CHAPTER ONE
A loud groan escaped my mouth when my alarm screamed at me like a banshee.
"Ugh, shut up!" I mumbled into my pillow.
Oh, for a world without evil Mondays! Who the hell even saw teens enjoying life and decided that getting educated was necessary?
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to drift back to dreamland when the demonic noise started again.
Without thinking, I grabbed the screaming monster from my nightstand and hurled it across the room with the force of a professional baseball pitcher.
The satisfying CRASH made me smile. Until I heard a very familiar, very angry scream.
"OLIVER WINTERS! Did you just throw your alarm clock at me?!"
Oh crap. Mom.
Sleep vanished from my eyes faster than a vampire at sunrise. I could practically see it sprinting away on swaying legs, abandoning me to face the wrath of Hurricane Mom.
I shot up in bed like a rocket, plastering on my most angelic, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth expression.
Her eyes were narrowed into deadly slits, her mouth twisted into a line that could cut glass. I knew I was about to get the lecture of the century. If this wasn't a Monday morning, she'd probably go on until Christmas about all my "character flaws."
"I've warned you about this a million times! Do you think I just shake money trees in the backyard? That's it - I'm deducting the cost from your allowance, and you can explain to your future self why you're broke!" She pointed dramatically at the scattered remains of my former alarm clock.
"Mom, I swear on all my favorite mangas, this is absolutely, positively the last time!" I pleaded, making my eyes as big and pitiful as a puppy's. "I'll be the most responsible son in the history of sons!"
She rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might fall out. "Do you plan on growing roots in that bed? I told you I need to be at work early today. Your little sister has been ready for twenty minutes, eaten breakfast, probably solved world hunger, and you're still in your pajamas looking like you wrestled a tornado!"
"Okay, okay! I'm moving!" I jumped out of bed like it was on fire. Didn't she realize that her epic speeches actually wasted more time. Time I could have spent getting more sleep.
I took the world's fastest shower and brushed my teeth at lightning speed, then stared at my reflection in the mirror. My brown hair looked like I'd been electrocuted, but my green eyes were still decent - the only feature I didn't want to trade in for store credit.
I'm what most people considered cute, but William had always mentioned that it was in a 'Lost puppy kind of way' Now, I didn't think that's a good thing.
I sighed at the massive bags under my eyes. Staying up until 3 AM reading about fictional boyfriends was definitely affecting my beauty sleep. But hey, priorities.
I dragged my fingers through my hair and threw on my usual uniform: baggy t-shirt, jeans, and the hope that no one would notice me.
Grabbing my glasses, I thundered downstairs.
Mom was waiting with my twelve-year-old sister Claire, though we called her Pumpkin - ironically, since she was about as sweet as a lemon.
"Thank the heavens above, he's finally graced us with his presence," Mom said dramatically. "Eat quickly while I warm up the car, and try not to choke."
I plopped down at the table and shoved pancakes into my mouth like I was competing in an eating contest. Crumbs decorated my shirt like confetti.
"Wow, Oliver, you eat like a starving wildebeest," Pumpkin said with a wicked grin. "Are you sure you're not part animal?"
"Says the girl who snorts when she laughs," I shot back, gulping orange juice. "At least I don't sound like a dying pig when I find something funny."
"I do not snort!" she protested, then immediately snorted while trying not to laugh.
"There it is, my adorable pig, oink oink," I laugh aloud, pointing at her with my fork.
"You know, for a seventeen-year-old boy, you don't seem to have evolved past the caveman stage of—" Her roast was cut short when Mom marched back in.
"Are you both ready, or should I leave you both here to fend for yourselves like wild animals?"
We both nodded quickly. Mom's eyes swept over us, then landed on me with that look that meant I'd messed up again.
I racked my brain trying to figure out what I'd forgotten this time.
"And where, pray tell, are your bag and books, Oliver Winters?"
My face went blank. "Uh…"
"Oh for the love of… Are you sure you're actually a student and not just some random person who shows up at school for the free entertainment?" Mom's voice followed me like a angry ghost as I bolted upstairs. "Maybe I'll glue them to your hands!"
*
*
I waved goodbye as Mom drove Pumpkin to middle school. The moment their car disappeared around the corner, I felt my stomach drop like a stone.
Time to face the nightmare that was my reality.
Being a nobody at Riverside High was bad enough. But being a nobody who was specifically targeted by the school's most terrifying person? That was a whole different level of hell.
I kept my head down, praying to become invisible. In this place, I was basically a ghost - ignored by everyone and perfectly happy to stay that way.
Well, almost everyone ignored me.
There was still HIM.
Don't think about Keiran. Don't think about Keiran. Don't think about. . .
I was chanting like my life depended on it while scanning every shadow, every corner, every possible hiding spot. He had this way of appearing out of nowhere, like some kind of nightmare made flesh.
The hallway buzzed with back-to-school chaos. Students everywhere, catching up after summer break. The crowd was my only salvation - harder for him to single me out.
A hand grabbed my shoulder.
I spun around so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash, my heart jumping into my throat, ready to run, scream, or possibly faint.
Relief flooded through me when I saw William's concerned face.
"Holy crap, Will! You just took ten years off my life!" I gasped, clutching my chest. "Why do you always sneak up on me like some kind of ninja?"
He pouted like a scolded puppy. "Is that any way to greet your best friend after several weeks of separation and potential emotional trauma?"
William was honestly one of the most handsome guys in the whole school. Wavy blonde hair that belonged in shampoo commercials, amber eyes that sparkled like jewels, and a family bank account that could probably buy a small country. He was popular, perfect, and for some mysterious reason, still my friend
"I'm sorry, I just. . ."
My apology was cut off when he grabbed me in a hug that could crack ribs.
"You're still the same paranoid little mouse!" He laughed, squeezing me like a stress ball. "I can't believe you still jump at shadows, and I only teasing you and you already look guilty!"
"Will… can't… breathe…" I wheezed, patting his back weakly. "You're… literally… crushing… my… organs…"
He released me with a sheepish grin. "Oops. Forgot my own strength again."
"Should we maybe get to class? The bell rang like five minutes ago," He said, looking around the empty hallway.
"Listen to you, Mr. Responsible Student," I teased.
We headed to our lockers while he launched into his summer adventures. I tried to listen, really I did, but my eyes kept darting around, searching for any sign of danger.
Then I saw him.
Every drop of blood drained from my face. My hands went ice cold. My knees turned to jelly.
Keiran Morrison stood at the end of the hallway like a dark shadow come to life. His grey eyes were locked on me with that terrifying intensity that made me feel like prey being stalked by a predator.
Six feet two of pure nightmare. Dark hair that always looked perfectly messy, like he'd just rolled out of bed looking effortlessly dangerous. But it was his eyes that haunted my dreams - cold, calculating, and filled with something that made my skin crawl.
For a moment, the entire world disappeared. No other students, no noise, no William's chattering beside me. Just me and the person who made my life a living hell.
My breathing became shallow and rapid. My vision started to blur around the edges. This was it - the beginning of another year of torture.
Keiran Morrison wasn't just my bully.
He was my personal demon.
And from the slow, predatory smile spreading across his face, I knew this year was going to be worse than ever.