Chapter 1: Meeting The Ice Prince

I didn't know why but out of all the boys in school, my heart decided to fall for The Decadence of The Fallen's "Ice Prince" and lead vocalist. A nobody falling for the most popular boy in school had to  be the greatest cliché of the century. A sort of cosmic joke that the universe decided to play on a mere mortal like me. And everyone in the whole universe seems to be laughing but me...

As if explaining my situation with him wasn't hard enough, describing Adrian had to be a variation of complexities in itself. He had the face of an angel, a no-nonsense attitude, and a brooding facade and although he was blessed with undeniable good looks he was not your typical popular guy. Adrian did not want the attention nor took advantage of his horde of screaming groupies. Yes, there was always a horde and yes, they were always screaming. Although, shrieking might be the more accurate term. In fact, if not for the mandatory fan interaction imposed by their band status, you would mostly find Adrian alone and deep in thought. Maybe it was somehow because of the pressures of being a part of a very affluent family and the sole heir to the prestigious Lee Group of Companies.

Yes. He was perfect. But even though it appeared that Adrian had it all, he always seemed like he did not belong with the upper class society that he was entitled to. He was different and out of place just like me and I guess that was what drew me to him. At least, that was one thing we had in common because unlike Adrian, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth nor was I, in any way, popular. I did not have a horde of screaming fans after me nor did anyone consider me a heartthrob.

I would describe myself as a an average girl who preferred the company of books to the company of people. I had friends but they were a select few people who truly understood the quirks and contradictions, that was a Madison Rain Rivera...

To say that I was a walking contradiction had to be the understatement of the decade. With all of my quirks, I sometimes even surprised myself. I enjoyed girly things like makeup and pretty clothes but I also could not resist playing the drums and being the goalkeeper at a soccer game. I can appreciate the aesthetically beautiful but the downright macabre does not necessarily make me cringe either. I like completely opposite things and that was what most people don't get about me but it was okay because everyone's entitled to their own opinions and I never aimed to please everybody to begin with.

Teenage angst at its finest, right? The typical rantings of a sixteen year old teenage girl, with a lot of inner conflict, trying to catch the attention of the boy she liked. Sounded like an overrated plot to a really sappy movie, right? If only it was that simple. If only my life was like in the movies where the guy falls for the girl in the end or like in fairy tales where happily ever afters existed. But this was real life...a life that became even more complicated the day I met Adrian...

It was the 5th of June, 2006 and my first day at West Lane University - the most prestigious school this part of the metropolis. The majority of the students here were mostly trust fund babies who were set for life as most of them would inherit vast amounts of their families fortunes. Always clad in designer outfits and driving the most expensive luxury cars on the market. They were the heirs and heiresses of business tycoons, diplomats and wealthy elites. I, on the other hand, belonged to the minority. I had neither a trust fund nor a big inheritance under my name and I could only afford to buy designer clothes during special occasions. Not that I was complaining or anything, it was quite the opposite actually. I was completely grateful for having hardworking parents who wanted nothing but the best for me, including the best quality of education possible.

I had just entered the main gate when I looked at my watch and saw that it was already 7:15. I still had to find my classroom at Westerfield Hall and I only had 15 minutes to do that. I was already slightly panicking at the thought of being late on my first day and since our school was really big and easy to get lost in I'd say the probability of that happening was...most likely. I was too embarrassed to ask the other students who were passing me by as they seemed too preoccupied with finding their own classes. So, I decided to take a look at the map I had downloaded from the school's website. I took out the printed copy from my pocket and frantically searched for Westerfield on the map. By some miracle, I somehow managed to find it given my poor navigational skills.

Now that I knew where it was, I instantly started walking briskly towards my destination and said a silent prayer in my head that I would somehow make it on time. Then as luck would have it, heavy rain started to fall. I immediately checked inside my bag to find an umbrella and of course, it wasn't there! Out of all the days, I had to choose this one to forget my umbrella and to make matters worse I was wearing my new purple lace dress and flat beige shoes. Perfect. Welcome to college, Madison...

I ran to the nearest area I could find and had decided to take refuge under the covered walk where the bulletin boards were lined up. Now I was standing just across the main building where my class was as I helplessly watched relentless amounts of raindrops fall to the concrete pavements surrounding me.

Then, just as I was pondering on whether to risk being late and wait until the rain stops or ignore the rain completely and run across the nearly flooded pathway, this guy suddenly appears out of nowhere. Umbrella in hand, he quietly motioned for me to walk with him across to the next building. I was completely dumbfounded and just stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. During that eternity though, I still noticed that he was wearing a black hoodie jacket and faded denim pants which was a wardrobe staple for every emo boy/musician wannabe at our school. But unlike most of them who were posers, he appeared to have the musical credentials to back it up. Having been around musicians for most of my free time, I could already tell the poser-wannabes from the real deal.

His angelic features and cool persona aside, there was an air of mystery and sophistication about him that made me even more curious. He was undoubtedly gorgeous and charismatic but these traits were completely overshadowed by the pained look in his eyes.

"Are you coming or are you just gonna stand there all day, looking like a complete idiot?!" an irritated voice said, waking me up from the trance I was in and bringing me back to reality. As I tried to regain my composure, I attempted to think of a reply but was abruptly interrupted.

"Whatever. I'm just gonna leave you then," after saying that he abruptly turned his back on me and started heading for the next building, leaving me frantically trying to keep up with his pace.

This guy was a total jerk and normally, I would have come up with a witty comeback by now but suddenly all I could think of was how much I liked being near him, sharing an umbrella together, and how I did not want it to be over...