CHAPTER 1 - KISS

TASHA 

“Tasha, seriously? The Junior Prom is barely three weeks away, and you haven't decided whether or not you'll attend?” Sadie let out a snort. “It is the Prom, maybe the best night we could possibly have after an exceptionally distressing school year!”

"And I'm not looking forward to experiencing one of the best evenings of my college life," I said as I placed the food dish that I was hanging on the unoccupied table we found. "I'll be honest with you; getting involved in things like that is not my cup of tea. We want a peaceful life; we keep a low profile. Not to mention that I should do all in my power to prevent my mother from spending money on my outfit, hair, and make-up for the event. The expense of attending this institution is already high."

Trace of misery streaked through her face. “It seems like I'm going to be on my own.”

A riotous banging sound could be heard in the distance, which abruptly cut our conversation short. My eyes went straight in that direction to see what was happening, and I'm not astounded upon seeing that the group of the jocks and queen bees are bullying someone…again. I heaved a sigh and couldn’t resist but feel bad for their new “flavor of the month.”

Queen bees and jocks rule the roost in this place. You tamper with them, and I’ll be wishing you good luck in your college life. Occasionally, it only lasted for a month; that's how they came up with the moniker "flavor of the month" for their victims. But there are instances that they will make your entire college year feel like hell, leaving those victims without a choice but to leave the university.

When I walked into the university for the first time, I had no idea what to anticipate. Bullying, I assumed, was not a college issue, yet it is still prevalent. Unfortunately, the school isn't doing any progression to stop it since they would prefer not to lose the "donations" given by the parents of the wealthy students involved. My rage level rises as I consider the big picture.

“Tasha, eat. I'm sure you don’t want them to catch you staring, do you?” Sadie muttered, and I immediately obliged.

Knowing that I couldn’t do anything to save another student from those bullies made me feel like I was an accomplice to what they were doing. I know this will be the most excruciatingly painful memory of my college years, but I still have another year to put up with it before I can finally break out of this challenging situation.

“You really have gorgeous eyes, Tasha,” Sadie commented out of the blue, and I raised my brows a little in recognition. “What? I was just complimenting you. I am not doing anything.”

“You’re freaking me out, Sadie,” I replied. “You’re only complimenting me when you need something from me, and nope, still not going to the Junior Prom.”

“It won’t hurt to break your principles sometimes,” she continued. I chuckled a bit as I shrugged my shoulders.

As soon as we heard the bell, we sped up our pace. Lunch break lasts an hour, yet it feels like it has only been five minutes. I despise it when time rushes by during our recreational break and crawls along more slowly during our classes.

"The quality of light is as vital as of its quantity," our professor said as she scrawled notes on the whiteboard. “More light is not necessarily better…”

In my third year of studying Interior Design, Light Design is my most favorite part of our curriculum. Despite the fact that it is one of the most crucial interior design fundamentals, decorators sometimes overlook it. No matter how carefully you've furnished, organized, and ornamented your house, you won't have a really enlivened space unless you've put in place an appropriate and well-lit lighting design. This will be our second to the last course for today, followed by Computer-Aided Design.

I looked over at Sadie, who was currently dozing next to me, and a slight chuckle came to my lips. It's the same old stuff every time. Sadie was never as fond of Light Design as I was. We were diametrically opposed to one another; nonetheless, I believe the adage "opposites attract" is true because we built our friendship thinking how we were nothing similar to each other. She's a math whiz; I disdain it. She is not interested in designing plans, which I find amusing.

“Class dismissed...”

When another bell rang, I gently pinched Sadie's arm to rouse her up, and she groaned a bit as she looked at me, with her eyes bloodshot. “For Pete’s sake, if you'll keep that doing that, I'm going to get a bruise on my arm." 

"Perhaps you should refrain from sleeping during our classes," I said. “Besides, we both know that you’re hard to wake up so, you’re very much welcome.”

