Skylar's POV:

I felt like I would break apart. I could almost hear my heart shattering into a million pieces. Every possible emotion overwhelmed me, but only one stood out more than the others, Misery.

All because today was Monday.

The day that leads to a whole week of school. What can I say? I hated waking up so early—for such purpose—with a burning passion.

It's not like I got bullied, had to go through mean girls, or had really bad teachers.

It just wasn't my thing.

I preferred to sleep more than anything. Except for cupcakes, of course. Which was the only reason why I had to drag myself out of bed.

"You've got exactly one minute to get downstairs before I eat all these cupcakes." Alex threatened over the phone. "By myself."

That was the meanest statement I'd ever heard. One minute I wanted to sleep like a bear and the next, I was blackmailed into rummaging through my closet to pick out a decent outfit.

Settling on a hoodie and leggings, I rushed downstairs, and out of my house without saying any goodbyes. It's not like I had anyone to say goodbye to. My parents were lawyers, meaning that they woke up extra early and came back sometime after midnight.

I didn't complain though. I wasn't much of an attention seeker when it came to my parents. And it wasn't like I never saw them. They had jobs and I had school, besides we had our moments together.

"God, you're such an elephant for cupcakes." Alex commented as I sat down inside his car. "What took you so long?"

I rolled my eyes, placing my bag on my lap. Alex hated my sleeping schedule. He was jealous of the fact that my sleep was more of my best friend than he could ever be.

That's why I didn't tell him that I'd been asleep until he called me. It definitely would've given him a chance to keep those heavenly cupcakes to himself.

"Chicken got in my way, and I tripped...landing my foot in the um, cereal box, and spilling them everywhere. I needed to clean the mess." I ended the lie with a small, fake laugh. A very awkward one.

Who even laughs just after waking up?

"You know how much I hate making a mess." I added. "Especially in the mornings."

I knew that excuse was rubbish and Alex knew that too. Because firstly, Chicken (my cat) didn't wake up until I came back from school. Secondly, I never gave a shit about messes in my life.

Alex, being the best friend he was, chose to ignore my lame excuse. He threw me the paper bag and I clutched onto it happily, knowing what was inside it. However, sudden dread filled me out of nowhere when I opened it up and found crumpled tissues inside. I pulled them out hoping that I'd somehow find a wonderfully sweet cupcake buried deep underneath. But nothing like such happened.

I looked up at Alex who was focusing on the road ahead. A serene expression on his face as if he hadn't just given me tissues instead of cupcakes.

"You cannot do this to me," I whispered in horror.

A slow smirk tugged on his lips as he kept on driving.

"You are evil, Alexander! How could you do that? I thought you loved me!" I whined before slumping down into my seat, crossing my arms with a frown.

He chuckled before pulling into the school parking lot. "The day you'd wake up early, would be the day I'd give you real cupcakes, Sky." He said. "And besides, the bakery was closed."

I clenched my fists and glared at him.

"You're weaker than Severus Snape!" I snapped.

I don't even know why I said that. Snape wasn't that mean.

Maybe because my head was still wrapped up around Half Blood Prince, the movie I had watched last night, and Snape was kind of mean in that part.

He clicked his tongue in disapproval before stopping the car. "Stop being so dramatic. If I hadn't bribed you with cupcakes, you would still be in your bed."

He knew me too well. But at least, I had something to look forward to. "It's not good to play with feelings," I remarked.

He chose to ignore me, again.

"Don't stay inside here for too long. You'll be late for class." He said before getting out. I watched him join his football friends, various girls sneaking glances at him.

In addition to being on the football team, Alex had that blond hair that everyone fell for. Seriously, it was way too easy. Girls fell for him way too easily.

I, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. Guys never spared me a second glance, let alone fall in love with me. All because I cared for my sleep more than my social life. Besides, most of the guys at my school preferred the blondes over brunettes and unfortunately, my mother didn't pass her genes on to me, which sucked, to be honest.

As a result, I had never been on a single date. I was only ever found third wheeling along Alex's side. Alex was the only person who actually cared about me. We'd been friends since we were children.

I couldn't say the same for my parents though, and I couldn't blame them either. Things always worked a certain way with my parents and we were never exactly a cheerful family.

I gathered my things and exited the car, sighing as I shut the door behind me. No cupcakes plus no sleep equals a really angry Skylar.

I would make him realize what a big mistake he made.

Plotting the best revenge plan of the century, I made my way towards my locker. Most people were gossiping like always, chatting, applying makeup, not so discreetly eyeing the boys.

Typical high school morning.

