HATING YOU LOVING YOU

Elena Carter's POV

If someone had told me that moving to a new school would completely turn my life upside down, I would have laughed.

But here I was, standing in front of Westbridge High School, holding my school bag tightly while staring at the enormous building in front of me.

It was beautiful.

Too beautiful, actually.

The school looked more like a university than a high school. Tall glass windows reflected the morning sunlight, expensive cars lined the entrance, and students walked around as if they owned the entire world.

I sighed.

"New school, new beginning," I whispered to myself.

Hopefully, this time, I could stay out of trouble.

My mother had reminded me at least twenty times that morning to behave, make friends and concentrate on my studies.

And I intended to do exactly that.

I adjusted my bag and walked through the school gates.

The moment I entered the hallway, I noticed something strange.

Almost everyone seemed to be talking about someone.

"Did you hear? Adrian is back."

"Seriously? I thought he was still suspended."

"He's coming to class today. I heard he got into another argument last week."

I raised an eyebrow.

Whoever this Adrian person was, he certainly seemed popular.

I ignored the conversation and continued walking until I bumped into someone.

My books scattered across the floor.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry," I said quickly, bending down to collect them.

A pair of expensive-looking sneakers stopped in front of me.

"Watch where you're going."

I froze.

That voice.

Deep, cold and annoyingly confident.

I slowly raised my head.

And there he was.

A tall boy with dark hair, sharp features and the most irritatingly handsome face I had ever seen.

His school shirt was slightly untucked, and his tie hung loosely around his neck.

He looked like someone who had never heard the word sorry in his entire life.

I stared at him for a second before returning my attention to my books.

"You could also watch where you're going," I replied.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

A few students nearby stopped talking.

The boy looked at me as though I had just committed a crime.

"Do you know who you're talking to?"

I stood up, holding my books against my chest.

"No. Should I?"

Someone behind him laughed.

His jaw tightened.

"You're new, aren't you?"

"Very observant."

He stepped slightly closer.

"What's your name?"

"Why? Are you planning to put it on your list of people you annoy?"

This time, the laughter around us became louder.

He stared at me for a moment before letting out a humourless laugh.

"Interesting."

Then he walked away.

I watched him disappear into the crowd.

What an arrogant jerk.

"Girl, are you crazy?"

I turned around.

A girl with beautiful brown skin, curly hair and a bright smile was staring at me.

"What?"

"Do you have any idea who that was?"

I shook my head.

"Unfortunately, no."

"That was Adrian Blackwood."

I shrugged.

"And?"

Her mouth fell open.

"And? Elena, that's Adrian Blackwood! The most popular boy in this school."

"Congratulations to him."

She laughed.

"I'm Mia, by the way."

"Elena."

"Well, Elena, welcome to Westbridge. I hope you know you've just made yourself interesting."

I frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Before Mia could answer, the school bell rang.

"Come on. We're in the same class."

We walked towards the classroom together.

I chose a seat near the window, hoping to enjoy a peaceful day.

Unfortunately, peace wasn't interested in me.

A few minutes later, the classroom door opened.

The same boy from the hallway walked in.

Adrian Blackwood.

He casually dropped his bag onto the desk at the back of the classroom.

Our eyes met.

He smirked.

I immediately looked away.

Not him again.

"Class," our teacher announced, "we have a new student joining us today. Her name is Elena Carter. I hope you'll make her feel welcome."

Several students turned towards me.

I offered a small smile.

"Elena, you can sit beside Adrian. There's an empty seat there."

My smile disappeared.

Mia slowly turned to look at me.

Her expression said everything.

Good luck.

I picked up my bag and walked towards the back.

Adrian leaned back in his chair as I approached.

"Looks like we're neighbours, princess."

I dropped my bag beside the desk.

"Don't call me that."

He smiled.

"Whatever you say, princess."

I rolled my eyes and sat down.

This was going to be a very long school year.

ADRIAN'S POV

I wasn't interested in the new girl.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

She was different from the girls who usually tried to get my attention.

She didn't smile at me, didn't ask for my number, and didn't seem impressed by my reputation.

Instead, she had the audacity to talk back to me.

And somehow, that annoyed me more than it should have.

I glanced at her.

She was busy writing something in her notebook, completely ignoring my presence.

I leaned towards her.

"Hey, new girl."

She didn't respond.

I tapped her desk.

She slowly turned.

"What?"

"You're sitting in my favourite seat."

She looked at the chair beneath her.

"Then perhaps you should have arrived earlier."

I stared at her.

She returned to her notes.

For the first time in a long while, I had absolutely nothing to say.

And I hated it.

End of Chapter One.