Chapter 1

I didn't know what to do. Normally I would spin on my heel and run in the opposite direction, but my phone was in my locker and I needed to call Bert.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

They were only human beings. They weren't going to tear my head off and drink my blood, or something weird like that. The worst they could do was stare at me like I was trash or call me a few names. That I could hopefully handle.

I clutched my binder tighter against my chest, my courage slowly waning. There were four of them, all standing around lazily and talking about who knows what. I took a few steps towards my locker. I mean they didn't look too bad.

But that wasn't saying much.

They were the Big Four. They weren't necessarily the popular kids, but they did rule the school in their own dangerous and rather intimidating way. They were what everyone would call bad, and their leader was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen.

Chris Landon.

His name alone sent shivers down people's spine, and they weren't good ones. Chris was bad. Everyone knew it, but no one dared to approach him about it. He wasn't your typical 'bad grades and bad manners' bad, he was bad as in 'I just got out of juvey for public vandalism and they're most likely holding a spot for me in prison for future illegal crimes' bad.

At least he hasn't been to juvey in almost a year.

I spent way too much of my time thinking about him, more than I would admit. But ever since I came back I've been drawn to him. To the way he acted, the way he walked, to his attitude. He was one giant walking bipolar criminal, and that drew my attention like a magnet. Maybe it was because his presence reminded me too much of the past, or maybe I just really liked looking at him.

I squished my binder tighter to my chest and gulped down the tight fear squeezing my throat as I approached them. It was bad enough having a crush on a regular bad boy, but to have a crush on Chris?

It was suicide.

I stopped my walk of death as I reached the back of a very muscular body. A body that was twice the size of mine. I gulped. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Against my better judgment, I tapped on the shoulder directly in front of me, the one that was two times larger than my fist. I saw my life flash before my eyes as that mountain of a body stiffened and slowly turned around.

"What do you want, Princess?" The mountain asked as he revealed the one and only face of Dean Harris, Chris's best friend. If you could even call him that.

Uh...

What did he just call me?

"U-uh, what?" My words came out as a jumbled mess, and it was becoming physically harder trying to force my legs to keep from running away. Dean raised one perfectly shaped dark eyebrow at me before a smirk, that I will admit was pretty attractive, crossed his handsome face.

"You tell me, you're the one interupting."

By now we had everyone's attention, everyone except Chris. He was staring out the hallway window with a blank and lazy look painted on his beautiful face. He almost didn't seem to realize that his friends had stopped talking to him. The other two, however, were staring at me with a mischievous twinkle in their eyes.

That couldn't be good.

"Oh y-yeah. Um, I kind of need to get to my locker..." The amused smirk on Dean's face didn't falter, and he didn't bother moving. Kinda like this whole situation was very funny to him.

"And?" He encouraged as his bright green eyes flashed with humor.

"You guys are kinda, um, in the way." I tore my eyes away from his rather beautiful ones, and glanced at the rest of the boys who now wore matching smiles. Matching devilish smiles. I flushed and brought my gaze back to Chris. He still hadn't moved or acknowledged my presence.

That kind of stung.

"Just say the magic word, and we'll get out of your way." Dean teased as his giant body loomed over my much smaller one.

I didn't think I was necessarily tiny, but Mick and dad always said I was. I mean, I was like 5'1", but when you have a moving, fine piece of male, that is a walking mountain looming over you- you're going to feel like a mouse.

"Please?" I asked hopefully as my eyes automatically blinked up at him from under my eyelashes. It was during moments like these where I wished I could be a turtle just so I could crawl inside myself and never come out.

He laughed, and even though the sound was warm and light-hearted, the sneaky amused lit in it rang across the quickly emptying hallway. I blushed like crazy and dropped my eyes to my shoes as the other two boys chuckled beside us.

"Aw look Dean, you made her blush." Freddie Halliwell laughed from Dean's left and nodded at my cheeks. My face only heated up more and I kept my eyes glued to our shoes.

"Aren't you the most adorable thing I've ever seen." Hank Halliwell, the older of the two brothers by mere minutes, chuckled from Dean's right.

There was no denying that the two dark-haired, blue-eyed flashing jocks were twins. Even though the older Halliwell held a little more muscle than his brother, they made an excellent team in any sport. That's why so many colleges would do anything to have them.

Or so I've heard.

"I like you, you're cute." Dean chuckled not-so-softly across from me, and my attention snapped back to him.

"Come on dude, she's just a kid." Hank's gruff voice scolded Dean, and I watched as his bright blue eyes sized up my inadequate frame.

