Henry's POV.
I held onto Eleanor as I pulled her away from Ryder who watched us with keen interest. I hated being in this situation because it only gave Ryder the upper hand, it made me appear weak and gave the impression that I liked Eleanor.
"What?" Eleanor said as she staggered before I held onto her tighter and dragged her away from everyone's gaze.
"Come on." I said as I pulled her against me and she closed her eyes drowsily and leaned against me.
"Who's she to you?" I heard Ryder ask from behind me, I turned to see him standing and placing the cigarette back on his lips, smirking proudly.
"No one." I responded briefly before walking out of Jane's home with Eleanor in my arms. I led us outside, slamming the door behind me and snatching my car keys from my pocket and beeping my car open.
I heard Eleanor sniff and I pulled open the
Henry's POV.I was dreaming again. I knew I was. The lights were out but noises could be heard from downstairs. I didn't need to hear who it was because it was the same routine that happened every night.I knew what was in this dream because the balloons were still up in my room. It had been my birthday yesterday and after the fake attempt to put up balloons for it, my mother had finally given up and just got me a five-day old cake, it was hard to cut and chew and she claimed it was the cheapest she could find.I remember being excited about it even though it had been bad and the icing was spoiled already. It had been the first time she was doing something like that and I knew it had to do with the fact that she wanted me to seal my lips for when my father arrived from his business trip.At nine years old, I barely grew up with my father around. He was a businessman and was barely a
Eleanor's POV.I woke up with a splitting headache as sun rays heated against my face, and I opened my eyes to the unfamiliar ceiling above me. My ceiling was blue with bright stars I had glued to it during an art project in middle school.But this was white and I struggled to sit up while running my tired eyes. And when I opened them once more, I was met with the messiest room I had ever seen.There were clothes on the desk and chair, an opened laptop that blasted off with music and a guitar sat at the end of the room.As if on cue, the bathroom door opened to reveal Henry in all his glory, he had a white towel wrapped around his waist and droplets of water ran down his biceps leaving a trail behind on that tan skin. His hair was wet and over his face as his tattoo complimented his wet body.I gulped when he ran another towel over his hair, flexing his biceps as he turned to me. I blushed when he finished and his eyes met with mine.&nb
Eleanor's POV.Everyone was staring at me.That was the first thing I realized when I got to school. And the worst part was that they didn't even try to hide it. It was so obvious from the way they stared at me and talked amongst themselves.Some were even looking at their phones as I walked into the busy hallway filled with students.I glanced nervously at them, adjusting my bag on my shoulder and hating the attention I was getting. This rarely ever happened, and I've never been the talk of school before and I didn't know how to react.I glanced at my phone and wondered if there was anything that I could notice, but as usual, I wasn't on the group chat and I was honestly starting to regret not joining.A few students bumped into me on my way to my locker and I shrugged it off and I reached for my lock."It's her right?" A girl whispered from beside me, as she talked to another girl wh
Eleanor's POV.It wasn't until lunch period before I finally got over what Jane had said and after much thought I figured she was just being jealous that Henry was talking to me.They had broken up over the summer break and Henry had started showing interest in me, a nobody as they called me.It was only normal for her to secure her man, not like I wanted him in the first place.Speaking of the devil, Henry plopped beside me with his tray of food, hitting me on the shoulders as I nearly spilled my food all over the floor."Hello cupcakes." Henry greeted me as he smiled at me and waved off his friends who went to sit at another table. I noticed a few students glance curiously at me and muttered amongst themselves."What do you want?" I asked and I picked a piece of my fries and threw it in my mouth before turning t
Henry's POV.The ball slammed into my face, snapping me back to reality.Football practice was tough, but I hadn't had enough sleep last night, and when I did, I had the same dream I had been having for years. Such dreams about my past usually came when I was stressed or had an encounter with Ryder.I rubbed my face where the ball had hit me and I ran across the field to the bleachers. The inter school football game would be starting soon and we were just a few weeks into the opening match and a month into the quarters.I had to keep my head in the game but it was hard when Eleanor's face kept flashing in my mind. At first, I had thought it was because she was different and played too hard to get. It sparked my interest and challenged me when girls did that.But since last night, I didn't know what came over me when she had gone to kiss Ryder. That
Eleanor's POV.Walking home had been boring because Tina had taken a bus home as soon as we closed leaving me to walk back home alone with nothing on my mind.The sun was blazing against my skin and I rubbed my arms, walking quickly to get home. My house was just around the corner, a few minutes from school.It was days like this I missed the cool swimming pool at school, practice for the annual swimming club contest wasn't out yet and I couldn't wait to start swimming.If there was anything I was good at, it was swimming. When I was younger, my father had spent his days teaching me how to swim and when our school made it compulsory to join a Club, I didn't hesitate.I pulled open the door and was instantly hit with the smell of popcorn. Stepping into the house, I heard giggling from the sitting room, I turned to see my sister and Charles.