"Hey, Hanna." I greeted with a small smile as I approached my locker.

I didn't usually acknowledge people in the hallways, but Hanna was pretty much the same as me; she was more of the quiet type and didn't care much for the latest gossip. And since she was my locker buddy, I couldn't just ignore her.

She mirrored my smile, then left for class. Out of the two of us, I was definitely the talker.

After struggling to open my locker, I pulled out my textbooks and internally gagged realizing that I had Physics first and Mr. Frank had probably graded our tests papers by now.

Could this day turn out even worse?

All of a sudden, the bell rang, indicating the start of first period and pulling me from my thoughts. Most people started rushing to their respective classrooms. As for me, I leaned my forehead against my locker wishing that I could just disappear and sleep, wishing that I was anywhere but here.

Preferably my bed.

Finally, after much deliberation, I took a deep breath and started walking towards my classroom.

Maybe, Mr. Frank had somehow gotten sick over the weekend and wasn't here today. Maybe, there will be no graded test papers or Physics today. Maybe, when I enter the classroom–

Perhaps I was too lost in my intense thoughts to see the person in front of me. Apparently, he hadn't seen me either because he seemed to be in quite a rush. Because he was in a hurry and I was daydreaming, I slammed into him and fell backwards, right on my butt.

Right after you accidentally fall down, you expect the guy to give you a hand and help you up, right? Especially if he was the reason for said fall. I expected that too. But when I managed to look up with a small frown, he was nowhere in sight.

I glanced behind my shoulder and huffed in annoyance when I saw him walking away towards the grounds, not even bothering to throw a fake apology towards me.

Slowly getting up, I dusted myself off and rolled my eyes almost in disbelief.

I didn't even have to look back at him to figure out who he actually was. There was only one person who was capable of such disgrace.

Caden Miller.

Skylar's POV:

"Why aren't you eating?" Alex asked, eyeing my lunch tray.

Normally, food would've been my only desire, aside from sleep of course. But right now, just the sight of it made me all queasy.

I glanced at my tray once more before muttering, "I got a C," with a frown. I looked him straight in the eye. "Again."

I picked up a fry and chewed on it hoping to obtain my appetite again. It worked for all of five seconds before flashes of my Physics’ test paper and a big red C on it appeared right before my eyes. I had to accept the fact that I was definitely not eating lunch today.

A small snicker escaped his lips before he gave me the sincerest apology, "That sucks."

I glared at him and he put his hands up in surrender. Sometimes I wonder how we even managed to become friends in the first place. It's not like Alex didn't care about his grades, they were decent, but they also weren't his first priority. On the other hand, I cared a lot about my grades. And you couldn't blame me. After all, I had lawyer parents to live up to.

"Mom will freak out when she sees my report. It's the third time, Alex. Why is this even happening to me?" I rambled with wide eyes. I was concerned for my own self.

To be honest, I'm not a total nerd. I didn't study every night and hugged textbooks wherever I went, I didn't even like studying. But I still got acceptable grades.

All except for Physics. I had sacrificed my sleep for this test, I had spent the entire night memorizing each and every one of my notes, so much so that I was completely sure that I'd ace it. But when the test papers were passed out, I'd forgotten everything almost immediately. My mind had just went blank.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Sky. You'll have another test, what, next week? Another bright chance for you to ace it." He reassured me. I furrowed my brows at him. "You'll do great."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Because it didn't.

You would expect him to dodge the topic off like this. Like I said, he didn't care about his grades unlike me. But then again, his strong suit was sports whereas mine was academics. At least, I'd like to believe that. Aside from that, I wasn't really good at anything else. No hidden talents or even just talents in general.

I shot him a disapproving look. His parents focused more on his athleticism and only worried about grades when he was on the brink of losing eligibility.

With my parents, it was all about the GPA.

"Is there anything that could cheer you up? Perhaps a chocolate cupcake?" He suggested as if he hadn't deceived me earlier.

I eyed him cautiously, "Depends," I scooted away a little, "do I have to go to the boy's washroom again?" Do not even ask, I was desperate at that time.

"No, of course not. It's not quite that drastic." He replied, his gaze flickering away from mine every few seconds. "I mean, it's just a small task."

Did he think I was that stupid?

I let out a laugh. "I'm sorry, Alex, but I don't want to be a victim of the school's social media again. Last time one of those pictures went viral, even the Principal saw it."

I did love cupcakes but I preferred my dignity over them. I wasn't going to be that stupid again.

"I promise it's not that bad, Sky." He said. "I'll even buy you a jar of Nutella after this."

