He lifted an eyebrow, gazing at me in disbelief. "You don't have a fucking right to shout at me, pussy." "Mind your language, Romeo," Mr. Banks shouted from across the room. Even though Mr. Banks intervened, I couldn’t just let it slide. He’d just thrown two insults at me—'fucking' and 'pussy.' Who the heck does this asshole think he is? "You don't tell me what to do, Old Roger," Romeo retorted, which made the whole class burst into laughter. It was definitely funny, but it was also damn rude. How could he talk to our English teacher like that? I turned to him, glaring. "You're fucking rude, you low-life dick." His brows snapped together. "Low-life dick? What the fuck does that even mean? You just called my dick 'low-life.' The same dick you've been craving. The dick that would make you paralyzed. The dick that would take your damn virginity." My hands tightened into fists. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. His crude words hit me hard, rendering me speec
"Are you deaf?" His husky voice jerked me out of my reverie. I quickly recovered from the shock of finding him here and braced myself. I shouldn't act like a dummy, especially in his presence. I let out a loud hiss. "What?" I asked. His brows drew together. "What the fuck are you doing here, dummy?" he repeated the question he asked earlier. I lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not a dummy. By the way, I should be asking you the same question, dickhead," I retorted. "I'm just gonna act like I didn't hear the last word you said," he scoffed. "Good for you, dickhead," I don't know why, but I like how I'm attacking him with my words and that the attacks have an effect on him. I'm so proud of myself. Maybe this would be one of my little ways of getting revenge on him for treating me like trash. He moved an inch closer to me, but I pulled back instantly. Not that I'm scared; I just don't want to catch a strong whiff of his cologne. I don't even want the familiar scent to affect me. I'm afraid
I felt his hands slowly unbuttoning the small buttons at the back of my nightgown, then caressing my bare back when he was done. Okay, this is going too far already. "Stop him, Ivy. You need to stop him," my subconscious mind screamed at me. "Stop, Romeo," I finally cautioned him after having a debate in my mind about whether to stop him or not. I hated that my voice sounded like a moan. I'm sure it's going to give him the wrong signal. "Why?" he hoarsely asked. Why do I want him to stop? Is it because we haven't settled our dispute? Or because it's shameless to make out with him despite everything? Maybe I'll go with the second thought. Why should I make out with him? Am I that dumb? I quickly pulled away from him, glad he wasn't holding me tightly. "My mum might come inside or something," I said. I mentally kicked myself. What the heck did I just say? I ought to have told him the main reason I wanted him to stop. Why am I behaving so stupidly? "Sit here," I told him, poin
"Don't go after him, dummy," my subconscious mind yelled at me. Maybe it's really wise not to follow him. Since he doesn’t want to tell me what's wrong, I shouldn't force it. Also, we just started talking again; I should act like I've been waiting for this moment. I shouldn't be a stupid bitch. With those thoughts, I laid down on my bed, gathering all my notes so I could continue studying. But still, my mind kept drifting back to the moment Romeo and I shared. I couldn't stop thinking about him. God, Romeo, what have you done to me? "I’m looking good," I said to myself happily as I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror in my room. My eyebrows furrowed when I noticed that my lips looked a bit dull. I think I have some lip gloss. I quickly checked my drawers, and I was glad to find the lip gloss Joey, my best friend, gave me. The funny thing is that today is the first time I’m using it—I just kept it in my drawer since Joey gifted it to me. I applied the lip gloss on my
I held my breath as he continued drilling holes into my eyes, my face, and the rest of my body. Why does this guy have to humiliate me? I don't want to be embarrassed, especially not in front of the evil witch standing nearby. I'm sure she’s thrilled right now. I stole a quick glance at Samantha. Of course, she was grinning from ear to ear. What a stupid witch! I turned my gaze back to Romeo, this time with the corners of my mouth curling into a sweet smile. I was glad to see that he wasn't back to chatting with his friends; his eyes were still fixed on me. I bet he was probably wondering what I was up to. "Hi, Romeo." I waved at him again. His mouth curled into a lopsided grin. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Oh my God! Did he just smile at me? I watched as he raised his hand and waved back before turning to continue his conversation with his friends. "Finally." I heaved a sigh of relief and faced Samantha. A frown was visible on her face. She must be really pissed o
