CHAPTER 1

Justin Morgan. One name that I hate above all others. He's an undisputable number one jerk in high school. Rich, spoiled, playboy and 100% asshole. And the fact that he picks on me all the time. Yeah...the plain, boring and nerdy me. Lindsay Mason. I'm not the typical nerd he's used to. Apart from being a nerd, I'm also a tomboy. I'm a little rough but I never wear a boy's clothes or pretend to be one. And for the record, I'm not a lesbian either. I love sports, especially hockey. You guess it. It's the kind of hockey we play on the field with heavy wooden sticks and a small round ball. It's a rough sport for a small person like me but I like the adrenaline that's pumping through my body when I'm on the field with my heavy hockey stick. The jerseys...well...kind of sexy. The players require to wear really short skirts that whatever we're doing on the field, we flash our underwears around. The other girls look great wearing the jerseys except me. I'm a small girl and flatchested. Even my butt is small. Every time I wear the jersey, I look like a little girl trying to play dress up. It's pure torture. And I'm not small for no reason. My dad beats me up since I'm seven. Sometimes I wonder if his beatings can really stop me from growing. God, I sure hope not. Then one day, I fought him back with my hockey stick. I just got home from my hockey practice when I caught him beating the shit out of my mom. Nevertheless, he was bleeding and screaming like a crazed banshee when the cops arrived to haul him away. I was fifteen. Now two years later, my mom and I settled in a new house, in the same city and I have a new dad. His name is Paul Hanson and I respect him. He's a good man and treats my mom like a queen. He's been courting her over a year when she finally agreed to marry him three months ago. He always comes to see me play and cheered me like a real dad and I'm glad mom married him.

"Yo Lesby! What's up?" I groan. I swear to God, I really hate this guy. I imagine myself hitting his head with my hockey stick. "Nuh uh...you don't have your hockey stick today." What?! He knows what I'm thinking? Good grief. He's creepy. "I know. People give me that look all the time," he says. "But you're no mystery. You're an open book, Lesby." I grind my teeth. "Stop calling me that, Snorty!" I yell. I call him that because he snorts every time he laughs. Seriously, how can the gorgeous girls in this school fell for someone who sounds like a pig? Urgh...the way he laughs really disgust me up to the point I almost throw up imagining him snorting away with his piggy friends in the mud. Don't get me wrong. He's actually a good looking guy. Okay, scratch that. He's really handsome with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes that look too pretty on his face. He has long eyelashes that curl slightly at the end. I wish I have eyelashes like his. My eyelashes are short and I hate the fact it make me look like a real boy. He's tall although not too tall and he plays baseball. "A little edgy today, are we?" he asks smugly. I huff in response. "Lesby..." I glare at him. "My name's Lindsay you jerk and I'm not a lesbian," I hiss. He shrugs and mouthed, "Whatever." I can imagine steam coming out of my ears. Asshole!

I stomp up the stairs. That jerk! I swear to God I'll wring his neck one day. "Little missy, you know I wouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior," I heard Paul says softly at the foot of the stairs. Slowly, I turn around. "Sorry," I mumble. "Come on down so we can talk about it." I sigh as I walk down the stairs. He's sitting on the couch, waiting patiently for me to join him. I sit down and let out another sigh. This is what I like about Paul. Whenever I have problems, he's always willing to listen and gives advices. "Let me guess. Justin Morgan," he says with a smile. I frown. Paul and Justin's dad, Jonah Morgan are business partners. They grew up together and are best of friends. About fifteen years ago, they set up a business together and called it Hanson & Morgan Landscaping. When they first started, it's just the two of them. Now, they have over one hundred employees and doing very well. 

"He's a world class jerk!" I retort. Paul smiles. "Boys are like that, Linds. Just ignore him. He'll be bored one day," he says. I snort. Urgh...I'm beginning to sound like Snorty, except I'm not laughing. "As if," I heard myself say. "He picks on me every day and I doubt he'll ever stop making my life a living hell." Paul squeezes my hand. Suddenly he looks thoughtful. "I know I shouldn't say this to you but I want you to know that Justin really likes you." What?! My jaw drop and hit the floor. Snorty likes me? What a sick joke! "Ha...ha...ha...very funny, dad," I say. He sighs and shakes his head gently. "Suit yourself, little missy." Yes, I call Paul dad. He's a great dad despite the fact he never marries before. He's funny too but when he says Justin likes me, it isn't funny at all. It's disgusting. I will never fell for a jerk like Justin Morgan. Period.

