Chapter 3 A Chain Reaction

Freya's P.O.V

I moved out of the way hastily as the red and black jeep sped past me through the open gates and headed straight for the parking lot. It was followed by another sleek black car that left a gust of smoke in the air, making me choke on the fumes.

Derek Roland and Alexander Cabot were the first to step out of the jeep. They were Cameron's best friends and some of the hottest boys in school. Derek with his jet black hair and grey eyes and Alexander, Alex, with his brunette hair and green eyes that were usually behind gold rimmed glasses.

And the next person to step out was Cameron MacGyver himself. The boy with the sandy blonde hair and electric blue eyes that had the entire school mesmerized.

All three boys were not only good looking with the perfect athletic body, but they were also great at studies as well as good athletes. They were the elite students of our tiny school, the boys who made the entire town proud.

And then there were the cheerleaders. Cindy Stewart, Laura Winsor and Trisha Smith, the trio who were always hanging around the two boys. It was difficult to say who was dating who but the three girls have been involved with both Derek and Alex at different times. But while Derek was a known flirt, Alex was the more reserved type who people didn't want to get near easily because of his 'stuck-up' vibe. In general, Alex hardly spoke and was positioned as the soccer team goal-keeper, while Derek was the quarterback.

Cameron on the other hand, was the captain of the soccer team. And even though the whole school loved to gossip about who he was dating, it wasn't much of a question for speculation. Because there was only one girl who was allowed to ride in his car and that girl, was none other than Sarah Parker, the captain of the cheerleading squad and the most beautiful girl in our school.

As I watched the group from afar, much like everyone else in the parking lot, Cameron moved around the car to the passenger's side and held the door open for Sarah as she stepped out in a pink cardigan over a white top and light blue jeans. The color of her cardigan matched the pink highlights in her long blonde hair that reached her mid back. I watched Cameron extend his hand for her, which Sarah took gracefully while stepping out.

I don't know why but the gesture made my chest tighten just a little bit, especially as Sarah smiled up at Cameron, her face radiant as they gazed at each other.

Frowning at the ridiculous tightness inside my chest, I decided to go inside the building first because the entire school seemed to have stopped what they were doing to watch the popular kids get off of their high horses. Honestly, it was the same scene every morning. Their parents were super rich and their kids were super spoilt. They owned the latest cell phones, the latest cars and the latest fashion. Everyone here wanted to either be friends with them or date one of them, or simply just hated their guts because they got their chance but were rejected.

Me? I wasn't even on their radar. Because I was the loner girl who wore clothes from the Goodwill donation centre; ate the cheapest breads in the cafeteria and didn't even own a cell phone. What was the use of a cell phone if I couldn't even afford money to make calls?

My first class was English, one of the classes which I wasn't actually terrible at. I shared this class with Alex, who was another topper and sat up front. It was good thing though, because I sat right at the back, away from all the commotion and the fangirling and concentrated on my own work peacefully, as much as I could.

My second class was Biology and that went by smoothly too, without any problems. However, lunch came next and it was the only part about school that I wasn't a fan of. Lunch time meant that every single student from all classes would be roaming around the hallways and the cafeteria and I would get more than a few snide comments or whispers behind my back.

I didn't get these people. If they didn't like me, why couldn't they just ignore me? Why did they have to make stupid comments that made me question my very existence every single day. I was sick and tired of them, to the point where I had thought about quitting school several times. But if I had to keep feeding myself and Julian, I needed a job and a job with a decent salary would require a high school degree at the very least.

Heading over to the lunch lady, I looked over at the magnificent spread of food that most students always complained about. If I got to eat something like this every day, I would never even think about complaining. But I didn't have the luxury to enjoy this meal. I was a half-scholarship student, owning to the fact that I hadn't always been a total failure. But in order to eat lunch at school, I needed to provide money, money that I didn't have. So I had opted out of school lunches.

Now, I dug around inside my wallet for the changes that I had seen this morning. With a total of one dollar, I handed it to the lunch lady, who gave me a disdainful look before counting every last penny. And then she roughly handed me a slice of sweet bread.

But just as I was about to leave with the bread, I bumped into someone standing right behind me and the bread fell to the floor at my feet. Scrambling to the floor, I picked up the bread and dusted off the outside so it was still edible. Five second rule, right?

"Watch it!" A hiss sounded from above and I stood up to come face to face with Cindy, one of the cheerleaders in Cameron's group.

Silently, I moved out of her way, not wanting to fight with her for no reason, but it seemed like Cindy was dying for a fight.

"Hey! Stupid bitch!" She yanked me back with a grip on my hoodie. "What's with that attitude, huh? Apologize to me this instant!"

Before I was forced to do something that wasn't my fault, a voice stopped her from behind.

"Cindy."

Cindy looked over instantly, letting go of me as she followed after Alex, the person who had called out to her. Was it just me or had it sounded like there was a warning in his voice. However, I didn't dwell on the tiny act of kindness and made a dash for the door, so I could go to the courtyard and have my lunch in peace. It was sunny outside, with not many shady trees in sight, which is why I opted to eat outdoors, because I would be left alone here.

And the reason for me deciding to eat alone was also Cameron MacGyver.

I would never forget the first day of high school and my first encounter with the boy who I found incredibly attractive. It had been lunch hour and I had been looking for a seat, but before I could take a seat, someone had tripped me by holding out their leg, making me fall on the ground. That hadn't been the end of it. While getting knocked down, I had tripped into two other students and the entire contents of their lunch had fallen onto my head the next instant, making me a laughing stock for the entire cafeteria.

It was then that I had seen Cameron and Derek high-five each other as they had laughed their asses off. Since then, I never eat inside the cafeteria.

But that incident had just been the start of my misery. He and his group liked to make fun of those who were weak and defenceless and then their 'followers' would do the same just to please them. In fact, I think even the team had no idea how devastating one single, careless gesture from them could do to ruin someone's life.

Cameron didn't even know I existed, but since he insulted me a couple times, in the hallway or in a class that I shared with him, his wannabe buddies kept that taunt alive even months after the incident happened. A single even had started a never- ending chain reaction.

Sometimes I wonder if I was in my right mind. How could I find Cameron attractive after all the humiliation he put me through?

I wish I could get the answer one day.