Chapter 2

I frowned and gently kicked a broken pencil away with my foot. I might have been smaller than them, but they weren't much older than me. "I'm not a kid. I'm seventeen." I grumbled softly, but kept my eyes down as heat crept up my cheeks once again. Their laughter only grew.

My blush deepened.

"Absolutely adorable, Princess." Dean chuckled as my face burned brighter until I looked like a red tomato.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" I groaned softly and scuffed the bottom of my shoes against the hallway's tiled floor as his giant body loomed over mine.

He shrugged and shot me a small smile, a laugh still trying to escape his lips. "I don't know your real name, and you're small and cute, like a Princess."

"I am not." I grumbled and crossed my arms over my chest with a pout. I just wanted to get to my locker. Why couldn't he just take his friends and leave?

"You're not helping your case kid." Hank chuckled again and shook his head.

"I'm not a kid-"

"What's your name girly?" Dean's voice cut off my grumbling, and I wasn't sure if I should have been disappointed that he didn't call me Princes or overjoyed. I opened my mouth to answer, but a different voice finally cut into our strange conversation. A deep, richer, and tummy turning voice.

"Leave the girl alone Dean, and let her get to her fucking locker."

All the boy's attention snapped away from mine, their dark eyes focused on the brooding boy leaning against the metal lockers. Chris's dark hair looked tousled as he popped his gum one more time. My stomach twisted in butterflies as he stood up straight and pushed past Freddie to walk away.

He truly was beautiful.

"I'm leaving with or without you fuckers." His irritated voice called over his shoulder as he shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked off down the hall. He didn't look back once.

I tried not to let that get to me. I mean, all the other boys were talking to me and actually being some form of friendly. Why wasn't he?

Maybe he just didn't like me- But why wouldn't he? I've never said more than two words to him. Despite having the biggest crush on him than anyone could possibly ever have on someone, I haven't done anything wrong.

That didn't matter though. Not to Chris. I have a better chance with Isaac Taylor than I did with Chris Landon. He didn't even acknowledge until he got fed up and walked away.

I wasn't his type anyway. Guys like Chris, the insanely hot, bad ones, didn't fall for girls like me. I'm the type of girl that avoids danger as much as possible.

Dean turned back to me with a small pout on his face, but his amused eyes ruined his puppy dog look. "Looks like we got to go Princess, but I'm sure we'll see you around." He shot me a wink before following after Chris with Hank hot on his heels.

"Catch you later Buttercup!"

Buttercup? What was it with those boys and nicknames? Freddie blew me an air kiss which I blushed like a maniac at before he chuckled and ran after his brother and friends.

Well, that went- well?

No, more like completely shockingly unexpected.

Yeah, that's better.

I shook my head and sighed before turning to my locker and spinning in the combo.

"This is all your darn fault." I scolded my phone as I slammed the metal door shut. "If you had just stayed in my pocket like you were told I never would have had to face them."

I never would have to have gone through Chris ignoring me like that.

It shouldn't have bothered me that much. I know it shouldn't. I didn't know him- just knew of him. But it still didn't feel great. I clutched my phone and binder to my chest as I headed down the hall. I shouldn't feel so upset. Chris ignores everyone, even his friends on occasions. He's not even a player.

As a matter of fact, I've never seen him talk, hug, kiss, or even touch a girl at our school. Obviously it's no lie that I've got a crush on him- a big one. We've been going to the same school since we were thirteen, and even though he didn't talk much then either, I've always been drawn to his quiet and reserved self.

But he never noticed me, and he never will. Like I said before, his type would never fall for someone like me.

The next day started off as any regular boring day, until the end of second period when I was walking to my locker alone. "Lucinda." A tall light-brown haired boy with bright blue eyes called out from down the hall.

Not this again, please.

"What do you want Kenneth?" I mumbled softly as I turned to face the six-foot monster looming over me. He shot me a look I wouldn't have called a smirk necessarily, and closed his eyes in exasperation. Like he was dealing with a small child instead of me.

"What I always want Lucinda. Just go out with me." This time he did smirk, a full blow, nasty smirk, and that dark glint I was familiar with flashed across his face. The same glint that warned me to stay away from him to begin with. I shook my head and took a step back. I was all too eager to get away from him and this deserted hallway.

"That's not what you want."

His smirk only grew as I took another step away from him, though he didn't let me get very far. I jumped as his arm snatched up and his hand gripped tightly onto my bicep. I tried not to let my cringe show as he held me in place, like he knew how badly I wanted to run away from him and he was prepared.

Chapter 3

"Awe gee Lucy, you know me so well." He cooed and dragged me closer as I struggled against his hold.