I narrowed my eyes at that. Nutella certainly wasn't over my sleep, but it was a close second. Unfortunately, Alex knew that and he always manipulated me with such things.

And that wasn't even the saddest thing. The most upsetting thing was that I gladly let him manipulate me if it ever came to Nutella.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said when I didn't answer. "All you have to do is talk to Caden."

It took me a while to register what he just said. "And why the hell do you think I would do that?" I asked. There was no way I was talking to that idiot.

Alex looked at me in disappointment. "Because I can't. And if I don't, Coach will probably give me another lecture on all those responsibilities and shit."

That was the truth. Alex wasn't one to care about responsibilities.

"Why can't you talk to Caden yourself?" I asked.

"Because I hate his guts."

I took a sip of my milkshake. Our school cafeteria didn't have one of those delicious milkshakes, but it worked.

"And why do you hate his guts?" I asked him. Even though almost everyone hated Caden at some point, except all those girls who totally adored him, I still needed to hear a legit reason from Alex.

Alex rolled his eyes at that question, seeming almost irritated. "He tried to flirt with Stacey. And I don't think I can look him in the eye without wanting to punch his face." I'm sure it would've been Stacy who flirted first. She's one of those girls who throw themselves at almost anyone. And besides, I don't think Caden Miller ever flirts first.

If he ever flirts, that is.

"And who is Stacey?" I asked, pretending not to know.

He looked very irritated by now. "My girlfriend?'' He made it sound like it would've been obvious.

"And you didn't tell me about that because?" I continued the interrogation.

I already knew the answer to that, Stacey was one of the cheerleaders. Name any one of them and there's a ninety-five percent chance that Alex has already dated them. Not a long-term relationship though, Alex never did that.

"God, will you stop that?" He asked exasperatedly.

I decided to think over it for a minute.

"No. I won't talk to Caden," I denied his previous request. "I swear to God, this was the fifth time he was running in the hallway, not even caring to help me get up from the floor when he made me fall down." I made sure to emphases on those last few words. Because that was true, at least bits of it.

"You're exaggerating. It only happened twice." He corrected with another eye roll.

I passed him a glare at that. "Okay? But did he give me hand when I slammed into him and fell down on my butt?" I didn't wait for his response. "No, he didn't."

Caden was a douche. He wouldn't even care if he crashed into an old lady. That's what he was so popular for, his hostile and temperamental attitude.

He was also famous for skipping classes almost every day. I didn't know why he even bothered coming to school in the first place. Along with his attitude problems, he also got into a lot of fights, rarely getting into trouble for that because of his dark and mysterious ways. He never got suspended for it and that was terribly suspicious.

People like me tried to do everything to stay away from him, and really, all I ever saw him was in the hallways when he was in a rush.

"What if I throw in another jar? Two big jars of Nutella?" Alex negotiated.

I looked at him for a moment, weighing my choices.

"The things I do for you." I groaned, giving in.

Well technically, for Nutella. If it weren't for that, I would've ditched Alex a long time ago.

He was my only source.

••••••

So here I was.

Sacrificing my only free period to talk to the most unwelcoming person on the planet. I would've chosen any other period for this but my craving for Nutella had gone unsatisfied for too long.

I sighed and headed for the other side of the school where I knew he'd be. Caden was usually seen around one person only and that was Shane Perez –another senior here in Crescent High, who I sometimes spotted in my Biology class, and Aden's supposedly best friend– the only person he seemed to go along with.

Once again, I found myself wondering why Caden even cared to come to school? Maybe one part of him actually cared? Unlikely.

Maybe it was because of his parents? I didn't know who they were, but according to the glamours, they were just as sketchy as he was.

I looked across the grounds, trying to spot him. He wasn't in his usual spots like the bleachers by the football field or the trees that surrounded the tennis court. I didn't find him, not even in the parking lot.

He was heading towards the parking lot earlier when we had collided into each other. Maybe he left after we crossed paths?

Feeling happier with that thought, I turned around and headed back inside the school. Alex would just have to deal with the fact that Caden wasn't here for me to speak to him. And since I did in fact have honest intentions to talk to Caden, he would still have to buy me my long overdue Nutella.

Unintentional, but it still sounded like a great revenge plan.

I had almost entered one of the hallways again when I caught an unmistakable figure in the corner of my eye. He was leaning against one of the pillars in his classic black leather jacket, with another guy who was none other than Shane himself.

It was in times like these that I wished my social skills were better than my social life. I had never tried to talk to him or his friend ever in my life. This was making me nervous.

I would say it was just jitters, but this was Caden Miller. He gave the jitters, jitters.