Romeo," I breathed. I sounded strange. This didn’t even feel like my real voice; it came out as a moan, like I was desperately pleading for something important. Well, maybe I was. I wanted us to stop what we were doing. I wanted to stop, but my body wasn’t paying attention to what I wanted. What I wanted was different from what my body wanted. My body wanted us to continue making out, which was already turning intense, but I didn’t want us to continue. I was afraid of what might happen next. "Don’t you like it?" Romeo’s husky voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He had stopped touching me, his hands sliding away from my waist. I swallowed hard. Damn! I knew that I really liked what he wanted to do to my body. If I had the chance, I could spend a month with him, just so he could touch me every day. "Just stand still and enjoy yourself, Ivy," he whispered softly into my ear. He pressed his lips to mine. The kiss wasn’t rough like the previous ones. Instead, it was slow and passi
I heaved a sigh of relief when I finally reached my house. After hearing that Romeo had sex with Sharon today, I ran out of the house. Romeo didn’t even follow me. I was relieved that he didn’t because I might have slapped him or done something terrible. I was also hurt. He ought to have made an effort, at least. But he just stood there while I ran out. I’m grateful I had been to the area before, so I walked home. It was a long distance, but I didn’t mind. I needed to think. Anyway, I couldn’t think about anything while walking home. My mind went completely blank. I just dragged my feet until I reached my house. I was startled when I saw a figure sitting on the couch after I entered the living room. I quickly composed myself, fighting back the tears that had been threatening to fall. "Mum, you ought to be at work." My mum turned, her mouth curving into a wide smile. "I took a leave this morning. I went on a—" She stopped mid-sentence, the bright smile on her face disappearing into
I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, trying to control my anger. Honestly, I don't want to lose it. I don't want to lose my temper. I hate when I'm pissed off, what might come out of my mouth would be very mean. I started."Joey, just stop this childish act of yours, it's - "She interrupted me, before I could complete my sentence."You think I'm acting childish when you're the one behaving like an immature human being. So funny. I only invited you to a party and you're acting like I just asked you to rob a bank."My hands tightened into fists, I couldn't help but shoot her a deadly glare."You invited me to a goddamn party and I refused your kind invitation. God, isn't that polite enough? Parties are stupid and attending those fucking parties disgust me."I ranted. "Without those so-called goddamn parties, you wouldn't have met Romeo and hooked up with him."She retorted, glaring back at me. "Damn! Attending that stupid party and becoming attached to Romoe is the biggest mistake I've
THREE WEEKS LATER ~ IVY ~I ran my fingers through my tangled hair and sighed as I looked around at my chaotic room. Clothes were scattered across the floor, along with several books that had tumbled from the shelves. The bed was unmade, and various items were scattered across the duvet. In short, my room looked like a hurricane had blown through it. If there was an award for the most disastrous room, I would have won it hands down.My boyfriend would have to take the blame for this mess. Even though I was the one who had left everything scattered around, I couldn't help but feel like it was his fault somehow. What on earth was he thinking, setting up a last – minute date like that, without giving me time to prepare? Don't get me wrong. I was thrilled about the date. I was just feeling a bit stressed out because I didn't have much time to prepare. And, on top of that, I was having the worst time trying to find the perfect outfit. Nothing in my closet seemed right. I was panickin
~ ROMEO ~I pulled into the parking lot and I saw that my dad's car was not there. I heaved a sigh of relief. The monster was not around, and I would not have to see his horrible face and get angry all over again. I turned off the car engine. I reached for my phone and dialed my girlfriend's number. The only person who had been making me smile lately and giving me the will to keep going.Ivy answered on the second ring. "Hey, baby!" She muttered, her voice echoing in my ears. Her voice was soft and soothing, and it calmed my nerves.The corners of my mouth curved, giving a wide smile. "Good girl," I uttered."Bad boy," She said with a chuckle in her voice. "I am at my mom's house now," I told her. I almost said "my parents' house," but that didn't feel right when it was really my mother's house."That is good," She said, her voice reassuring. "Take a deep breath and go inside. Just talk to her. She is your mother, and she deserves to know everything that is going on with you.
