9

Sienna looked at her face in the mirror, inspecting her otherwise flawless skin for red blotches. Seeing speckles of pink beneath her eyes, she applied a final layer of concealer before fixing her makeup with powder. Her mother always bought her the best brands so it should last the school day. She didn't want anyone to know she'd been crying nonstop since yesterday—not even her remaining friends.

Covering the marks didn't mean she couldn't still feel them. The skin of her cheeks was taut and sore, and her eyes stung despite using drops.

Her chest rattled as she breathed in a shaky breath, giving herself a final once over before exiting the bathroom.

She stood in the hallway as the students milled about her, chatting, and louting about as they made their way to the canteen or the picnic area. When she saw Adrian, her heart fluttered. It felt like it might burst, the rush of adrenaline being too much of a load to bear.

Everything about him was perfection, from the shape of him to the sound of his voice and even his smell. It was difficult to pinpoint what exactly about his face made him so beautiful, as though every feature and line worked in harmony to create the masterpiece that was Adrian.

‘Adrian.’

Even his name was perfect.

Stepping away from the safety of the wall, she grabbed his arm. The look on his face as he snapped his head in her direction—as if she was a piece of dog poo he’d stepped in—shook her to her core. Nobody had ever looked at her this way, not even the loser kids she sneered at.

‘I won’t let it deter me,’ she thought, determined to say her piece to him.

"Can I talk to you in private?" she asked, heart thudding so fast she felt she might actually die.

"Why?" he asked, regarding her with suspicious eyes.

"Please?" she pressed, not willing to explain herself in the hallway.

He didn't look happy about it, but he nodded and led her to the nearest empty classroom. The way he strode about the school that was new to him, with such confidence, as though he owned the place, was both strange and impressive.

She watched as he took a seat, psyching herself up to say what she'd planned. She’d thought about it nonstop, turning the words over in her brain until they lost all meaning.

"Well?" he asked.

"I wanted to apologise—"

"For?" he interrupted before she could get her words out.

"Well, for everything," she said. To be honest, she wasn't sure what she was sorry for, but he was angry at her for something. For hurting his stepsister or just for the inconvenience of being forced to spend time with her.

He didn't look impressed.

"I'm sorry she begged you into going out with me. I had no idea I was so terrifying to her," Sienna said.

"Yes, you did," he argued. "You told her you'd disown her if I didn't go out with you."

Sienna hung her head in shame. He didn’t understand and she couldn’t really expect him to. She’d been desperate, and when she felt that way, there was nothing she wouldn’t do to achieve her goals.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just really desperately wanted you to say yes," she uttered.

"Hmm," he grunted. "You know I'm not the one you should be apologising to, right?"

"I'm going to apologise to Scarlett as well," she said. She had no choice, despite hating that little bitch for embarrassing her so completely. Yes, she had backed the girl into a corner, but this sort of behaviour was not acceptable. Nobody treated her this way. Nobody.

"Okay," he said with a sigh, getting up to leave.

In a panic, she grabbed his coat as he stood. This time the look her gave her was more exasperated than disgusted. It was a small improvement.

"I wanted to ask you something… else…" she started.

After he sat back down, she continued. "Was I so awful on the date? I thought we had a nice time."

"I was horrible to you, you didn't notice?" he asked.

Sienna shook her head in the negatory. "I had a good time. I thought you did too."

He said nothing, which could either be a good or a bad thing.

"Would you... maybe... give me another chance?" she asked, looking down.

She didn't want to see the look on his face as he let out a burst of quiet snickering laughter.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"You don't want to go out with me again?" she guessed in a subdued voice, close to a whisper.

"Bingo!" He flashed a wide, false grin, revealing a perfect, if not a little sharp, set of teeth. Something about his grin was predatory, but it only made him more attractive.

She realised there was no other choice. There was only one hand left to play, and though her dignity was already in tatters, the thought of asking this next question made her cringe and flush with shame.

"If I beg you, will you give me a second chance?" Sienna asked.