CHAPTER ONE

THE BULLY

Asher’s POV

I woke up to the unpleasant sound of my alarm, reminding me of the possibility of another hectic day in my new school. I rushed through my shower, grabbed a quick breakfast, and dashed out to catch the bus. Our house was quite a distance.

My Dad, who was a Baptist Reverend, had just been transferred to Tennessee, Mum had to get a new job, and I had to transfer to a new school. My first weeks in Oakdale High were pleasant; everything seemed to fall into place until everything changed, thanks to a certain someone. Okay, maybe I caused it, but it wasn’t entirely my fault.

He was hot, with sharp jawlines, dyed golden blonde hair, and foxlike brown eyes that were hazel. Speaking of the devil, I saw his tall muscular figure from the hallway. Accompanied by his friends…the so-called popular guys in Oakdale, he had this teasing smirk on his face. I turned to my locker, wishing I could disappear as they approached.

“Yo! High priest!” he called out, and the others burst into laughter.

“Good one, Tyler,” one of the guys said, grinning.

I minded my business and pretended not to hear them. Agitated by the silence, he grabbed my collar, shoved me aside, and slammed my locker shut. He pinned me to the wall; his face drew closer as sweat formed on my forehead. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and I swallowed as he cast his piercing gaze on me.

“I called you nerd! Are you deliberately ignoring me…you better not be.” He bared his teeth. At first, I was intimidated—who wouldn’t be? The guy was a demigod. An unreasonable one.

“Aren’t you tired of this, Tyler?” I asked, gently adjusting my glasses before pushing him away. But his friend Gavin pushed me back.

“You’re finally showing your true colours, aren’t you?” he said coldly.

“I know you’re still upset about what happened between me and Eleanor… I didn’t even know she would do what she did,” I explained for the umpteenth time.

I had tutored Eleanor, Tyler’s girlfriend, for a test in Spanish, since she said she had struggled with it last session. Luckily for her, I was Hispanic and knew a lot of Spanish, since our Abuela lived with us for years before passing.

I didn’t know Eleanor would develop a crush on me, and worse, during our tutorial session at the library, she kissed me without warning.

It was horrible—not because I wasn’t into her or anything else, but because it had to be Tyler who saw us. He didn’t take it well at all. And ever since, he has hunted me down, bullying and scorning me.

He brought his lips close to my face; his breath fanned my ears, which responded with a tingling sensation.

“I don’t want to see your virgin d*ck near my girlfriend, you monk…”

I swallowed. ‘Virgin d*ck?’ ‘Monk?’ I have never been humiliated this badly in my life.

“He doesn’t want to give up on the so-called tutorials…everyone knows that’s just a strategy to f*ck Oakdale girls,” one of his minions, Steve, said, and I scoffed.

“Girls? I just tutored one person, and rumours like these are flying around Oakdale already…no one even wanted to come close to me for fear of being bullied by Tyler and his crew. Everyone respected Tyler, even the teachers. His father was a politician, so I heard.”

“I’ll stop tutoring Eleanor!” I said coldly, forcing my eyes to lock with his. But I couldn’t hold for long, as his intimidating gaze swept up and down my face. Students that had gathered around giggled and whispered.

“Do you think it’ll stop the torment, High Priest, huh? You think you can just get away with it?” He scowled, releasing me from his grip; finally, he was letting me go.

“How would your parents feel, especially your dad? How would he feel about his perfect son’s scandal in school…maybe I should e-mail it to him,” he said, stepping back slowly. Then he snapped his fingers. Steve, like an obedient puppy, snatched my backpack and poured out all the contents on the floor. I struggled in fear, trying to gather the books and other things on the floor. Luckily for me, the bells for the second lesson rang, and everyone scurried off except Tyler.

He had a satisfied smirk on his face. Then, as his eyes swept down, his expression changed. I followed his gaze and covered the unholy magazine on the floor alongside my books.

He Glanced at me, his nose raised in disgust as he walked away. Under the prying eyes of the students I shamefully began picking up other books when a slender hand held one up to me, I looked up and met a familiar kind smile.

“Sorry about that” He said. It was a new classmate of mine Elvis.

Elvis’s eyes lingered on me for a brief second, a flicker of something unspoken, perhaps Pity, passing through them before he stepped back.

“Thanks” I said Before scurrying off to class