"Let me go." I tried to make my voice firm, but there was no mistaking the waver of sheer fear and panic that rang through it. Kenneth was not a nice person, and he was nowhere near a good guy. Ever since he saw Bert and Mick drag me out to the public pool last year in a bikini, he wouldn't leave me alone.

"No. I don't think I will." He chuckled as his other arm reached out enough to effectively cage me against the lockers. My eyes widened in near terror as he invaded all the personal space I had.

"Let me go Kenneth, we're going to be late to class." I tried to reason with him, tried to get him to listen, but he just shrugged and gripped my arms tighter until it began to hurt. I wouldn't say this a routine for us, but he's cornered me before. Although he was never this- handsy.

"Eh, it's just one period. I can afford to skip one period. It's all I really need." His voice dropped, and I didn't bother hiding my cringe this time as his eyes rolled over my struggling body.

I gulped.

"Let me go, or I swear I'll start screaming."

His chest rumbled in warning and his icy blue eyes snapped down to mine. Where was Bert when I needed him, or even better where's Jax? "Go ahead and try. I'll break you before you get the chance-"

"Princess, there you are! I was looking all over for you!"

I don't think hearing Dean Harris's voice had ever made me happier in my entire life. An arm the size of a thick tree trunk shot out of nowhere and wrapped around my shoulders before ripping me from a dumbfounded Kenneth. I gasped as it squished me against a mountain-like chest and pressed my face firmly into its stone surface.

Well this wasn't expected.

"You know her?" There was no mistaking the confusion in Kenneth's voice, or the slight fear, but my face was pushed too far into Dean's chest to look at his expression.

"Of course man! This is my girl! We go way back, don't we Princess?" His arm squeezed tighter around my shoulders in reassurance and warning.

All I could do was nod.

"Tut, tut, Buttercup. What have we told you about running off?" Freddie's teasing chuckle came from my right, but Dean's arm wouldn't let me move my head enough to look at him.

"Sorry..." I mumbled against the mountain's shirt. Freddie only laughed some more. I could see Hank out of the corner of my left eye, and he was the only one out of the three that didn't seem happy at all. As a matter of fact, he was glaring at Kenneth like he was a gross piece of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

"Oh, so you'll fuck three delinquents, but not me?" Kenneth's voice was a harsh sneer, and I found myself flinching further into Dean's embrace as it scratched at my ears.

Those words sounded so- filthy.

Before I knew what was happening I was being shoved behind Dean's giant back as he and Freddie latched onto Hank's arms, dragging him away from a broken-nosed Kenneth. "What the fuck!" His beyond angry voice shouted at the three members of the Big Four as he pinched the bridge of his nose and tipped his head back.

"You better watch your fucking mouth." The older Halliwell by a few minutes spat at the bleeding jock. I stared in wide-eyed shock as Freddie dragged his brother away from Kenneth, and Dean turned back to him with a sneaky, slightly angry, smile breaching his lips.

"You should probably go to the nurse. Hank's punches can cause some serious damage."

"He has some serious fucking brain damage." Kenneth spat as blood rushed down his nose and chin in a disgusting waterfall. If that alone wasn't enough to make me cringe, then an angry Dean grabbing a surprised Kenneth by the front of his shirt and slamming him against the wall definitely did.

Wow- These boys were violent.

"Look here you prick, the only reason I'm not pounding your fucking face in is because Princess over there is watching, but don't think for a fucking second that I won't change my mind if you don't shut your damn mouth."

Dean's voice was a vicious, dangerous, snarl, and he waited until Kenneth's face began to turn green in fear before he let him go. He dropped to the floor in a miserable, bloody, gaping mess. I gulped and took a step back as Dean let out a few heavy, calming, breaths and ran his fingers through his hair.

Oh my god.

That did not just happen.

That couldn't have.

I just witnessed my first real fight ever, if that's what you could call it, and I feel like I was going to vomit from the nerves all rushing to my stomach. That did not just happen. This isn't happening-

"You okay kid?" A heavy hand clamped onto my shoulder and gently spun me around so I was staring into the bright blue eyes of Hank Halliwell.

"I-I'm fine." I stuttered out as the heavy weight of his hand eased my shaking body. Hank's hard eyes softened until he was smiling at me with that calm, chill, look he usually wore. At least he wasn't ready to beat anyone up anymore.

"You should be more careful." Dean's voice suddenly appeared in my ear and he chuckled as I gave a little jump. I ignored Hank's knuckles that were covered in blood as he gave my shoulder another squeeze before letting go. "You shouldn't be walking around alone with pricks like that after you." Dean swung his gigantic arm across my shoulders once again and pulled me tight into his side.

"Thank you." I blurted out before my body completely shut down from shock and embarrassment.