Chapter 1

  Song: I Hate U by SZA

  Charlotte POV:

  The end of my senior year of high school is in two months, and I'm still not ready.

  As someone who barely squeezes through my grades, I highly doubt that I'd be able to pass my final exam and get into college

  Right now, I'm skating down the street, with my headphones in place, “I Hate U” by SZA is blasting through my head.

  *And if you’re wondering if I hate you. *

  “I do.” I mumble, staring at my phone as I push my skateboard into motion every few seconds.

  Suddenly, I run into something. Or rather, someone. I look up, taking down my headphones and putting them around my neck.

  “Man, watch where you’re going,” I’m surprised to see Aiden Sullivan, my worst enemy staring down at me as I take a step back from him. The guy is so boring, it feels like time never moves when I'm around him. Apparently, other girls like that.

  “I would think to tell you that, chisi,” He uses a nickname for my middle name, Chisimdi, which originates from my home country, Nigeria.

  “I’ve told you to stop calling me that, haven’t I Rowie?” I tease him with a nickname of his middle name, Rowan, as well.

  Aiden gives me a look of annoyance, rolling his eyes. His dark hair falls into his eyes, and he reaches up to push it back. As he does that, I notice a cut on his finger, and I grab his arm, causing him to look at me like a wild animal.

  “What’s this?” I point at the cut, eyeing him suspiciously. Aiden is not one to be clumsy enough to mindlessly hurt himself. That’s my job.

  “Aishh, it’s just a scratch,” he groans, pulling his arm away from me, “Worried about me all of a sudden, Chisi?”

  I smack his shoulder, grimacing at the force of impact, “Stop calling me that!”

  “Ok, ok! How about..Lottie? Short for Charlotte, your name of course,” He grins, somewhat mischievously.

  I think for a while. No one had ever called me Lottie. Everyone mostly called me Charlie, a common nickname for Charlotte. For him to have put so much thought into this...he must have REALLY wanted to annoy me.’

  “AGHHH just don’t call me at all! I don’t want to talk to you, jerk” I turn around dramatically, turning my skateboard and lifting my headphones back up.

  Before I connect my headphones to the music on my phone, I hear a grunt from Aiden behind me, although I don’t know what for.

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  Getting ready for school on a Monday is the worst part of my week, but unfortunately, it is something I must do, nevertheless.

  “Chisimdi! Why are you taking so long in there?!” My mother yells as I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

  As fast as I can, I wash my hands and loosen my ponytailed braids. I rush down the stairs, pushing through my room door.

  In my standing room mirror, my braids are falling down my shoulder, my pink and white hello kitty pajamas are a stark contrast to my dark skin. Beneath my eyes, are slight eyebags, due to my overnights trying to memorize my whole school textbook.

  On my bedside table, my phone vibrates with a call. Frowning, I reach backwards and grab my phone, checking the name on the phone. As I read the name, Jessica, my frown spreads into a grin, that probably lights up the whole room. I hastily answer the call, bringing the phone to my ear.

  “Hey Jessie,” I’m the first to speak.

  “Hi Charlie, are you ready?” Jessica Chen has been my best friend for 5 years, and so far, the only things we disagree on are the fact that she enjoys reading, and the fact that she finds Aiden ‘appealing’ to the eyes.

  “Almost..why?” I look out my window suspiciously. The view of my window is the front of our house, showing the street and Aiden’s house which is right across ours. I’m shocked to see Jessica standing outside my house door, holding her phone to her ear, staring at Aiden’s house, as if waiting for him to spontaneously appear.

  “Don’t tell me you’re here to stalk him again,” I stare at my phone, wondering how I ever managed to gain a friend as weird as Jessica.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I am not stalking him,” outside, I see Jessica hold a hand to her heart dramatically, “I’m merely waiting to walk you to school, while keeping an eye out for some refreshing eye candy”

  With a roll of my eyes, I tuck on a black and white sweater and some tights, then I run downstairs, hopping on one foot as I try to pull on my converse.

  “Yes well, I'm nearly done...,” I hold my phone between my ear and my shoulder, tying my shoes, “Mama, I'm off!” I call to my mum, grabbing my schoolbag and rushing out the door before I can hear her reply.

  Jessica ends the call, spotting me, “Heyy Charlie...where’s my eye candy?”

  “How should I know, you freak?” We both laugh at the same time as I shove her off my front porch. Across my lawn, I spot a certain dark-haired boy stepping out of his house as well and walking down the street. Unfortunately for me, Jessica spots him too.

  “AIDEN!!” Jessica runs after him, and as he spots her, he runs as well, picking up his pace.

  Half smiling, I follow them too, grabbing Jessica’s backpack.

  “Aiden!! Wait for me!!” To my surprise, Jessica pulls off her backpack and runs after Aiden, leaving me standing there with her backpack in hand.

  “This idiot...,” I mutter, racing after them.

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  My one and only crush, is Zen McMillan, a basketball player who is also in his senior year of high school. His blond hair and blue eyes make him look like a ken doll, only someone like me could never be his Barbie.

