Chapter 2

I woke up to the sound of my old alarm clock. It was six in the morning, leaving me plenty of time to get ready and walk to school. Lauren would already be at work, and Darren typically slept in until 11 a.m. or later. I crept out of my bedroom and into the bathroom, making as little noise as possible. Darren was an absolute nightmare if you woke him up.

I combed my long chocolate brown hair, noting how different it was from Lauren family's light blonde hair. My heterochromia made me stand out even more, with one eye an incredibly light blue and the other a deep chocolate brown. My grandma rarely spoke of my father, but when she did, she mentioned he had the same condition. I suspected this was why Lauren, my own mother, didn't like me. Something bad had happened between her and my father, resulting in him leaving us.

Every month, Grandma received a mysterious check written out for me, but since moving in with Lauren, she used them for herself and Darren. I looked in the mirror and frowned, feeling like a walking abnormality. At my old school, I had friends, but there were always bullies who mocked my condition. It took a long time to accept and find beauty in my uniqueness.

I slipped on a simple outfit—skinny jeans, a white tank top, and a black jacket—to blend in. Grabbing a granola bar, I left the house and walked to school, following the girl's instructions. By the time I arrived, the parking lot was nearly full. Students hopped out of their cars, heading to the front doors, conversations filling the air.

I merged into the crowd, trying to blend in, and made my first stop at the office, easily identifiable by a large sign hanging from the ceiling. A plump woman in a purple sweater greeted me with a smile. "Are you new here?"

I nodded and gave her a small smile. "Sophia Drake."

"Beautiful name," she said, rifling through papers. "Here you are, Ms. Sophia."

"Thank you," I replied, taking the papers and turning to leave. As I looked down at my class schedule, I slammed into someone.

It felt like hitting a brick wall, but the strong smell of cologne indicated otherwise. I landed on the floor with a thud, and the hallway quickly quieted. Looking up, I saw two very large, very angry twins. They looked like they belonged on a magazine cover rather than at a high school.

The twins had jet-black hair, strong jawlines, and extremely dark eyes. Both were muscular with an athletic build. One had his hair shaved on the sides and back, but long on top, while the other had messy hair down to the top of his ears. Each was drop-dead gorgeous in his own way. A tall blonde clung to one twin's arm, sneering at me.

"What the hell is wrong with her eyes?" the blonde sneered, looking down on me like I was trash.

I barely glanced at her, my eyes flickering between the twins. They glanced at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation.

"It's a condition," I replied without warning, stifling the urge to roll my eyes.

"F*ck*ng freak," the blonde spat. "Watch where you're going next time."

With those words, the twins and the blonde walked away. The twins hadn't said a word to me, and I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Their cold eyes gave me the sinking feeling they might be my new bullies. Staying to myself was already proving to be a nightmare.

I picked myself up and found my locker, scanning the hallways for any sign of the twins. Some part of me wanted to see them again. After sternly reminding myself to blend in, I headed to my first class, grateful it didn't include the twins or the mean blonde girl. The teacher pointed me to a seat in the back next to a girl with large glasses and curly red hair.

She gave me a small smile. "I'm Kat."

"I'm Sophia," I replied, returning her smile.

"Awesome name," Kat nodded as she doodled on a piece of paper. "My father picked it out," I shrugged.

"My dad wanted to name me Brady," Kat said with a horrified look, making me giggle.

"Your eyes look awesome, by the way," she complimented. "Thanks," I smiled. Compliments on my eye condition were rare.

"My childhood friend had the same thing, but only in one eye," Kat grinned.

I spent most of the class talking to Kat and subtly asking about the twins. "Oh, the twins," Kat blushed, scowling at her paper. "Kieran and Ethan."

"Which one is which?" I asked, their names fitting their bad-boy personas perfectly.

"I always get them mixed up, but I'm pretty sure the longer-haired one is Ethan and the other is Kieran."

"Oh, okay," I nodded. Despite my resolve, I couldn't get the twins out of my head. Their cold stares made me feel strange, yet I continued thinking about them.

"I wouldn't mess with them if I were you," Kat warned. "They sleep around, a lot."

"Wasn't planning on it," I shook my head, promising myself not to get involved with them. They seemed into glamorous, model-type girls, the complete opposite of me. I stuck to myself and was often clumsy.

