you are, I'd like to have a taste first. You are the perfect picture of a few of the guy's fantasies here," I said and ran my tongue over my upper teeth, finding the way she pouted cutely. I smirked when a cute frown appeared on her face.

"I am not any of that. Just let me out of here," she said, her nose in the air.

"Out? Why don't you wait a few more minutes, hm?" I asked and took a step forward. I stopped when she pushed her body up against the wall. I continued to step toward her and stopped until I was very close to her.

I raised my hand to take a lock of her hair but stopped when she stiffened. I needed to know who this girl was. There was something about her that got my attention.

"What's your name?" I asked and leaned closer. She was so short, only reaching my neck.

"J-Jackie," She answered in a soft voice.

I placed my right hand on the wall close to her head and I noticed how she straightened up. My eyes traced her face, taking note of the little freckles on her cheeks and nose. I shifted my gaze to her lips, which were pink and plumpy.

"Jackie," I said, testing her name on my tongue. "Tell me, are you here for someone?"

I needed to know if I could have her for myself.

"No, I'm not." She bowed her head, hiding her eyes away from me.

"Look up at me," I demanded and she raised her head. Her light brown eyes met mine and I felt a warm feeling go through my body.

Everything about this girl was so beautiful. I could sense a little innocence in her which made me want to ruin it. Her innocence attracted something primal inside of me.

"You sure you aren't here for someone because the way you're looking at me tells me otherwise. Are you a new cheerleader here and is this some sort of roleplay between you and one of the players on the team? Dressed up like a nerd to have locker room sex with one of us?"

I was a jerk and I knew it. This girl before me had to be one of my teammate's girls I need for a special time. She was better looking than the girls at Redside High, so she had to be one of the bad ones, I suppose.

"Uh..."

I sensed she didn't know my name, which was surprising for me. Everyone knew my name.

"Lucas... My name's Lucas Hamilton."

An emotion crossed her face which made me realize she knew me. Her eyes moved around my body, sizing me up whilst looking thoughtful. When she furrowed her perfectly shaped eyebrows, I got worried and placed my hand on her shoulder, making her flinch slightly.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I... Please, just let me out of here." She sounded scared and I felt tempted to ask her how she got in there.

The door opened and I glanced at it. Josh stood at the entrance with a key in his hand, staring between the both of us. He blinked hard and focused his gaze on the girl.

"Aren't you Jackie Garner? What are you doing here? Mr. Rowland is about to start the test," Josh said.

"Thank you so much!" Jackie excitedly said and ran out of the locker room.

"What was she doing in here?" Josh asked, looking out into the hallway.

"I don't know. I just saw her here. Do you know her?"

I was interested in her and wanted to know more about her. She intrigued me so much that I would not be at peace until I had her in my bed.

"Don't even think about it, man. She's not that type of girl. She's the good type, don't even think of ruining the good ones," he warned and I smirked.

"Oh, come on. You don't know that. She might just be pretending and all that shit," I retorted and he glared at me.

"Man, you have got to stop being a whore," Josh said, shoving me aside.

I bit my lip, thinking about Jackie. I turned around and spotted something on the floor, under the bench. I walked over to it and saw it was the back of a phone. I picked it up and turned it over. The screen was cracked almost everywhere. I pushed the power button and saw a screensaver of Jackie.

A few seconds after staring at the old phone, an idea crossed my mind.

A/n: It's so fun writing back to what happened at the beginning of When Bad Boys Fall, especially from another point of view and how Jackie lost her phone.