Chapter 1

Nygeria

I awoke to the sound of moans echoing in my room. I groaned, annoyed, as I roll over to check the time on my glow-in-the-dark clock on my desk. It’s 4:00 on a school night; you’ve got to be kidding me. She knows I have to get up in the morning for class.

I let out an exasperated sigh before stuffing my face back in my pillow, trying to drown out the noise. Asking them to be quiet was not an option; I tried that once. Stephanie, my roommate, and the school’s resident mattress had laughed at me then proceeded to turn on the light and have sex right in the middle of the room. I learned that night to keep my mouth shut and suffer in silence.

At least I only have to deal with this for 7 more months until I graduate from this hell hole. My only friend transferred out last year, so now I’m stuck at this prestigious boarding all alone. I’m the school’s punching bag, courtesy of Noah. He’s the bad boy, the rich kid that everyone worships, not to mention he’s hot. This would not concern me if he didn't get personal pleasure from torturing me and having his minions do the same.

And why does the hottest boy in School have it out for me? I couldn’t say, but it all started my Sophomore year.

——————————-

Two years ago

Melissa(my only friend ) and I were moving into our dorm room. After a quick move-in job, we ran to the admin building to pick up my school ID, I always lose things, and school ids just seem to come up missing. So yeah, we’re walking up the stairs talking about classes and our plans when I smash into someone.

The next I knew, I was on top of one of the most beautiful beings I had ever seen. I stared at him in awe, heart racing. I think my heart smiled at the moment, and my soul whispered, “oh, there you are; I’ve been looking for you.” My eyes are fixed on him, my breathing slows.

“Are you ok?”His voice pierces my thoughts.

“Huh? awww, yes, I’m sorry.” I scurried to my feet quickly.

“It’s fine.” He smiles. We stand looking at each other for a moment before he walks away; my eyes follow him as he leaves.

“Mel?” I say once he disappears.

“Yeah, are you alright?”

“Yeah, but I think I just fell in love.”

“So did half the school girl let that one go. He’s the hottest boy in school. Every girl wants him.”

“‘Do you know him?”I asked her, confused; I would have thought he was a transfer student. Surely if someone like him existed, I would have known him too.

"Ny, how many boys were in our main room last year?”

“Uh? I don’t know, two, perhaps?”

“No, fifteen, but you only know the two we sat behind. You have never noticed guys before.”I guess she’s right. I was only concerned about studying, but surely I would have known him.

" Who is he?”

“Noah Calybr, sophomore, quarterback, rich kid. He’s dating Gretchen, head cheerleader.” My chest falls. He’s dating Gretchen, super pretty, bitchy Gretchen. I would never be able to compete with her in any way that would interest him. I sigh as we entered the admin building.

" Oh, well, I guess that’s it for my first crush.”

“Good, other crushes will come, better crushes.”

“Hotter crushes?”I ask, still looking in the direction he went. She laughs and pulls me toward the door.

“Yes, hotter crushes.”

We collected my Id then head back to our dorm. I have known Melissa since I was in the first grade. She beat up Ben, who use to pull my hair. My parents are obsessed with their heritage, so I have been wearing my hair in an Afro since I can remember. Growing in a majority white town, most kids were not used to seeing it, including a little boy named Ben. He would pull my hair whenever the teacher wasn’t looking. One day he did it while I was playing on the swing. He walked up to me, pushed me off, the then pulled my hair.

All I could do was sit on the ground crying; Mel, who had seen the whole thing, punched him in the head and made him apologize to me. She even asked me if I wanted to pull his hair, which but I declined. Ben never bothered me from the day on, probably because Mel and I became inseparable.

We went through middle school, junior high, and now high school together. Although Mel was my only friend, she’s popular and had a gang of grinds. However, she still spends most of her time with me. I have a hard time making friends with other people, I never know what to say, and I find I didn’t care. Maybe if I didn’t meet her when I was five, we would never be friends. But now I can’t imagine my life without her.

“Are you coming tonight?”I look up from the book I was reading.

“What’s tonight?”She rolls her eyes.