Eleanor's POV.Henry was a badass.Infact, that word didn't do him justice in any way. He put the 'ass' in badass. It was like he had just gotten out of the bathroom a few minutes ago, his black hair was wet and resting against his forehead with a few brushed carelessly backwards as if he had run his hand through it a lot of times in the past few minutes.His bright blue eyes glittered under the sunset, leaving an eerie orange glow in them. His chiseled jaw was so sharp it could cut through ice.To add to his bad boy charisma, he wore a leather jacket over a white shirt and a black pair of pants and black boots. And to top it all, he had a motorcycle behind him as he rested against the seat, holding a helmet.This was the first time I was truly seeing Henry outside school without anyone around and I couldn't deny that his looks
Eleanor's POV.I couldn't deny that there was something about this motorcycle ride.For one, the air was blowing my hair, letting it fly behind me in a wavy motion. I wished I could also feel the air gushing against my face.There was something about the ride, the openings and connection with nature that made me feel free in a weird kind of way. It was so different from a car where you were locked up but I could feel every inch of the air prickling on my skin.If I wasn't so scared enough, I'd have let go of Henry and raised my hand in the air to feel the complete sense of freedom, the air brushing through my face.But the best part about it was the view of the sunset, the sun was setting, casting a bright glow of orange in the sky and it seeped the colors beautifully through the blue clouds.And
Four weeks LaterEleanor P.O.VIt had been four weeks of my encounter with Henry and to say I have moved on was an understatement, I made sure I had nothing to do with him. Everytime he tried to approach me in school, I avoided him at all cost.When I told Tina about the entire situation, she felt remorseful for me. I regret not listening to Tina when I had the opportunity to.The final of the competition was tomorrow and apparently, my school had made it to the final to square of against the West High school. The final had been the major topic for discussion and I was glad about it. When the rumour of Henry and I not being together reached the ears of every student in the school, most girls were happy about it. Apparently, Jane had taken her time to make sure to give out a fabricated story about how Henry and I stopped talking and she made it looked like I was the gold digger. Despite the fact that I wasn't surprised about Jane's lies
Eleanor P.O.VThe following day in school, it was lunch time and I decided to invest my time into reading some new fantasy novels when I felt someone's presence."Nice book you got there, the only problem is, it isn't as interesting as you would ever be" Yes, you guessed right, the flower girl leader Jane was seated on the same table with me and this time, she was not with her minions."I am trying to read here please" I replied politely hoping she would leave me alone."So I don't need to ask about the rumours going round that Henry and you are dating. Apparently, from how i see it, the rumours are true. Especially seeing how he reacted to your presence in the last games" I began to wonder what and where she was driving at with this conversation."Do you really think Henry loves you?" She asked. I dropped my book and looked at her for a minute."Look, talk all you want, but the truth remains that you are only jealous about thi
Henry P.O.V"The strange man took me up to my rooms and closed the door behind me. I was confused and scared for a moment. What was he trying to do? I thought to myself and then i watched as he turned around and gave me one of the most sinister and sadistic smiles I have ever seen in my life.He brought out his belt and flogged the hell out of me. That day would forever be in my memory, I was only nine and I was physically abused by a stranger.The worst part of the entire scenario was the fact that my mom was standing at the door watching the entire time, unfazed by what happened"Flash back endedI was all emotional at this point but I didn't need to allow Eleanor see those emotions. I don't want to be considered weak because I am never weak and will never be.Eleanor P.O.VThough he would deny it, I could see the pain in Henry's eyes as he spoke. This guy had so many untold emotions at the moment just by staring at his eyes and it
Eleanor P.O.VIt wasn't till I checked the clock that I got conscious of the fact that I had been watching all of the Jimmy Fallon's show till late at night. The show itself was just captivating to watch, with the series of interviews from various celebrity. My favorite had to be the interview with Kevin Hart. Getting up from the couch, I stretched myself and decided to go sleep. Maybe Henry wouldn't be coming over like he said he would. Even though I would not admit to him, Henry's presence always made me feel warm.Passing through the rooms, I heard loud moaning and I don't know why I had to stop to check the room it was coming from. Mother wasn't around and my dad happened to have been away for close to three months.Apparently, the moaning was coming from Annie's room. Typical Annie and having sex without regard for sensitive people like me.I was about going till I heard a rather familiar voice and I decided to eavesdrop on the co
