*8 years ago*
~RHEA
"Landon!" I collapsed against the wall next to the boys toilet as my best friend puts on his compression sleeves. "Do you have a date for the twilight prom?"
He scrunched up his face. "Rhea. Prom's like a month away. Shouldn't you be worried about the basketball matches we have"
"I know. I'm taking my chance while i can"
He chuckled, putting on his sneakers and leading the way down the hall.
"Who knew you'd ask me to be your date" he teased in his stupid cocky voice. "Everybody wants this handsome bad boy. Including the great Rhea Patel".
I rolled my eyes, following him, since we were both going to the court. "Can you for once be less annoying".
But all I heard was his snort and, "No. If i do, i won't get to make you beg me which would be epic by the way."
Twilight prom was like every other prom except it was happening on Halloween and movie night and graduating students don't necessarily have to bring dates from the school. Oh, and the girls get to ask the guys, and I wanted to take the safe route by asking a friend.
Students scurried around us, rushing to their classes, some, to the court, and I held the strap of my duffel bag on my shoulder as I jump to smack his neck. "Ungrateful cunt, i saved your ass from your parents wrath 2 days ago. Show some appreciation would ya".
But he narrowed his eyes, giving me a mischievous look. "Are you sure Kaden's not going to destroy my beautiful limbs? Isn't he your secret boyfriend"
I swear I'll kick his balls one day.
But he did have a good point, Kaden would be pissed i wasn't asking him instead, but Kaden might say no. And something like, "i find these thing, boring and stupid. Don't go". But it's my prom.
"Come on Landon. You're the only one I can ask" I nudged his shoulder.
"No I am not"
We both stopped at the door to the court, he spun around pinning me with a forced smile. "If you can't ask Kaden then ask someone else." Annoying! I averted my eyes and crossed my arms. "You're asking me because you think everyone hates you and you hate everyone else, except Malena and I. You are beautiful and talented. Every guy would be honored to be your date" he argued.
"I know right" I replied with a mischievous smile. "Every guy including you".
He rolled his eyes, said "ugh" and face palmed himself. Landon liked making conclusions about me and thought telling me straight up proved he is was good friend. Why do it your friend doesn't like it? Not that he wasn't a good friend. I just didn't like that part of him.
"Rhea," he lowered his voice, "Sweetie you're beautiful. Long black hair, a perfect body no guy can ignore and the prettiest blue eyes in the country. You're gorgeous and amazing."
The minute i heard the coach's whistle i shifted in my sneakers, gripping the handle of my duffle tighter.
"And you my dear are my favorite male human in this cursed school", I retorted. "I am going to prom with you. Period."
"Alright," he murmured. "It's a stupid date." And then he spun around, heading for the court without waiting for me. He's pissed.
Still, I grinned, feeling relaxed a bit. I was no doubt taking away an amazing night with another girl from Landon, so I'd have to do something to make it up to him.
Walking to the court, I dropped my bag on the bench to the left. My teammate, Daya, joined me, meeting my eyes with a smile. We began our training together with some stretches. After all the players ran a few laps around the court, the game started. It was boys against girls today. As expected, the boys won. They had many skilled players, while the girls only had a few who could be counted on one hand. Not fair.
Students hurried into the bathroom and changing room. There was a bathroom for the students to shower after practice so we wouldn't kill the other students with our sweaty stench. I could see the girls' purple and black plaid skirts swaying, while some of them still had their clothes from practice on. School would close soon.
"Hey did you hear?" Someone said behind me as I was about entering one of the bathroom stalls. I turned my head around to see Sarah Clark talking with her other bees.
"Hear what?" Daya asked.
With excitement crossing her face, Sarah lowered her voice to a whisper, so I wouldn't hear. I already knew what would come out from her mouth the minute she started whispering "They're both here" she told the other girls, thinking I didn't hear. Jokes on them.
After I entered one of the bathroom stalls, I took off the towel and began cleaning my sweaty body. "He's here" was the only thing I could think of. It hadn't registered in my head that he was actually here, but that was all I could focus on. Two minutes later, I could hear screams from my stall. "He's pretty scary but then sexy. I want him to be my god," I heard someone say. That was when it truly hit me. HE IS HERE
"I'll just stay here till he goes back. He won't look for me if he doesn't see me," I thought. I stayed for five minutes and just as I was about to leave the stall, he came in.
But how? It was the girls' bathroom. Plus, how did he know I'd be here?
Landon!!!
He walked towards me with slow and steady steps while maintaining eye contact. Intimidating.
"Hey Luna, l've been looking for you. Are you ignoring me on purpose?" he said as he got closer to me.
That's when it hit me I had no clothes on. He had just walked in on me naked. And for some strange reason, I wasn't embarrassed. I didn't even move to cover myself. If anyone should be embarrassed, it should be him.