I sit fuming all through History class. Oh yeah...History is my latest interest. It's an interesting subject. Plus, the teacher is hot too. I will sit happily listening to the handsome Mr. Dylan Carter if not for the fact Justin Morgan is sitting just two rows away. Urgh...what the hell is he doing in here anyway? History is definitely not for people like him. He caught me staring at him and grins widely. Ewww...Snorty is grinning at me. How disgusting! I stick out my tongue and look away. Jerk!

We're in the middle of discussing Henry VIII and his six wives when Justin says that Henry's fifth wife, Kathryn Howard deserved the punishment she received for sleeping with another man. "Oh yeah? What about the fact he changed wives like he changed his shirt?" I challenge him. He smiles. "Well...he's only a man after all and he had needs. Three of his wives were whores," he replies. I huff. "To me, Henry VIII was a desperate man who falls in love too easily and then dumped his wife when he sets eyes on another." He smirks. "Don't worry, Twigs. Even if you live during that era, he wouldn't notices you," he says with a grin. So, he's calling me Twigs now huh? I'll show him. I stand up and balled my fists. He's going to get a black eye today. Mr. Carter steps in between us before I can swing a fist directly at Justin's face. "That's enough you two. Discussion ends now," he says with a shake of his head. I stomp back toward my desk and sit down. That arrogant asshole!

"You almost give Justin a black eye," my best friend, Lily Chen remarks. "He'd better watch that God damned mouth of his next time," I grumble before chewing my sandwich. My friend giggles. "Boy, I sure hope Mr. Carter didn't intervene just now. It would be awesome to see you knock him out," she says. I smile. Justin Morgan maybe taller and bigger than me, but I'm not afraid to smack his jaw with my fist. "Hey Twigs!" I heard the familiar disgusting voice says. I jerk my head up. Justin is standing in front of me with a stupid grin on his face. "Uh oh..." Lily says. I stand up to face him. He keeps on grinning and apparently doesn't notice I balled my fists. In split second, my right fist connects with his face. He staggers backwards and lands on his butt on the floor. His eyes wide and he looks surprise. "I've wanted to do that for days," I say and smile when I see blood trickle down from his nose. I know my action will land me in the principal's office but I don't give a damn. He asks for it.

I sit outside the principal's office, waiting for dad to come out. When he finally emerges, he doesn't look happy. "I hope this is the first and last time, little missy," he remarks. "I'm sorry, dad. I just can't take it anymore," I murmur. He sighs and hugs me. "I know Justin can be a jerk sometimes but please try to control your temper. You know your mom will be disappointed when she finds out about it later." I gasp out loudly. "Oh no, please don't tell her! I promise I won't fight with Justin anymore. Please," I beg. Dad shakes his head. "You know too well I never hide anything from your mom. Just tell her you're sorry about what you did and promise her you won't do it again." I nod numbly. "Yes dad."

Dinner is a quiet affair. I stare at my plate and toying with my food. I know mom is upset with me. She hasn't say a word to me since I got home from school. I look at dad. He shrugs and I sigh heavily. Here goes nothing. "I'm sorry, mom," I begin. "Sorry? What's got into you, Linds? Do you have to punch Jonah's son?" she almost shouts. I flinch. "Honey, calm down. There's no need to shout at her. It's not entirely her fault," dad says softly. "How can you say that Paul? Punching another kid is a wrong thing to do. What will Jonah says?" mom's voice becomes slightly high pitched than a few minutes ago. "Jonah knows and he understands. You know our daughter wouldn't do or say anything unless somebody provokes her. Justin is wrong too. He provoked Linds and that's why she punched him. Don't be too hard on the little missy." After dinner, I go to my room and turn off the light. I lie down on the bed and stare at the ceiling. Mom is still upset with me despite dad's effort to lighten her mood. I sigh. Okay, I won't punch Justin again no matter how angry I feel. I'll be a good girl from now on.

 

 

CHAPTER 2

I ignore Justin whenever possible. I don't want to run into him because I'm afraid I will punch him again if I did. Mom and I aren't speaking. Clearly she's still upset with me. Every time I come home from school, I will lock myself in my room and do my schoolwork or listening to my favorite songs. When boredom takes over, I will turn on my laptop. "So how's your mom?" Lily asks as I lie down on my bed, talking to her on my cell phone. I groan. "Still not speaking to me. Maybe I should go somewhere far just to see whether she will miss me or not," I grumble. Lily laughs. "Maybe she won't but I will certainly miss you. Prom night is just around the corner. Have you bought a dress yet?" I snort. "I'm not going," I say. I heard my friend gasps. "But why? Is it because you haven't found a date yet?" she asks. "No. Dressing up is definitely not my kind of thing, Lily. Besides, Justin is going and I don't want to bump into him."

"It won't be fun without you."