Eleanor P.O.VThe second half came by and Ryder was still where he was; seated beside me and though we haven't spoken since the exchange of intense glance between Ryder and Henry, one thing was evident in hia new facial reaction, he was definitely in deep thought."Okay, I think I need to address something real quick, are you really that much of a stalker" His words took me by surprise, I wasn't expecting him to speak while his gaze fixated somewhere else. He may possibly have a sharp Peripheral vision then, I concluded to myself."Secondly I don't remember you being dumb, so why aren't you talking" He asked, this time his eyes turned to look at me and I cowered in fear."Uhmm....... nothing" I said, simply scratching the back of my hair. He was about saying something when the entire crowd cheered upon seeing the faces of the team and i was forced to check for Henry.Something strange about Henry's new countenance; he seemed really fo
Henry's P.O.VThe opening game was here and I couldn't be more ready than I could be at the moment. Fixing up my boots at the locker room, Coach head in and from his face, I could tell he was fully ready himself. Everyone were gathering up their spots kit and surprisingly George had arrived late, causing Coach to tell at him."Alright everyone, listen up real quick" I fixed the lace of my boots and looked up at the coach, same as the rest of the squad."The day we have all been waiting for has arrived. Now I know many of you are nervous for the first game and indeed I gotta admit, it's only natural for every player. I need y'all to know that what ia necessary to win isn't about the strategies you are seeing here nor my ability to quickly make in good tactics. Those are just mere words and though it is part of the substance for the games, it doesn't necessarily encapsulate your ability to win the game. Last year finals was a disaster and though I ca
Eleanor's POV.The end of the week came quicker than I expected with everything that's been going on with Henry, I had a new feeling that was brewing inside of me.Things with Tina weren't all that great either, she still hadn't spoken to me since the day at the boys locker room and while I wanted to be the first to say hello when we met at the lockers, I was constantly reminded of what she had said and I still felt hurt."Hey, are you coming for my game tonight?" Henry asked me as we walked into school together and I shook my head.In all honesty, I wanted to be there for Henry at his game but I didn't want him to know I was excited about it and thinking of going to support him so I decided to act all though and uninterested when I was actually excited inside."Why? Orange High is a good competitor, not as great as us but they are able to give us a good time. A
Henry's POV.When I got home, a feeling of dread came over me and I pulled my bike to a stop parking just outside my home.It was dark inside and lonely. A part of me wanted to run away and back to Eleanor's house but I knew it would make me seem like a little bitch so I took off my helmet and walked towards the porch.I pulled open the door and I was met with darkness, the sweet scent of air freshener filled my nose and I knew the cleaning lady had arrived just this evening after I left.I didn't bother putting on the lights as I was used to coming home to the darkness so I just navigated through the stairs and into my room, slamming the door shut behind me.Throwing my bag on the floor, I took of my jacket and fell on my bed, closing my eyes as I reimagined Eleanor's face in my head.I've never felt
Henry's POV.I listened to the explanation Eleanor was giving me concerning the simultaneous equation I was having troubles with and while I already fully understood it and was even solving questions on my own, it was still nice having her explain it to me.After she had offered to tutor me in my weak subjects and confessed the real reason she had done the homework for me.Something about the way I saw her changed. It was like she was a whole new person and I found myself drawn to her.Originally, I had wanted to kiss her earlier because she was looking so beautiful underneath me but right now, I wanted to kiss her because of the person she was.She was beautiful no doubt, but at the same time I could see how beautiful she was inside too. She was caring, thoughtful and very smart too.It's been a while since any one had done anything for me, even while I was a child and my mother would leave me alo