But I walked towards them anyway, mentally regretting every life decision I'd made up until this point.

It looked like they both were in a serious conversation, and as much as I wanted to eavesdrop, I didn't. That was mainly because of the tense atmosphere around them, or maybe even Aden's threatening aura.

You can't blame me though, I wasn't the only one intimidated by him. I didn't see him around that often and when I did, he was either in a fight or deciding to rush out of school for some unknown reason.

After much contemplation, I stopped few feet away from them in case I needed an easy escape. I cleared my throat, figuring that it was a much more appropriate move than actually speaking words. But instead of gaining Aden's attention, I only caught his friend's.

Caden, on the other hand, didn't even look in my direction. He had a paper in his hand and there was this murderous look on his face which almost, almost made me back off. I wanted to say as little as possible and leave as quickly as I could.

"Hello, beautiful. You must be Stacey." His friend's gaze lingered over me with a smirk. I would've been lying if I said he wasn't hot. Because he was.

"Um, no. I am not...Stacey." I said, a frown slowly forming on my forehead.

How come he even thought I was Stacey? She was a cheerleader with an unforgettable face, a girl who had looks. Not to forget her blonde hair. I, on the other hand, was rocking the no-makeup look with the dark circles under my eyes and my brunette hair.

Was Stacey really supposed to meet Caden here? Wasn't she Alex's girlfriend? Oh gosh, was she cheating on him?

I mentally laughed at that. Alex really needed to be here.

Shane looked confused, but kept a smile on his face. It made him look cute.

I stopped ogling him and jerked my head towards Caden. "I have a message for him." I avoided any eye contact with Caden himself, who looked like he wanted to stab the paper repeatedly.

If only looks could kill.

What was on it that was making him so angry? I was aware of the fact that he had certain anger issues, but still, there must be a reason behind it.

"Sure. I'll leave you two alone." Shane took his leave and I stared at his retreating figure in disbelief. How could he have left me with someone like Caden all alone?

Had he never heard about something called 'stranger-danger'?

I mean, he was also a stranger. But he looked like an approachable one, and Caden did not. I wasn't exactly scared of Caden, it was just that the situation didn't seem nice enough to have a small talk with him. Especially when he looked like he might just kill someone. And since Shane was gone now, I didn't like the thought of being killed.

I plucked up all my courage and called out his name, "Caden?"

He didn't do anything to acknowledge my presence except for raising an eyebrow, with his focus still on that paper. A bit offended, I wanted to snatch it away from his hand just so he'd actually pay attention to what I was here for.

I didn't think talking to him would be so awkward. Why did Alex have to trap me in this awful situation and not do it himself?

"If you're going to talk, talk then." He still didn't look at me, "I don't have all day."

I eyed him unbelievably, a lot more offended than before. This was exactly why I never liked social interactions. Some people were really mean.

"Right," I muttered, "You must know Alex from the football team." I waited and he actually cared to give a brief nod.

"Well, Alex, from the football team, asked me to pass on a message that he couldn't have told you himself because-" I stopped once again before I could blurt out the next few words. What was I even about to say? "Never mind. The coach wants you to go to practice tomorrow."

Hoping that I had made it clear, I took a small step back, ready to leave when he looked at me. And I mean, he actually looked at me, right in the eye. For the first time since I joined this high school.

I never made eye contacts in general, only because it was so awkward. But right now, right here, I couldn't help but look back in his eyes. And surprisingly, his gaze held me hostage, not letting me look away.

God.

The first thought that came in my head was, how in the freaking hell is he so hot?

Just his eyes were enough to make me swoon over him. They were green, the most beautiful green I had ever seen. His disheveled hair almost falling over those same eyes, a shade that exactly matched his black leather jacket.

I had always wondered what it would feel like to be in a position like this, to be staring at someone like this. It felt strange. However, the strangest part was that there wasn't anything to see, no emotion in his eyes. It would've been romantic if the situation was a little different, with probably a different guy.

"What?" He asked rudely, breaking me out of the stupid trance. Of course he was hot, but he was also very extremely rude.

"What what?" I asked back.

"What the hell did you just say?"

Had he just asked me to repeat? I frowned at that, realizing that I should just shorten it up. "Coach wants you to come to practice tomorrow."

I looked at him for a response, but all I saw was a blank expression on his face. Similar to the one a few seconds ago, but somehow having a different energy.

"Do I look like I give a shit about the Coach?" He asked.

Before I could reply, he crumpled up the paper in his hand and walked away, leaving me speechless.

"No," I murmured, a little taken aback as I watched him leave. "I guess you don't."