When The Bad Boy Hates You

The school bell shrieked, signaling the end of another day, but for Rose, it merely ushered in a new kind of dread. She squeezed her eyes shut, a futile attempt to ward off the inevitable.

Her best friend, Lisa, patted her head in silent sympathy. Sarah, the school's queen bee and Rose's personal tormentor, had found her. A hard shove sent Rose slamming against her locker, the metal biting into her back. Sarah's sneering face, inches from hers, whispered threats of 'or else,' her grip tightening painfully on Rose's chin.

Later, walking home with earphones blaring, Rose tried to drown out the painful memories. The quiet road, usually a sanctuary, turned perilous when a motorbike sped around the corner. She froze, eyes locked with the panicked gaze of the driver.

Then, the screech of tires, a sudden swerve, and the driver was thrown, landing in a thick bush. Rose, heart pounding, rushed to him. His eyes, a striking blue, met hers, a silent, intense stare.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, pushing himself up, his hostility immediate. Rose, bewildered, found herself arguing with him, a strange, electric tension sparking between them.

Upon arriving home, her mother's words hit her like a physical blow: 'I set up the dividing wall in your room again.' Rose's sanctuary, halved. And then the doorbell rang.

She opened it, revealing her mother's best friend, Jessie, who introduced her eldest son. Rose's breath hitched. It was him. The boy from the motorbike. Blake. His eyes, the same striking blue, now held a deadly glare, mirroring her own shock. This couldn't be happening.