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Chapter 2: Nerdy girl

Olivia

But first, let me tell you about what happened before and who I was. The first thing you need to know is that my life during high school was torture. My father always asked me what I wanted most during what was supposed to be the golden moment of my youth. I just wanted it to end.

I was the typical nerd at school. With glasses, good grades and knew all the important things like math and geometry. I was good at even the most advanced subjects. I loved reading and losing myself in romantic and fantasy books.

But none of that seemed to matter at school. The only things that mattered were the social skills I didn't have: fashion, dancing, flirting, and chatting up boys.

What I didn't tell my father was that, above all, I wanted to be seen, I wanted to be popular. I wanted them to stop bullying me because I was a nerd, as if that was a bad thing. I wanted to be invited to parties, have a friend to share my books with and talk about boys.

I wanted my classmates to say hi when I walked by, not throw my books on the floor and laugh at me. I wanted to look back on those moments in the future and not see them as a tragedy, but as a lesson that turned into a good memory.

I also wanted to have a boyfriend, a nice and handsome boy. But that seemed too much to ask. I thought I was a dreamer, a hopeless romantic. And it seemed like things would never change until they showed up: the Onyx siblings. And my dreams came true.

To say they were attractive would be an understatement. They had recently moved to the city and quickly became a sensation. Cassandra was hot and beautiful, with dark hair and very athletic — the perfect combination. I thought she was going to be my new bully, but that wasn't the case. She wanted to talk to me, and we had so much in common. We love the same movies and books, and she was smart. I had a friend, a real friend. I can't believe it!

But when I met her brother Christopher… I fell head over heels in love with him. He was the Lord's best work: tall, had dark short hair, gray eyes. He was the most handsome man I had ever seen.

He was so perfect that the other boys didn't know whether to hate or admire him, and all the girls were crazy about him. I was one of them, of course. And I thought he wouldn't notice me, but he was happy to be my friend. They invited me to their parties and took me everywhere with them. I felt seen, loved, and appreciated.

The Onyx siblings were orphans, and my father was happy that I finally had friends and invited them over. We had the most fun get-togethers, dinners, movie nights, everything. We felt like family again. Cassandra was amazing. She helped me with silly things like picking out outfits that suited my red hair and curvy figure.

With Christopher, I sometimes thought he was looking at me too intently. I had such stupid hopes and silly teenage dreams. My classmates stopped bullying me, although they never fully accepted me. Thanks to the Onyxs. Then, one day, what I thought was impossible, happened.

"Chris is going to ask you to prom," Cassandra said casually one day as she styled my curls. I wanted to straighten my hair, but she insisted that I look better with my natural hair. She even mentioned that Chris liked it that way.

"What are you saying, Casey?"

"What you heard. You are going to prom, he's going to ask you. So we better find you a beautiful dress", my friend said. Even though it sounded like he was “helping me” to go to prom, I still liked the idea.

That night, we went to a bonfire where the school kids gathered to drink and celebrate Chris's birthday. I was very nervous, waiting for him to bring it up. But that day… oh my God it was truly special.

I swore he looked taller and more imposing, like he had somehow gotten more muscular in just a few days. He looked so stunning that he made all the other guys look pale in comparison. No one had a chance when Christopher Onyx was around. But he only had eyes for me; I even heard him gasp as I approached. He was looking at me, not at Jessica, or Samantha, or Marianne, the popular girls.

"I knew it was you," he said, his eyes lighting up.

"Of course, who else would it be?" I replied, and he laughed. "You're getting old Chris, do you need glasses? I thought you were so young," I teased, and he looked so happy. I wished that time would stop at this point, that this moment would last forever.

"Ha ha, smart ass. I only tolerate you because you're funny ... and beautiful," he muttered, and I shuddered. No one had ever told me I was beautiful before. We were walking near the forest, and he wasn't talking to anyone else; he was only interested in me.

"I want you to go to prom with me," he said suddenly, nervous, as if I was going to say no. It was not even a remote possibility. I would say yes to him every time.

"I know you're worried about me not going, but this is your moment, your prom, and..." but he interrupted me.

"I'm asking you because I want to go with you, no one else. Please, Red," he pleaded hopefully, and I was more in love than ever. Red... he always called me that.

"Of course," I replied, and he hugged me. I felt like I was in heaven and swore to myself that this was the best day of my life.

"I don't have a present for you," I whispered. I had spent so much time getting ready that I hadn't bought anything.

"It doesn't matter, I have everything I need," he murmured, making my heart beat faster. For heaven's sake, even his voice was sexier than ever.

"Here, a lucky coin. My father always gives me one for my exams," I said.

“I will keep it like a treasure”  when he brought me home that evening, he stopped and looked at me, and whispered.

"There's something I want to do, Red..." and leaned in slowly to kiss me. It was the best kiss ever. My very first kiss. Something inside me told me that I was born to kiss those lips and that I would never feel the way I felt with Christopher again. The world stood still, stars were born and died. And I was never happier in my life. The man of my dreams had chosen me, I felt.

In the weeks that followed, we had finals. Although we didn't see each other often, he sent me messages, flowers, and quotes from my favorite books. Casey bought me the dress of my dreams that I couldn't afford. Chris sent me a beautiful silver necklace with a moon pendant in advance. It was better than a dream.

"You look beautiful, darling," my father said, with tears in his eyes. He had health problems; it was just the two of us. From the moment Christopher arrived, I sensed something strange was going on. They weren't dressed up and seemed to be in a hurry.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we turned off near the woods. He looked nervous as he told me:

"We are not going to the party."

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