1 Chapter 1

I'm going to be so late!

Where is my chemistry book?

I could have sworn I left it here on my desk yesterday. I rummage through my novels and drawings upon my desk and shove everything around creating more of a mess when I started. My mum is going to say my room is a pigsty, well at least I know where my things are in the mess, or I did know until I needed to find the one thing I need for today.

"Lacey you are going to be late!" I hear my mother Julia yell from downstairs in the kitchen, "coming" I respond. I look in the mirror while rushing to brush my hair and I stare at myself analysing and despising what is looking back at me, my mother says I look like the younger version of her, I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult because that would mean that I will look like my mother and I don't really want that. My dad says I have inherited her evil eye or the "mother look" as he calls it.

My parents are divorced and I live with my mum and a younger brother who is eight. His name is Brody, he really is my best friend he has got blonde hair but a bit darker than mine, he comes up just below my shoulder and his personality lights up my day, however, noticing how my hormones have been with me in my recent teenage years I am slightly happy I won't be around much when he is a teenager but sad for my mum to live through it again.

My name is Lacey Evans, I'm eighteen and have blonde hair, five foot two and the only thing I didn't get from my mum that my brother did was her eyes, mine are blue whereas hers and Brody's are green.

I turn to my phone with the lace design phone case and look at the time.

Shit!

I have to get to school in twenty minutes. Screw it I'm just going to go. Please pray for me that Mr. Colombe doesn't kill me with his pitchfork.

I rush downstairs proud of myself for not tripping over. Of course that was well lasted, I slip on the last step and land on my ass. With my limbs now sore I look up to Brody with his hands on his stomach in hysterics.

I give him the mother look and he catches my eye and stops instantly, me and my brother rarely fight but on the odd occasion we do. I look him up and down slowly rise to my feet, I internally high five myself for not wearing a skirt, with Brody watching my every move with a scared threatened look on his face I pounce at him and start tickling him with all my energy.

"Hahaha Lala stop!" the nickname has stuck with him since birth, my heart melts every time I hear it. With my hands on his sides and him struggling against me with his laugh in my ears I catch sight of the clock and I almost scream. I get up and see my mum looking mad at me for being more late than planned.

"ill drive you today but you have to get the bus tomorrow. If you be late like this again I will leave you here and you get a detention" my mum walks away. I get up and roll my eyes nothing new there, I walk to get my bag and we all leave to get in the car.

We pull up to the college and I see it almost deserted of students. I say goodbye to my mum and Brody and leap out the car running to my first class. I ran past loads of classrooms on the way my shoes banging on the floor, by the time I just make it through the door I am heaving. I am so unfit, the only time I am ever running is if I ever hear shoes running behind me in the dark.

I run to my seat and I am frightened for my life seeing sir. I hide behind my hair as he looks around the room. I look at the bookshelf and then I remembered there is extra text books in the library. I shoot my hand up in hope to get his attention.

"please could I go to the bathroom" sir looks at me and I can tell he is about to say no but I carry on. And I know just how to make him say yes.

"my cramps are hurting and my flow is heavy and id hate to see blood on the seat-" by the mention of blood sirs face paled and cut me off,

"you can go" his hand shooing me off happy the conversation is over.

I smile smugly and walk out and run to the library in search for the book I need, maybe I will look at some romance books. I cant live without them, I imagine myself as the main character of the story only hoping to have an experience like that.

I was so caught up in daydreaming that I hadn't realised I am outside the library. I open the door and scan the room I look at the textbooks but I decide that I can get it in a minute, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt that now I'm here to skim over the book collection. As I am walking up the stairs I head over to the secluded area and start looking, but not even twenty seconds in I hear quickened breath coming from behind the bookshelf on the other side. Me being curious I stalk very quietly over to the shelf and look around it.

I look down and saw a boy with chestnut brown hair curly and falling around his face, a leather jacket beside him touching his shaking knee, a white long sleeve shirt with marks to show he hasn't washed it in a few days, trousers looking like they have been through a lot. His body was shaking and a voice caught in his throat, I then realised he was having an anxiety attack, his hands were shaking and holding them close to his body and his breath quickened more and more to hyperventilating. This doesn't scare me, I have anxiety attacks very often and they are the worst feeling, I let my hand fall from the shelf and my hand hit a book and it hit the floor with a thud. The boy suddenly looks up and it clicks, he is Caden James. He is the one person I wished it wasn't, I have heard rumours about him but never gave it much thought. Now all of them have come rushing back to me. I remind myself that I don't know him so I'm not going to judge him.

He looks at me in so much fear as if I am going to tell someone. I walk closer to him and he backs up in the corner. I go twice as slow than I was and sit near him almost touching his knee as we are both cross legged.

He shuts his eyes like he is fighting the demons away. I hold his shaking hand in hope to calm him down, he opens his eyes a lightning speed and focuses on my eyes and I breathe enough so he can see my pace and he slowly starts to calm down while staring into my eyes. He shuts his eyes and takes deep breaths and squeezes my hand once more and releases my hand.

His breathing has gone back to normal. Seems like he is looking at anything but me, but I have been looking at nothing but him. He scoots over when I try and take his hand again, he looks at me and all I see is embarrassment and vulnerability.

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about, I have them all the time" I say in a soft tone. I offer the smallest of smiles and he just looks at me and says nothing. He opens his mouth and runs his tongue from left to right making his lips wet, I feel as if he is about to utter a word but all I hear is silence.

I don't know how to feel. Happy that I didn't get a response or sad.

I start to stand up, Caden watched my every move, feeling vulnerable myself I look away from his piercing gaze. "I hope you feel better" I make my way to the end of the shelf a near five feet from him, as I am about to turn the corner I hear a voice so quiet, almost like I never heard it at all say,

"Thank you"