We shared a peal of laughter after that before I dragged her out of our room for our next class in the computer laboratory.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” she mumbled. I heaved a sigh and rerouted our way to the bathroom. Before she went inside the cubicle, I gave her one final look. “I’ll be fast, so please don't look at me like that. Geez! You’re extra scary when you’re doing that.” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing after hearing her remark.

I went out of the bathroom and looked around. The hallway’s already quiet since there are ongoing classes. I held my hands to the railings of the school’s exterior balcony, and the view was to die for. The design of each department's building was highly influenced by what it houses. 

The Architecture department, which is right in front of my eyes, is high up and painted in dazzling orange and vibrant white. It has high slatted ceilings and a flowing design with a modern, industrial sense. I've been there once, but my hectic academic schedule this year and the facility's strict security hinder me from visiting again. The Interior Design department, on the other hand, houses floor-to-ceiling windows and colorful metal blinds. Additionally, it combines glass and concrete architecture with soft landscaping to produce an extraordinary hybrid exterior design.

Despite the variances in each department's designs, the 400-acre university created order in those designs and blends in with nature to create a soothing environment and utilize plenty of daylight since most buildings are designed with glass. If harassment’s not rampant in this university, you can say that this is an almost perfect school to go to. But I guess perfect is such a word that’s already out of bounds.

Suddenly, the sound of a coy chuckle and lips pressing together interrupted my tranquility, and it was coming from the locker room, which was right next door to the bathroom. I gulped as I took a light stamp to peer at what was happening inside the locker room. I peeked at the small gap between the door and its jamb, and I nearly lost my air when I saw a girl sitting on a guy’s lap while the guy was seated on the edge of the table. They are both familiar to me; that’s why I left that area unnoticed as soon as I could.

Geez! What on earth are they doing inside a campus premise?! I get it. They may be horny but at least have some decency! This is a no spot for their… for their vindictive acts!

The guy’s Rendall, a transferee just a week ago. I don't have the foggiest idea why the university still accepted him when it is practically the end of the second semester. He’s got a reputation. Ever since he came here, I perceived how he enjoyed the spotlight. Standing six feet tall with a substantial body and broad shoulders whom other girls even quote as “arms so strong and warm and will offer you extra protection,” it was no doubt he’s a hot topic. Not to mention his fascinatingly dark emerald eyes. Anyone can get lost in that timberland easily. The girl’s Annica, a member of the queen bees of this school. There’s not much I could say to describe her. She earned her notoriety as a result of what happened last year, but better not be discussing it.

When Sadie came out of the bathroom, I immediately grabbed her wrist and walked in the opposite direction of the locker’s area.

“What happened to you? You appear to be tense,” she uttered.

“We’re running late,” I lied to her.

“Sorry, alright? I didn't realize that I dozed off while I was peeing.”

I looked at her; my mouth totally opened in view because of what she had just told me. “You’re unbelievable!”

When we arrived at the computer laboratory, the class had already started. We sat at the very end row, which was pretty similar to our typical situation, and after a little while, the door swung wide. His gazes were intense, and I felt an unwanted heat building up inside of me when he took a gander in our direction. I immediately looked away because of what I was feeling and because of my heart thumping as if it was coming out of my chest. He sat alongside me for the first time, and it was a pleasant surprise. I could hear Sadie squealing a little, but I was too tense to even look at her at that point. For Pete's sake, Rendall is seated right next to me!

As I saw his hand move in front of me, holding a piece of plain, white paper, my heart rate intensified. I couldn't bring myself to move a muscle. As I glanced at that piece of paper, I could certainly hear my heartbeat racing in my ears. I took a deep breath and, with what little courage I had left, I picked it up and perused what was within it. 

My eyes became more extensive than usual upon reading it as bullets of sweat stream down to my neck and forehead. It was only written with an ordinary pen, but it is enough to make me want to go down to the rabbit’s hole. How could he…

Enjoyed what you saw? – Rendall