Chapter 1

The alarm blared at 6:30 AM, rousing Rosella Anderson from her slumber. "Great, another Monday in my life," she grumbled. Rosella, or Rosie for short, was the second daughter of the Anderson family, with an older brother named Victor and a younger sister named Emerald. Currently, Victor was in his final year at a university outside of town while Rosie was a high school senior, and Emerald was in the third grade.

Reluctantly, Rosie dragged herself out of bed and started her morning routine. She brushed her teeth, took a quick shower, and snatched a glimpse at herself in the mirror. Brown curls cascaded down her face, hiding her amber eyes. With delicate ears framing her button nose, Rosie admired her slim figure, corset waist, and glossy skin. Her soft, pouty lips curled into a satisfied smile, revealing her dazzling, angel-white teeth. She ran her hands over her breasts, struck a pose, and mused, "Two cuties."

Realizing that she was still naked and hadn't dressed for school, Rosie hastily got dressed, packed her bag, and was about to leave the house when her mother, Mrs. Anderson, stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going, Missy?"

"Mum!" Rosie protested.

"I'm late already," she added, irritated.

"Why did you skip breakfast again?" her mother inquired.

"I'm not hungry," Rosie lied.

"Don't skip breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day... How many times do I have to say this?" her mother admonished.

"You wouldn't have to keep reminding me if you ignored me," Rosie retorted.

"Take an apple then. Eat it on your way," her mother offered.

"Oh, come on! You know I hate breakfast before school during the week!"

Her mother shook her head in disappointment and covered her face with her arm. "I'm so done with you," she muttered. "You can go ahead and leave. Have a nice day," she said.

"Thanks, you too, Mom," Rosie replied as she left the house.

On her way to school, Rosie listened to soft music on her headphones. Suddenly, she felt someone's gaze on her. Ignoring it at first, she eventually turned around and saw it was Desmond, her neighbor and classmate, who had been following her.

"Heyyyy," Rosie greeted him.

"What's up, cutie?" Desmond replied with a chuckle.

"Why are you following me?" Rosie asked.

Desmond shrugged. "Uh... we're going to the same school?"

"What were you listening to?" he continued.

"Classical music."

"Boring," Desmond teased.

"It's not boring," Rosie refuted.

"Yes, it is. It's almost as boring as your love life," Desmond joked.

"I don't have a love life," Rosie protested.

"Really?" Desmond said, feigning surprise.

"Seriously?" Rosie rolled her eyes and laughed.

As they reached the school entrance, a yellow sports car pulled up around the corner, attracting everyone's attention.

"Wow, that's cute!" Rosie exclaimed.

"I think we have a new teacher."

"I don't think it belongs to a teacher. That car is way too exotic. I know the owner," Desmond replied with a grin.

Rosie was curious. "You know who it is?"

"Yeah, sure," Desmond replied with a smirk.

"He's even cuter than his car," Rosie exclaimed, unable to contain her admiration.

Desmond shook his head. "How can you compare a human to a car?"

"I don't care. He's still cuter than you!" Rosie teased back.

"Well, this is perfect. I should set you two up," Desmond joked.

Rosie raised an eyebrow at him, but couldn't help but smile.

"Is he a new student? Why isn't he wearing a uniform? And why did he drive himself to school? We aren't allowed to drive ourselves to school, right?" Rosie asked, curious.

"Unnecessary questions! Let's go talk to him," Desmond replied, taking Rosie's hand as they made their way over to Raymond.

"Desmond!" Raymond greeted him as they shook hands.

"Raymond! This is my friend Rosie. Rosie, this is Raymond," Desmond introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you," Rosie said, offering her hand for a handshake.

Raymond smiled charmingly. "Likewise. I love your hair," he complimented her.

"Thanks," Rosie blushed.

"I have to go to the teacher's office now. I'll see you guys later," Raymond said, patting Desmond's shoulder as he walked away.

"Okay, see you later," Desmond replied, watching him go.

Later, as Rosie made her way to class, she was surprised to see Raymond and a girl walking in behind her. Both Raymond and the girl were wearing the school's uniform. A teacher was behind them too.

"Quiet down, everyone!" the teacher ordered before turning to Raymond and the new girl in the class. "Introduce yourselves."

"Hi," Raymond and the girl said simultaneously.

"My bad! Ladies first," Raymond gestured graciously to the girl.

"Thank you. Hi everyone, my name is Mirabel, but you can call me Mira for short. I'll be joining you today, and I hope we all get along," Mira introduced herself as she gracefully walked to an empty seat in the back.

As she walked, Mira could hear some side comments from students about her beauty, braided hair, and soothing voice. She couldn't help but smile lightly at the compliments she received.

"Um, my name is Raymond, and I can't wait to meet all of you. I'm a really fun person, and I think we'll have an exceptional year in our senior year together," Raymond declared, smiling widely as the students applauded him.

Instead of listening to Raymond's words, Rosie found herself focusing more on his appearance. He had a pointy nose, blue eyes, thin brows, and a sharp jawline. His curly brown hair was tangled, but the curls were twisted and packed together, giving his hair plenty of presence and volume. Rosie was especially enamored with his cute smile.

It wasn't just Rosie who was drawn to Raymond, though. Almost every girl in the class felt butterflies in their stomachs as they admired him.

"New crush alert! Can't wait to speak with him," Reese, one of the girls in their class, posted on the group chat for girls.

"Me too! I just hope he doesn't snub me. Cute guys like him are always snobs," Beth replied to Reese's message.

As Raymond scanned the room, he caught Rosie's eye and winked at her, causing her to blush.

Rosie's heart raced as Raymond walked toward her. "What does he want? What will he say to me?" she wondered excitedly.

But her thoughts were interrupted when Raymond simply walked past her and took the empty seat behind her.

"Of course, he was heading to the empty seat behind me. What was I thinking?" Rosie felt embarrassed by her earlier thoughts.

"Okay, class starts now," the teacher brought her back to reality.