Kat and I made plans for the weekend while making small talk. She worked at a local restaurant and even offered to get me a job as a waitress.

Kat told me she'd give me a ride after school tomorrow for an interview at the restaurant. "It's not fancy or anything, but it's the fanciest we have in this town," she shrugged. "You get decent tips if you know how to be flirty."

I chuckled nervously. "I have no idea how to be flirty."

"Don't worry, you'll learn. It comes with the job," Kat reassured me.

I was definitely worried about working as a waitress. My clumsiness seemed to increase with my nervousness, and the last thing anyone wanted was a waitress spilling drinks all over them.

My day seemed to be turning around when I walked into my next class and saw Kat sitting in the back. We continued our conversation.

"The people here really aren't all bad," Kat smiled. "You'll survive as long as you avoid Jessy and her friends."

"Jessy?" I asked, frowning.

"The blonde girl who hangs around the twins," Kat replied, helping me put a name to the face. Jessy was the supermodel-like girl who called me a freak. Great start.

"I think I already blew that one," I frowned.

"Just completely avoid the twins from now on," Kat advised. "She's with Kieran at the moment and she's super possessive."

I was more than happy to take Kat’s advice, but my luck ran out in my next class, which had both twins. They sat alone at a large square table, and my heart nearly fell out of my chest when the teacher told me to join them.

Walking to the back, I tripped over someone's table leg but managed to catch myself, ignoring the snickers from other students.

With my face burning and my stomach doing flips, I sank down at the twins' table, avoiding eye contact until I could calm my thundering heart. I could feel their eyes on me, and I let out a shaky sigh before turning to meet their gaze. Sitting this close to them was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because I had a much better look at them—Kieran was slightly more muscular, but their faces were nearly identical with full eyebrows, long eyelashes, and plump lips.

"Oh look, Kieran," Ethan smirked, his voice tinged with amusement. "It's the little girl with the strange eyes."

Ethan's voice was deep and rough around the edges, causing my voice to catch in my throat. Kieran's lips turned up in a smirk as his cold eyes roamed over me. "This is the girl Jessy was talking about?"

"She's the one who didn't watch where she was going," Ethan smirked at his brother.

They were talking about me as if I weren't there, and I sat silently, trying not to gape at them. Their attractiveness was undeniable, but their attitudes were infuriating. I regretted my instant attraction to the twins.

"I hadn't noticed," Kieran sneered, and I held back the urge to flinch. Despite Darren's frequent drunken berating, the twins' words bothered me more.

"Oh look, Kieran," Ethan smirked again. "The little doll is trying to ignore us."

My heart jumped at the nickname, unsure if it was an insult or a compliment. The way they looked at me scared and enticed me simultaneously.

"Ignoring us will only make it worse for you, sweetheart," Kieran said, his dark eyes burning into mine.

My heart continued to race at the names they called me. This was a game I didn't understand—borderline bullying, yet the names sounded affectionate. I scolded myself for thinking they might like me. Why would two god-like twins be interested in someone like me?

Ignoring them only made it worse. Throughout the class, they continued to make comments, pushing my buttons. I wasn't sure if they wanted a response or an outburst, but I gave them neither. They made me do all the work for a week-long project by myself.

The next class was no better, featuring Ethan, Kat, Jessy, and her friends. Sitting by Kat the entire time was a small comfort, but Ethan continued to smirk and pester me. Jessy's hatred for me was clear, and the more attention Ethan gave me, the angrier she got.

Somehow, I managed to get through the rest of the school day, which consisted of five extremely long classes. Unfortunately, I had both twins in two of them. Gym class, always my least favorite, was even worse with the twins' hot gazes making my uncoordination more pronounced. Luckily, I could sit out until they found me a uniform, but knowing I would start gym on Monday tied my stomach in knots.

A week passed in a blur. Darren was as bad as ever, but I avoided confrontations and his handsy behavior. The twins continued to torment me, both upsetting and confusing me. Jessy and her friends escalated from glares and snickers to mean comments.

On the bright side, Kat and I became closer once I got hired at the same restaurant where she worked, a little Italian place in town. I also made a new friend, Lilian, an athletic girl with sandy blonde hair and large blue eyes.

My first weekend in Georgia began, mostly filled with work. I needed to make up for the money I spent on school supplies and food. Despite everything, I wasn't sure if things were looking up or simply settling down.