"And why would i ignore you. You haven't done anything that deserves that. Have you?" I retorted. He moved closer, and if he had taken just one more step, our lips would have touched. He was way taller than I was. Hell, I wasn't even tall. It was like he was born with this domineering aura. He was trying to scare me. He put his finger under my chin, lifted it so I would look at him. "I feel like you're ignoring me because I'm moving soon." How did he find out? Was I that transparent?
Kaden was moving to England. He was leaving Harvard for Oxford. I didn't know why, but he was doing it.
Of course, I hadn't wanted him to leave. Now he claimed that I had been ignoring him. Obviously! "I haven't been ignoring you. It's all in your head." I moved to walk away, but then he gripped my chin tighter. "Come with me. I have something to show you."
"No!" I responded bluntly. After he released my chin, I walked past him. Before reaching the stall's door, I heard him say, "I brought my clothes for you," which most definitely made me stop in my tracks. This wasn't fair in the slightest. He knew all of my weaknesses. Hmph. I turned to face him. "Fine." He now had a cocky smirk plastered on his face. God, I wanted to slap it off his face so badly. "Let me dress you," he said before going to get his clothes. "No, you cannot dress me," I replied with my arms crossed on my chest, finally remembering again that I was naked. He didn't even say anything. Maybe he wasn't impressed. I didn't bring it up.
He walked in and said, "Let me dress you or I won't let you wear my clothes ever again."Not fair. "Let me wear them myself, or I will keep ignoring you." I saw his right eye twitch. He forgot I am Rhea. I can handle him. "So you admit you have been ignoring me," he said with an irritated look crossing his face. "Yes. Even though I denied it before. I am admitting it now" His right eye twitched again. "Fine." He dropped the clothes in my arms with great force and headed to walk out. "I'll be outside" I had won. Next time, I won't.
In Meadowbrook, there were people we called The Reapers. They went around three nights a week to terrorize the town. Kaden Harrison, Adrian Quinn, Reid Donovan, and Xavier Ermias. The Reapers. They were the four richest male kids in town. Landon was also a Quinn, and Malena was an Ermias. My parents approved our friendship because, in their eyes, Adrian and Xavier, their siblings, were the perfect kids to their parents. They had perfect school grades, they didn't go around punching random people, and they did not engage in illegal underground fights. Kaden and Reid did these things. Mostly Kaden. Reid was more of a "I am a flirt and I fuck anything in a skirt" type of guy. My parents believed they didn't allow Reid and Kaden to influence them negatively.
If only they knew.
I kept Kaden waiting for five minutes. I could've just taken two minutes, but where's the fun in that? I got out to find Kaden sitting on a bench outside the stall, playing with a pocket knife.
Where did he get that from?
"Shall we?" He stood up and looked at me from head to toe.
Kaden and I had known each other for seven years. We met when I followed my dad to get some things delivered to his dad seven years ago. I had snuck into his room and saw him staring at a bleeding dog. The dog was badly injured, so it died. There was so much blood, and I had the urge to barf, but I didn't.
I walked up to him and asked if he caused the dog's death. At first, he was surprised a stranger was in his room. Then he slowly shook his head, meaning he didn't do it. I believed him. Then I walked up to the dead dog and carried it. Its white fur was stained with blood, and the blood also stained my clothes.
I had helped him bury the dog alone. When I got back to his room, I was already messy and bloody. He looked at me and said, "You can shower in my bathroom. I'll get you some clothes." I did shower in his bathroom, but the clothes he got me were his clothes. Well, he gave me just a hoodie. It had his scent, and it reached my knee. At eleven, I was a bit chubby, but I was short. Then Kaden was thirteen and skinny but tall. He looked at me from head to toe the same way.
I fiddled with the hem of his shirt and asked him, "What are you looking at? Don't you have somewhere to be?"
With a smirk on his face, he picked up my duffel and started walking towards the exit. "I do have somewhere to be, Luna. With you."
I had no idea where Kaden was taking me. I would be a liar if I said I wasn't scared. Kaden and I may have been close, but I'd been ignoring him lately. Which meant I'd been getting on his nerves. No one got on a Reaper's nerve and got away with it.
I followed Kaden until we reached the school's park. I spotted Kaden's GTR and ran towards it. Ever since Kaden got this car, I begged him to teach me how to drive the sweetheart, but he always refused. He would say, "No, you will like it more than you like me." I looked at him with puppy eyes, and before I could even speak, he said, "No." Ugh.
"Get in before you make us late," he opened the door and entered the driver's seat. And I did the same, except I was in the passenger's seat. I sat down with my arms crossed over my chest. "Seatbelt," he reminded, and I moved to fasten my belt.
The next thing I heard was the exhaust of the car, which made me smile and rub my thighs together. I stopped when I felt his eyes on me.
When I didn't look at him, he finally drove out from the school. "Where are we going anyway?" I asked, but all he said was, "You'll find out soon, Luna. Be patient, alright?"
I replied with a soft okay.