“I’ve told you five times already; it’s Brian back to school bash at his Penthouse.”Brian was the school’s resident player; he’s on the football and bisexual. Everyone’s pretty cool about that, which makes me happy this school is very LGBT friendly. Still, Brian is a whore who has tries to get me in bed every time he sees me. He refuses to believe someone on campus is not attracted to him.

" I’ll stay in.”

"Ny, you have to break out of your shell sometime.”

" I like my shell; it’s comfortable, safe.”

“Boring.”She says. I shift my eyes back to the book. I didn’t want to have this conversation. We’ve had it enough, but I’m happy with how I am. I don’t want to go out and get leered at are propositioned.

“Noah will be there.” She announces. I feel my heart flutter as butterflies danced in my stomach. I look at her, hoping to seem nonchalant.

" Oh really? Is he” I ask, pretending not to care. She smiles; I can’t hide anything from her.”

“Yes, he is, so you’re coming, right?” I pause, pretend to be thinking hard, but my heart already decided I would be going. Even If I saw Brian, I could hide from him. Plus, my foolish heart seems determined to experience its first break, so I must do what I can to help.

“My shell has been a little claustrophobic lately. I think I should step out tonight.”

“Oh, has it, all of a sudden? It has nothing to do with Noah’s presence at the party?”

“Noah? I don’t think I recall that name? Who is this, Noah?” She throws the pillow at my face; I duck as we fall in fits of laughter.

Later that night, we get dressed for the party. Mel’s friend Stacey picks us up.

“You guys look hot.”

“Well, obviously, it’s me. I was born hot.” Mel says. I laugh as she takes a spin. She does look good. I, on the other hand, look like a stuffed chicken in these jeans. My hips have always been super-wide, and over the summer, I think I gained an extra inch.

“You look hot too, Ny!” I shift uncomfortably at her compliment. I know she’s nice, but I don’t know why she is using my nickname. I eye Mel, who’s looking at me because she knows what I’m thinking. She glares at me, ok I should try to make friends; Stacey is pretty cool.

“Thank you, you look hot too, Stacey.” Stacey grins, and so does Mel; she puts her hands around me.

“Okay, let’s go; I don’t want to miss all the fun.”

“Hell yeah,” Stacey shouts.

We pile in the car and head to the penthouse. Its located at the top of a skyscraper. We get to the top floor; there’s a bouncer at the door taking names. Stacey gives her name, and he nods us in. I look around in awe, so this is how wealthy people live. I, of course, was on a scholarship that was the only way I could afford that school but not these kids. These kids never worried a day in their life about money.

The music blast, and I can’t believe I couldn’t hear it outside; that’s some excellent soundproofing. I suppose when you’re this rich, you pay for the best. We walk through the crowd. I make sure I look where I’m going so I don’t run into Brian. Stacey shouts something to Mel then disappears into the crowd. Mel and I inch our way over to the dance floor.

After a couple of minutes of dancing, Mel shouts something to me, but I can’t hear her. I shake my head, pointing to my ear when she tries again. I finally hear her tell me she’s going to get some drinks. She walks off, and I’m left alone in a sea of people I don’t know. They are either grinding on each other or making out. I find my discomfort growing; as the room gets hotter, I feel like my head is spinning.

I need some fresh air; I look around for the exit. Unfortunately, the route back to the entrance was jam as more people flood in; it would take too long to fight through that crowd; maybe if I went upstairs, I would be able to find the balcony.

I shift slightly, smacking into some drunk guy who’s mad at first but smiles when he sees my face.

“Hi cutie, how about you and I….” He starts.

“Let’s not, and you can say we did,” I grumble, annoyed. I don’t know if he’s heard me, but I don’t care. I slip away from him and make my way up the stairs.

The music is still loud upstairs, but I feel much better with no crowd nearby. I walk until I find the door to the balcony. The air is fresh, the night cold, and as expected, the view is spectacular. I would live on the balcony alone, I thought as I peered out of the city below. My phone buzzes, and it’s a text from Mel.

“*Where are you?”

" *upstairs on the balcony getting some air. I’ll be down soon.”

" Okay, hurry, it’s turnt,  down here.”

“*ok, have enough fun for both of us; I’ll be there soon.” I laugh, putting the phone in my pocket.

" I wonder if I can make a girl smile like that when she responds to my text.” My head jerk at the sound of his voice. Noah is standing at the end of the balcony with a drink in my hand. The butterflies are back with a vengeance as his presence settles in my senses.

