CHAPTER ONE

RAIN

I take a deep slow breath as I look at the daunting and intimidating building that is my High school. I've been going here since freshman year and I'm still not used to the imposing structure.

The truth is I shouldn't be here. I don't have the class or the money to be here. I'm only here because my late mom's parents refuse to let their only grandchild go to public school. They can let me starve and go without clothes or shelter but damned if they let me go to public school.

My mom died when I was nine and her parents and my father had a falling out and he took me with him. They washed their hands off me since he didn't want to do what they want.

So now I go to a very expensive private school with rich spoilt brats who hate me. My only friends are stoners and we're not really friends. We live in the same neighborhood so they just let me sit with them at lunch.

"Move weirdo," someone says before pushing me out of the way.

Luckily, I don't fall on the first day of school. I stagger then find my balance. He's right, I need to move. Being around when the cool kids come is a complete bad idea. A colossal mistake.

I start walking but then I'm pulled back by my blazer. It's too late.

"Where are you off to Rain?" Derrick whispers in my ear. He's the worst of them and he's the one with the most fascination with me.

I turn with a determined expression. These people won't break me. I only have to endure for one more school year before I'm home free.

"I just want to get to my locker, Derrick,"

"Of course you do, Rain. I pulled you back didn't I?"

Two of his friends snicker but I don't give them the pleasure of looking at them.

"You're not meeting my eyes, Rain," Camden says.

I bet if I look up, he'll be wearing a smirk but I don't look up, I keep my head down. They'll soon get bored with torturing me. It'll only encourage them if I try to act tough. I tried to fight back when it first started and it didn't do me any good. I'll be okay today, I know it.

Camden puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face up.

"There, there. Now that I'm looking at your sweet face, my morning is brighter."

Derrick moves me away from Camden. Camden likes to flirt when hey bored but everyone knows he doesn't mean it.

"Where's my paper Rain? It's due this morning and you know I expected you to have that shit in hand waiting for me at the parking lot."

I know he did but I'll be damn if I do that. I'm already breaking my back, bowing to them, I don't want to add to it.

"You don't want me to get mad, do you, Rain? You know I would love the chance to go crazy on your ass."

"It's in my locker. I was just going to get it."

"Really?" He doesn't believe me.

We both know I'm lying.

"Is Rain bothering us again?"

I freeze at the words. I thought I would be able to escape the son of a bitch, bless his poor mother. The three amigos are Xavier Bishop at the top of the hierarchy, Camden Casey then Derrick Donahue but you'd never guess it with the way Xavier hangs back and lets the rest do all the work. They're handsome, smart, and athletic - even though Camden is the only one who can make a profession out of it - and rich. How are high schoolers expected not to crown them the lords of the school?

Camden likes to trip me in the hallway or pull my hair for laughs and flirt with me. Derrick likes to throw things at me if I'm passing by and he has something in his hands. He likes to insult and degrade me. If he sees an opportunity to get me in trouble, he'll do it. Xavier likes... I don't even know what his deal is. He just laughs. He's never called me names, he's never insulted me or degraded me. He's never even tried to touch me. He just stands by the side laughing and whispering.

And yet, he's the one I avoid the most. For some strange reason I am very attracted to Xavier. He's in my wet dreams and my fantasies which is crazy because he is part of the problem.

"Yeah, she's bothering us. She didn't bring my homework to the parking lot like I asked her to."

Xavier leans on the wall and folds his arms. "So what are you going to do to her?" He asks Derrick with a smile on his face.

Xavier is an instigator. He doesn't do anything himself, he manipulates his friends into doing his dirty work and he enjoys it. He also doesn't address me, like I'm far beneath him for words.

"I don't know yet. That will be your punishment today, Rain. You're going to go about your day, wondering if I'm going to do anything to you, not knowing when or what is coming."

That's my literal nightmare. Derrick can get creative if he has the time to think about it. Xavier just made my Monday miserable. Xavier yawns like that's a boring idea, just as the bell goes off. Derrick shoves me out of the way and this time I fall as he leaves. He didn't even take the stupid paper. I find someone to pass it on to him and hurry to my first class. This paper was given to us the last day of school last year and the second the bell went off, Derrick gave it to me.