"You'll be going with Mr. Good Looking Trevor and I'll doubt you be bored."

"He's handsome, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is. I still can't forget the look on your face when he asked you to be his date."

"Ha...ha...ha...very funny!"

"It is funny! You looked as if you wanted to faint at the sight of him."

"Oh shut up, Linds!"

Tonight is prom night and I'm alone at home. Mom and dad went out with their friends about an hour ago. I sit down on the couch and flip through channels. I'm bored and mom still not talking to me. It's been over a month for God sake! Then I heard the door bell rings. I glance at the clock on the wall. Nearly 9 pm. Now who can it be? I get up and walk toward the front door. I open the door and gasp loudly when I realize who's standing on the porch, smiling at me. I almost slam the door shut but he's faster than me and manages to get inside before I can stop him. What the hell is he doing here? He's supposed to be at the prom with Miss Perfect, Tyra Benson. He's wearing a black tux with the black bowtie undone and his brown hair tousled. Realizing I'm wearing a white top, black shorts and no bra, I cross my arms over my chest and frown. "What are you doing here?" I stammer. Damn! Why do I feel nervous all of a sudden? "You should go. My parents will be home any minute now." Well...of course that's a lie. I don't even know when they'll be home. Justin smiles. "They're going out with my parents so it'll be pretty late when they get home," he says. I say nothing. Damn him for being right!

He leans against the door and watch me in silence. It makes me feel uncomfortable. There's something different about him tonight but I'm not sure what it is. "You didn't attend the prom." It's a statement, not a question. I shrug. "It's not my kind of thing," I reply. He grins. "Oh yeah. I forgot. You're more into boy's stuff." I glare at him but say nothing. Then he sighs and looks down at his feet. I can see a faint blush colors his cheeks. Now that's interesting. He lifts his eyes and stares at me. Something weird happen to me. My belly is doing flip-flops.

"It feels weird without you," he suddenly says. Do I heard that right? I snort. "I thought you'll be happy without me around. I punched you, remember? And because of that, my mom's not talking to me," I mutter with a frown. He closes the distance between us and I become nervous once more. He's close...too close. He tilts my chin up so I have no choice but to gaze up at him. "I came here not to argue with you but just wanted you to know that I like you. Very much. You're not like the girls I always date, Linds. The truth is, I like arguing with you. You're not afraid to speak what's on your mind and I like that. But when you ignore me, it hurts. Argue with me as often as you want, but don't ignore me. Your outbursts never bother me anyway," he murmurs with a smile and my heart skips a beat. Darn! Why does he have to be so nice tonight? My eyes widened when he dips his head and kiss me. It's a quick kiss but enough to set me on fire. He raises his head and smiles as he cups my face in his hands. Then he's gone, leaving me standing staring at the open door. I close the door and lean on it. Damn!

I arrive at school, expecting Justin and his buddies to appear and make fun of me. He always does that. But he's not around. Where is that big jerk? I walk toward the class, frowning. What am I thinking? Okay, so I'm being paranoid. Nobody cares about whether Justin Morgan kiss me or not. As I approach my desk, I heard everybody talking about what happened during prom night. "Can you believe Justin did that?" Lily asks me and sits behind me. I turn around to face her. "Did what?" I ask in confusion. She slaps her forehead. "Oh yeah. I forgot you didn't attend the prom. Tyra tried to kiss Justin as they dance. Well...you know Justin. He never rejects an offer especially from someone as gorgeous as Tyra. But guess what? He pushed her away before she could kiss him and left." I almost blush remembering Justin's kiss last night. "Nobody knows what's got into him and where the hell did he go after that. Lexi told me he got home around eleven last night." Lexi is Lily's fourteen years old sister and the Chens live next door to the Morgans.

Suddenly, the room fell silent. My heart thuds wildly when I realize Justin is walking toward his desk, just two rows away from mine and sits down. He must have sensed me watching him because he turns his head toward my direction and smiles. Oh God! I hastily look down at the book in my hands and can feel the heat creeping up my neck and cheeks. Luckily my long dark hair hides the otherwise visible blush.

"Lindsay." My whole body stiffened as I stare blankly into my open locker. This is the first time Justin uses my real name. No, make it second. Last night, he called me Linds. "Aren't you supposed to drop dead?" I ask. "What?" he asks me back. I can hear the confusion in his voice. Obviously, he forgets about his own famous statement. "I rather drop dead than caught talking nicely to you. Ring a bell?" I turn around to face him and realize too late it's a mistake. Like last night, he's too close. Too close in fact I can smell his aftershave. Oh God. What's got into him? Why is he being nice to me and why on earth is he leaning too close like this?

 

 

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 16.07.2013

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