"Are you and Samantha in a relationship?" I blurted, unable to stop the question from tumbling out of my mouth.I had not meant to ask it so bluntly, but the question had always been on my mind. I could not get it out of my head. We were in my bedroom now, sitting across from each other. Romeo was leaning against the headboard of my bed, while I was on a chair by the bedside table. His brows drew together, his gaze averting from mine. "I told you I am not dating her. If I was, I would not be here with you, and I would not have told you that I wanted you back," He replied.I chewed on my bottom lip, remembering the way I had felt when I saw them kissing in the cafeteria. I could still picture the way his eyes had met mine. "Why did she kiss you in the cafeteria?"I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "And, you also kissed back.""I'm sorry," He uttered. "It was wrong, I know. I could not just push her away when she kissed me, not with all those people watching. I know that is n
~ IVY ~I drummed my fingers against the surface of my dresser, glancing over my shoulder at my phone. I had tossed it onto the bed after sending a text to Romeo. I was relieved that it had not landed on the floor.The message itself was not risky, but it was an emotional risk for me to send it. I was anxious for his response, and my heart was beating rapidly. I could not stop my mind from racing. What if everything he had written in the letter had been a prank? Why did I always feel so anxious when it came to Romeo? I hated that he had such control over my emotions. At the same time, part of me liked how he could make me feel things I had never felt before. He made me do things I never would have otherwise, like inviting him over at night. I was grateful my mother was out of town in an emergency, and would not be back until the next day. I didn't want to have to explain Romeo's presence to her.I was shaking my leg, still filled with nervous energy. Why hadn't he responded? Was he
My lips moved to my teeth as I bit my bottom lip. My eyes darted down to the letter, taking in the neat, bold handwriting. The letter was not that long. What was I even saying? Romeo had never been the type to write letters. He was never one for expressing his feelings through writing, or telling stories. It was strange that he had chosen to write a letter now, instead of asking to meet in person. I guess he must have thought I would not have agreed to see him. I cleared my throat, preparing to read the letter aloud. I had no idea why my heart was racing. It was just a letter, nothing more. Or was it?I began to read:° My Good Girl ° I miss you, and I can't stop thinking about you. I know it is crazy to say this, but I think I'm falling more in love with you now that we are apart. The more I try to escape these feelings, the deeper I fall. Now, I regret breaking us up. We were almost perfect. We had something special, but I ruined it. I know I didn't do it on purpose, but t
I heard the question, but I pretended not to. The silence that followed was deafening. It felt like the world had stopped turning, and the only sound was my own heartbeat, pounding in my ears. I felt like I was in a different world. I was facing the question I had been avoiding asking myself. The question James had asked had my brain working overtime, even as I tried to avoid it. I could feel my brain trying to work out an answer."Ivy," James said, breaking the silence and pulling me out of my thoughts.I turned to look at him, avoiding his gaze. "What did you say?" I asked. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, my hand shaking slightly."I asked you if you are still in love with your ex," James repeated, his tone serious.My throat felt dry, and I swallowed hard. I knew that he was not going to let this go until I answered him. But I was not sure if I knew the answer, or if I even wanted to know the answer. Perhaps, a part of me knew the answer to his question, but I didn't want t
My tongue was tied, and I could not think of anything to say. I could not even defend myself, and I just kept my gaze down. I felt like such an idiot, and I hated myself for it.Samantha continued. "I think you should focus on your own boyfriend, Ivy. You know what? I might just tell your boyfriend how much of a slut you are," She snapped at me. I was too stunned to speak, and time seemed to stand still as I listened to the shuffling of chairs around me. The gasps of the students echoed in the cafeteria, and I glanced up. Joey had dumped the contents of her juice bottle all over Samantha's head."Don't you ever call my best friend a slut," Joey growled at Samantha, giving her a deadly glare. Samantha's mouth hung open in shock. "What the heck! What are you doing? What is wrong with you?" She rambled. "Shut up!" Joey barked. "Don't even try me. If you interrupt my lunch with my best friend again, I'll mess up that stupid face of yours and your cheap makeup."Samantha's lips trembled
~ IVY ~Monday mornings were always a source of stress, especially when my timetable had a back-to-back block of math classes - calculus followed by chemistry. This Monday was even worse, though, since our chemistry teacher was running late. A part of me was relieved, since it meant I could catch my breath after the marathon of mental math that calculus had been. Another part of me was frustrated - I had a lot to cover in chemistry, and I knew the teacher would make up for lost time by moving at a lightning pace. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the noise filling the classroom. I wished the class would quiet down. It was not like everyone's favorite subject, so why were so many people so early? I guess some of them were here to kiss up to the teacher, since she was known for her strict grading. I put my hand to my forehead, a pounding headache shooting behind my eyes. I thought the aspirin I had taken that morning would do the trick, but it didn't seem to be enough. The headac
~ ROMEO ~I kept stealing glances at Ivy through the rearview mirror as I drove. Her eyes were closed, and her head was resting against the headrest. My knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. I hoped I would not cause an accident with my mind so distracted. If I caused an accident, I would never forgive myself - especially given everything I've already put her through.The sound of her phone buzzing broke the silence and she reached for it, opening her eyes as she did so. Her smile confused me, and I wondered what she had seen on her phone to provoke such a reaction. She had not smiled once since I had started driving her home, but there was no denying the look of happiness on her face. I tried not to think about whether it was her boyfriend on the other end.I bit my lip, trying not to ask who she had been texting. I had already made a mess of things. I didn't want to further mess up by revealing my jealousy.I was trying so hard to keep my feelings in check.