NO HAPPY ENDINGS: PART ONE-VINCENT

CHAPTER ONE

My name is Crown Lucy, and I’m a final year high school student. Honestly, I’ve never been interested in love or anything like that. Growing up, I had a best friend named Louise Felix. Unlike me, she was extroverted, social, and loved by everyone. I, on the other hand, was introverted and antisocial.

Trust me when I say we had opposite personalities, but somehow we clicked. We loved each other like sisters. She was a year older than me,17, while I was 16 and we were both preparing extensively for our final exams, each with our own dreams. Louise was sporty and had always wanted to go to an academy if school didn’t work out, while I was nerdy and obsessed with studying Computer Science. Even though school would work for her, she loved dreaming big.

Despite our differences, we complemented each other perfectly. She teased me endlessly about my lack of interest in relationships, and we laughed about it, never letting it bother us. She was always a good friend. I remember one day a classmate came up to us and asked her, “Hey Louise, how do you cope with this antisocial girl?” She shot back immediately: “Who I hang out with is none of your business. And please, don’t ever speak to her like that again.” Then she grabbed my hand, walked me away, hugged me, and whispered, “Don’t let it bother you.” Moments like that made me appreciate her even more.

Things went on as usual until a new student joined our school. He was a class younger than me, and at first, I didn’t pay much attention to him or so I thought. Within the first week, he had already become the darling of everyone students and teachers alike. Smart, neat, and ridiculously good-looking, he was also a perfect dancer. Everyone adored him… except me.

But he wasn’t all he seemed. Up close, he was… difficult. An asshole, to be honest.

As a prefect at Middlevelt High School, I was used to leadership challenges, but my responsibilities had just gotten a lot more complicated: I was put in charge of Vincent’s class. I didn’t particularly like the idea, but prefects can’t refuse assignments. I buckled down, telling myself, What’s the worst that could happen?

On a Friday afternoon, we had a free period, which the school decided to use for games. Each prefect was sent to the class they were assigned to, so Louise and I hurried to ours. When I arrived at Vincent’s class, it was chaos. The noise was unbearable, and getting their attention was almost impossible.

“Hi guys, could you please stop the noise? I have something to say,” I tried.

The noise only grew louder. Frustrated, I slammed my hand on the table, finally drawing their attention. “Finally,” I muttered under my breath. But Vincent wasn’t ready to let me speak. He restarted the noise almost immediately, and I felt my blood boil. I wanted to strangle him on the spot, but I reminded myself I was in school and had to be smart about this.

“Hey, new boy, can you tell me why you’re being so noisy and acting like an asshole?” I asked.

All eyes turned to us, and Vincent stood, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes as if he wanted to kill me. “Point of correction,” he said slowly, “my name is Vincent, not new boy. In case of next time, I’d rather you call me properly.”

I giggled quietly to myself, proud of standing my ground, and regained my composure. “So, Vincent, why the noise?”

“I don’t think I’m making noise… just catching up,” he replied, turning to the class. Laughter erupted, and I was instantly annoyed. He’s doing this on purpose, I thought.

“If you think you’re not making noise, then sit your butt down and let me make the announcement I want to make,” I said firmly.

Finally, he sat, though I knew it wouldn’t last. I began organizing the games, selecting a boy and girl from the class to pick the activities, and everything seemed to go smoothly… until Vincent got bored. Soon, the class was noisy again. I had no choice but to discipline him, which made him fume but I didn’t care.

After the games, I went to Louise’s house to catch up. I told her about Vincent, and her response left me stunned.

“You know he has eyes on you, right?”

I froze. What? “Mama, that’s a big lie! I’m his senior, and he troubles me constantly. How can you say he has a thing for me?”

She shrugged confidently. “That’s just the face he’s putting up. Trust me, he’ll come around sooner or later.”

I tried to shrug it off. No guy had ever shown interest in me, and I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I had no time, no energy, and no heart for it. Still, as I walked home that evening, I couldn’t stop thinking about what she said.

By the time Monday came, I realized… Vincent was going to be impossible to ignore.