Chapter 002

ELIANA

Walking down the noisy hallway, I take in the surroundings, reminding myself about my plan to focus on my studies and avoiding trouble.

Most students are in small groups, recounting about what they did over the summer break with their boyfriends while others are gossiping about anything and everything.

"Me and my boyfriend did it for the first time during the summer inside the cabin!" I hear a girl giggle happily as I pass by, minding my own damn business. I smile and shake my head.

At times, I feel like I don’t belong here because I’m a little older than most of the students and most of them act immature.

The majority of the students in my senior year are eighteen years old, a few seventeen while I’m nineteen.

I fell sick while in fourth grade and I couldn't attend school the whole year. Every time I remember, I always curse that damn year!

Jackson is eighteen and equally annoying like his peers. My jaw twitches when I remember the exchange between us in the kitchen.

I swear, he's more annoying than all of them.

“Eliana!” My mind snaps back to the present when I hear that familiar voice, Zoe Russo, my best friend.

I turn around and almost bump into her. She's breathing heavily, trying to catch a breath.

She has long black hair like me and we're almost the same height but I’m slightly taller. Someone might think we're twins. However, what differentiates us is that she has green eyes while I have brown hazel eyes.

“I can't believe it! I thought you were lying.” She says in between the panting.

“Lying about what?” I ask, trying to connect to what she was talking about but nothing rings a bell in my head.

“About Jackson,” I heaved a deep sigh. I had forgotten about his existence for a split second but here we're again.

“I wish it wasn't true but…” I pause for a second then release a breath, “I can't do anything about it since he's my stepbrother and I’m stuck with him. I can't leave my mother alone because she will be sad. I’m only staying for my mother.”I know she's one of the few people who always understands me more than anyone else.

We’ve been friends since freshman year. She's eighteen years old like most students in senior year. Unlike them, she behaves maturely and that's why we get along well.

“Yeah, I agree with you. Aunty Vicky will feel lonely if you leave.” She nods in agreement and I can feel the sadness in her voice.

“Just ignore him and pretend like he doesn't exist. I know you can do that.” She nudges me as we head over to the lockers to arrange our stuff before the first day of our senior year officially starts.

A frustrated sigh escapes my lips, “Only God knows how much I have been trying to ignore him but he always finds a way to get my attention. So annoying.” I grumble, the memories from the breakfast flashing in my mind and it only intensifies the rage inside me.

“Don't mind him, you know him too well right? He likes attention and that's what he's doing. Don't let him win against you.If he doesn't stop annoying you, let me know and we’ll teach him some lesson.” Zoe winks at me and I can't help but smile, keeping her words in mind.

Zoe and I arrive at the lockers and we start arranging our stuff as we talk about our senior year plans and everything in between.

While I’m busy arranging the notebooks, a shadow towers beside me. I stop to check who it is only to find out that it's Ethan, my boyfriend.

He's 6 '1 tall, brown hair which is nicely brushed away from his face, brown eyes which match his hair perfectly and he has an athletic body.

He looks neat unlike Jackson who had messy hair and unbuttoned shirt. The only thing that Jackson holds against Ethan is the slight height difference. Jackson is taller, perhaps one of two inches. However, that doesn't matter because he’s still an asshole.

My lips curl into a big smile and he smiles back at me, “Ethan? I was planning to come look for you once I'm done arranging my locker.” I say, leaving everything and wrapping my hands around him tightly.

Ethan hugs me back tightly, giving my body a gentle squeeze. I relax in his arms, all the worry fading away. It feels good to be in his arms again after not seeing each other in a while.

“I couldn't wait to see you.” He says, when we pull back from the hug and gives me a kiss on the lips.

Zoe coughs intentionally and we both turn to look at her, “I think…I should get going. Eli, see you in class. And for you Ethan, don't keep her for that long. She has a class to catch a few.” She winks at me and I give her a warning look for teasing me but she doesn't look bothered by it.

“Maybe just a little.” Ethan jokes, pulling me close to him. Zoe smiles then walks away, giving us some privacy.

“So…it's true.” I frown when I hear Ethan's words, following his line of vision and that's when I spot Jackson. He’s leaning on the locker with his group of friends while talking to some girl whom I didn't know their names.

I can feel the underlying dislike in Ethan's voice and I’m not surprised. The two have been rivals for as long as I could remember.

Their hatred runs deep because they're both hockey captains of the rival teams. Ethan is the captain for the Python hockey team while Jackson is the captain for the Hawkers. And each year, they both compete for that precious opportunity, to represent HILL academy in high school hockey championships.

It used to be two separate schools which belonged to the HILL brothers. Golden Hills and Upper Hills. However, the hill brothers decided to merge the two schools and made it one.

Python belonged to Golden Hills while Hawkers belonged to the Upper Hills. That's why HILL academy has two senior hockey teams. And we're known for having the strongest hockey team in the region because of the stiff competition.

I blow a deep breath, “As much as I don't want to accept it, yes.” I nod, responding to Ethan's question that he had asked earlier.

Ethan turns his attention to me and I can see the worry in his eyes, “You need to stay away from him, Eli. I don't like the idea of you staying under the same roof with him and sharing the same space.” He says in almost a growl.

My lips curl into a smile, “You don't need to worry about me. I can handle him.” I assure him because I don't want him to worry too much about me.

Ethan grabs my hands,“It's not you that I don't trust, Eli. It's him. You know too well that he likes getting into trouble and he has a reputation with…you know girls.” He gives my hand a gentle squeeze.

“I know, but you don't need to worry about anything. I’m nothing like those girls." I say and he relaxes a little, a smile taking over his features and he looks handsome.

Ethan didn't believe me when I told him over the phone that Jackson Harrison, his biggest rival, turned out to be my stepbrother. I understood where he was coming from and that's why I was assuring him that he didn't have to worry about Jackson.

“I think…I have an idea on how to deal with him.” I tilt my head to the side and pretend to give the idea a deep thought.

Ethan looks at me with creased eyebrows, “And what is it?” He asks, eager to know what's going on in my head.

“What about we teach him some lessons? You know how we usually do it. I will ask uncle James for some tips to help with your python team.” I suggest and Ethan’s eyes brighten up immediately.

“That's a good idea! I can't wait to see his face when my team wins against him!” His voice is confident.

Sometimes, I help Ethan with tips from uncle James since he's a hockey coach of one of the well known clubs in the country. He's the reason why I love hockey so much.

Whenever I visit him, we watch hockey till late in the night and at times I accompany him to the club and spend the time watching the players train.

“That makes the two of us,” The corner of my lips curves into a smile.

"I love you, Eli." Ethan confess, pulling me into his arms. I hug him back, "I love you too." I respond.

I look into Jackson's direction and realize he's watching us,his face unreadable. The corner of my lips tips up into a smile, my grip around Ethan tightening.