“Ah, it’s not a guy.” I blush; I don’t think he can see me blushing right; I’m tempted to touch my hot cheeks as he eyes me curiously.

“A girlfriend, maybe?”

“No, not like that, just a friend. She wants me to hurry downstairs. Apparently, it’s turnt”

“And we’re missing out?” He gasps playfully.

“Yeah…” I laugh nervously; I can’t think of anything to say. Come on, brain, work, I’m smart, I can maintain a conversation.

“So you’re the quarterback of the football team?” I blurt out, not knowing what else to say.

“Hmmm,” He grunts back to drinking his beer. I sigh, disappointed; we have nothing in common; let’s give up this crush once and for all. I turn my eyes back to the view, trying to calm my racing heart when he speaks again.

“I ran into you today.”

“Ah, no, I think I ran into you; sorry again.”

" You’re Nygeria, right?” I reply as my heart starts pounding in my chest. He knows my name. How does she know my name?

" Yes,” I reply, my voice slow and breathless.

“We had English last year.” He answers the question that pops into my head. We had English? I want to punch myself right now. Where was my head in English class? How could I not notice this beautiful boy?

“You wrote a poem I liked.” He pulls me from my thoughts as I looked over at him, shocked, my heart pounding.

“Why do you look shocked? A jock can’t like poems?” He glares at me.

“No, I’m sorry, that’s not it; I didn’t you noticed me. The words come out a breathless whisper. He knows my name, and he liked my poem. Am I dreaming? Am I drunk? No, I haven’t had a drink since I’ve been here, so I must be daydreaming.

“Why? Because you never noticed me?” Guilt crosses my face, and he laughs.

“Don’t feel bad; I get it. I’m not your usual crowd.

" I don’t have a crowd; my head is always in—”

“A book. Yeah, I know.”I look at him, shocked again; he laughs.

“You’re easily shocked.” I look away, biting my lips, my heart threatening to leap out body. He knows who I am; he knows my hobbies, ok one hobby. But why can’t I remember him? Certainly, I should at least remember seeing him once.

" You look cute when you’re in your own head.” His voice sounds dangerously close; I look up, jump back. He catches my hand.

“Woah, don’t fall.” I pressed up against him, I think he’s talking, but the sound of my heart drowns out his voice. He looks down at me; his lips are moving. Oh, those are some beautiful lips. I wonder how they taste. I feel myself shake, which snaps me from my thoughts.

“Hey, are you ok?”

“Your lips…” Oh no, what did I just say? My cheeks burn with embarrassment. What am I saying? He smirks at me knowingly as I am away from his arms.

“Sorry, you just.”

“Shocked you? Yeah, we already established that’s easy. So you like my lips?” I back up, looking behind so I don’t fall again.

“Ahh no, I mean, they’re nice….they are suitable for your face, very proportional.”He starts laughing, and I know if my skin weren’t dark, it would be bright red right now. He inches closer to me.

“I think yours are lovely, or shall we say proportional?” He whispers while leaning in an inch away from my face. I think he’s about to kiss; my knees are weak. I grip the glass railing with one hand and close my eyes. I can feel his breath on my lips; I wait in anticipation for our lips to meet.

“Babe, you said you would be right down.” He pulls away quickly and jerks back. I grip the railing tightly.

“Babe?” Gretchen walks up and looks at me, then him. He backs away and smiles at her; I feel disappointment and jealousy stir in my heart.

“Who’s this bitch?” I close my eyes, trying to collect myself when I hear her call me a bitch. Ok, she can see me; he’s here. This isn’t just a figment of my imagination.

" Gretchen, don’t start; she’s just getting some fresh air.” He says.

“Why was she so close to you?" She glares at me. 

“I can’t be stand close to anyone? We aren’t together, so stop it.”She pouts and smiles at him.

“I’m sorry, babe, come to our friends miss you.”He looks back at me as she pulls him away, breaking eye contact only when he’s out of sight.

What was that? Did I almost kiss the hottest guy in school? No, he almost kissed me. I feel the butterflies in my stomach fluttering as my mind floats. Maybe this was the start of my high school romance.

I was wrong.