CHAPTER 3

LEON'S POV 

“Ah…” I groaned weakly as I blinked awake at the sound of the alarm beeping. 

The morning sun seemed a lot harsher than usual as it spilled through the glass windows of my bedroom.

“Shit,” I groaned, pressing a shaky hand to my temple.

The little throbbing I felt at the back of my head before sleeping, had grown into a full blown hammering against every inch of my skull.

Grunting against the pain, I curled into a ball, my teeth chattering.

I couldn't afford to be sick right now. The one thing I hadn't lied about last night was the fact that I did have a quiz today. And I couldn't miss it.

Ten minutes later, I convinced myself to crawl out of bed. My body was burning up, my skin sensitive to the touch of my sheets, and my throat was patched.

First, I grabbed the half full bottle of water on my nightstand and guzzled the whole thing.

That made me feel a bit better.

Then I moved slowly towards my desk and restarted the computer, my heart in my throat.

The screen flickered to life. 

And my heart dropped when I saw that the calculus file was gone.

The erotica I was writing was back on the screen , exactly where I’d left it before my dad came in. 

“What is that?” I asked softly, squinting at the very top of the page.

Then my already aching heart did a painful somersault in my chest.

Because in a font that wasn't mine, a new line of black text sat over my story.

[I helped you. Say thank you when next you see me.]

My pupils blew wide, my fingers hovering over the keys, trembling so violently I could barely type.

Who are you? I sent the words into the void.

The moment I hit Send, and the text dissolved, leaving the page blank. 

Someone was watching me. 

The thought settled on me heavily, sparking a wave of fear and paranoia that made me stumble backwards.

Getting ready for school with a fever, and after the anonymous message I saw, was one of the hardest things I'd ever done.

My skin felt too tight and my  bones ached with every movement. 

The sender had asked me to say ‘thank you’ when next we met.

But the thing is, I didn't know who this person was. But obviously they knew me, and based on the message, we had seen each other more than once?

I let out a long sigh as I stood before the mirror, fumbling with the buttons of my white dress shirt. 

My fingers felt clumsy as they forced the stiff fabric to close up to my throat.

‘I helped you.’

The words echoed in my mind as I looked at my reflection, immediately despising the pale, hollowed-out look on my face.

Perhaps I should stay home, I thought.

And honestly I was seriously considering it when I remembered that my dad would be home till four PM.

“Nope,” I dragged a hand through my hair then grabbed the comb. 

I was just going to take some advil and go to school.

“Leon! The bus!” my mother called out anxiously from downstairs.

“Coming !” I grabbed my bag, my laptop tucked inside, and stumbled out. Today wasn't just another day of hiding in the back of the classroom after classes.

Today was a “research day.” 

In my novel, Chapter twelve required a much more specific description of the boys’ area, the kind of description you could only find in the the old gym.

And I was determined to get everything I needed, after the quiz.

The fever had gone down a bit by the time I reached the school gates. Thank God for the pills.

“Move!” 

“Hey! Watch it!” I yelled back as a girl roughly bumped into me from the back, nearly knocking me off my feet.

Just then, the commotion started. And even before raising my head, I knew why.

Damian. The Sun.

He was standing near the fountain, draped in a varsity jacket that looked like it had been tailored specifically for his body.

A group of girls hovered around him, giggling at his every word and action.

He was smiling too, that gentle, effortless tilt of his full lips that made everyone feel seen. Including me.

I couldn't stop myself from moving, my breath hitching as I took steps towards him. 

Then I stopped about ten steps away, and just stared.

My heart dropped and my lungs stopped working as his eyes flicked to me.

For a second, our eyes held. I felt my face bur, and not just from the fever.

I looked down at the shiny tips of my shoes as I  hurried past, my thoughts scattered everywhere.

He doesn't know you, I told myself. He doesn't know you spend your nights imagining him pinning you to a desk and ruining you until you can't stop screaming his name.

“Hey, Damian!” I heard someone call behind me. “You coming to the bonfire later or what?”

The new voice was a mix of gravel and butter.

Aaron.

He was as pretty as Damian, but unlike Damian, I loathed him. I loathed everything about him. His cockiness, his smug smiles and his stupid voice.

I glanced over my shoulder to see that he had

thrown a heavy, casual arm around Damian’s shoulder, pulling him close in a way I would never get a chance to.

“I'm definitely coming,” Damian answered. “Look at all these pretty ladies, I wouldn't miss it for anything.”

Something died in me when I heard them all tittering in excitement.

Of course he liked girls. Girls were amazing, sometimes I wished I took could like them that way.

But wishes aren't horses.

“Don't worry,” I heard Aaron reply, chuckling. “You can have as many as you want, right girls?”

The girls all responded with a hoot, as if Aaron’s statement wasn't disrespectful.

They probably didn't care though.

Aaron was the school’s walking personification of sin. A playboy, a rebel, a man who changed girls like he changed his leather jackets.

“Too bad everyone always love the jerks,” I hissed under my breath, my grip tightening on my bag.

I gritted my teeth, hating the fact that I slightly fell into the category of people who loved jerks.

Because in my head, I’d stolen Aaron’s body and slapped Damian’s face and behaviour on it for my stories. I needed the rawness Aaron had, but I wanted the soul I thought Damian possessed.

Maybe I was a hypocrite too, amongst everything else I already was.