  He'd probably be better off with someone like Eleanor, the school hottie. A blonde, green eyed girl with a perfect face, body and skin. She’s someone who could easily be congratulated for her beauty and her brains. Unlike me, who is currently racing through the school hallways, after losing Aiden and Jessica.

  Which is why I'm surprised to see Jessica standing outside our homeroom door, her straight, dark hair rests on her shoulders, her lips tinted with red.

  She must have fixed herself up after coming to school.

  “Charlie..I have urgent news!” She grabs me by the shoulders as soon as she sees me, “So as you know, prom is on its way...and... I’m going to ask Aiden out!”

  Suddenly, I burst out laughing, despite myself. It makes perfect sense, seeing as she’d liked Aiden from the moment, she’d first laid her eyes on him, so I have no real reason for laughing, other than, I just did.

  “No way, how did you come to that crazy conclusion?” I grab her arm, pulling her into the homeroom with me.

  “It just.... came to me, like inspiration to an artist...,” Jessica grins, sitting on the desk behind me.

  “Ok class, as you know, the end of your senior year is in two months,” The teacher announces, silencing the class, “Hence, the school has decided to invite you all to the annual end of year picnic, next week on Monday, we hope to see you all attend.”

  I turn to look at Jessica, but she’s not in her seat anymore. I find her at the other end of the classroom, whispering to a guy.

  “Miss, are we allowed to bring whatever food or drink we like?” The guy asks after they’ve finished whispering.

  “Well, yes..as long as it does not violate the school’s policy,” The teacher smiles, unsuspecting of her students’ plans, “Now, shall we get on with the lessons?”

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  Aiden POV:

  An annual end of year picnic is not how I planned to spend my last few weeks of school, but once I heard that Charlotte would be going, I knew I had to as well.

  Ever since our parents were in Primary school, they’ve been best friends and when they gave birth to us, they planned to make us best friends too. So I’ve always been dragged into the responsibility of acting like an older brother, following her around like some stupid lapdog.

  That still does not explain why I have to follow her to a picnic for God’s sakes.

  At school, I spot the library and cannot walk past without checking for some new books. I’ve read all the English, Russian, and French books, seeing as I understand and speak those three languages, but as I glance at the bookshelves, I notice no new books in any of the three languages.

  “Hey..you’re Aiden, right?” A voice calls from behind one of the bookshelves.

  I look behind it to see a short, red-haired girl with the school uniform. She’s obviously a student. Her eyes are big, green and round and... vulnerable. She has freckles all over her face and arms. Her hair is tied in a loose ponytail, and she looks like she’s been running.

  “Yes..that’s me.”

  “C-can we talk?” She steps closer to me.

  “You can say whatever you need to right here.” I slowly take a step back, hitting a bookshelf.

  “Well..I’ve liked you since I first laid eyes on you in 6th Grade and-”

  “No, sorry,” I walk around her, on my way to the exit.

  “But- I..I’m really in love with you!”

  I ignore the girl, leaving the library and walking through the halls of my God forsaken high school. Kids these days, say the L word too easily, it has no meaning to them anymore. It’s just a way of saying that you find the person attractive.

  At the end of the hall, I see Charlotte, yapping away with Jessica. God, just Jessica’s name makes me want to shiver. The girl has been obsessed with me since she and Charlotte became friends five years ago, and no matter how many times I reject her, she still comes back.

  As I walk past them, Charlotte grabs my arm, for the second time, and this week has just begun.

  “Hey, jerk. Where are you going?” She grins at Jessica, and I already know that they have some crazy, elaborate plan for me.

  “To the cafeteria, for lunch, as you should be doing as well, Lottie,” I flash my most mischievous smile, hoping for her to give up on this plan.

  She doesn’t.

  A few minutes later, I’m sitting on a cafeteria table, having lunch with my two, least favorite girls.

  “So uh..Aiden..Who are you going to prom with?” Jessica asks, shoving some mashed potatoes into her mouth.

  “No one,” I shrug, turning the page of my book.

  “You’re not going?!” Jessica stands up quickly, sending her spoon flying across the cafeteria.

  “Of course I am, I’m just not going with anyone,” My eyes drift towards Charlotte, who pokes at her food, completely silent.

  Jessica sits back down, sighing, “So, who are you going with poochina?” She turns to Charlotte, and I can’t help turning to her too, with slight curiosity.

  “Well...I want to go with Zen, but it’s probably not possible,” Charlotte groans, “I wish there was a way, I could make him fall in love with me”

  I roll my eyes.

  Classic Lottie.

  “If you want instructions so bad, why don’t you actually try reading for once?” I turn the page of my book distractedly, “You ought to find something useful there.”

  Lottie perks up, “Any suggestions?”

  Jessica snorts, “How about, ‘Better than the movies’ by Lynn painter?”

  I choke on nothing. ‘Better than the movies’ by Lynn Painer is a romance novel about a girl who dates her enemy to make her crush jealous. In the end, her crush asks her out, but she had fallen in love with her enemy.

  This ought to be amusing.