Sold to My Next Door Bully: The Arranged Marriage I Never Wanted

My father was going to kill me. I knew it. I could already hear his voice in my head, picturing what he was going to say when he saw it: “You are a failure! You have always been a failure.” The test paper crumpled in my hand as I squeezed it, my hands shook, and I could feel my heart racing against my chest as I walked down the school halls. I got a B+ in math. I stood, looking at the red ink on my scripts so intently as if it would change to an A+ if I stared hard enough. Father would kill me. My family were perfectionists, so of course everything had to be exactly right. My pasture, the way I spoke, the way I dressed, the food I ate, the school I went to, and of course, my grades. If I ever went against what my father thought was right, he would punish me with his belt, leaving marks on my back. My grades were perfect, but I had a rival, Sebastian Gray. He was the son of a wealthy billionaire and loved by all the girls, but me? I hated him. I used to be the top of my class until he transferred here two years ago; we were just fifteen years old at the time. He came here from Switzerland; I heard his mother had died, and he had come here to be with his grandmother. Sebastian was a threat to my position as top student in class; I was only a few points ahead of him, and I feared that one day he would finally catch up to me until he actually did. He would shove it in my face whenever he did better; to him, it was a fun little game between us. But to me it meant torture. Dad would make me kneel against the cold tiled floor and whip me against the back until he was satisfied. So I studied harder, struggling to do better than Sebastian, and I have been, until today. I stared at the script with hate in my eyes, my jaw clenched tight as I suddenly felt a figure behind me, its shadow covering me. I looked over my shoulder; Sebastian's brown hair brushed against my face as he looked at my script. “A B+?” he cackled. I turned to face him, watching the proud look in his grey eyes. He hissed as he held up his script, “I'm sure you can do better than that." A playful smirk played on his lips. He got an A minus. My heart dropped; I could feel my throat tightening. In fact, I could already feel the sting of Dad's whips on my back. “Congratulations,” I said, liking the words but not on my tongue, and turned around to walk off. His hand suddenly wrapped around mine; he yanked me back and pressed me against the school locker. “What are you doing?!” I shouted in anger, but of course I wasn't mad at him. Hot tears clouded my eyes. His gaze narrowed, observing my face; he suddenly burst into loud laughter. Are you crying? Students walked past in the halls, all turned to look at me, and the halls suddenly echoed with loud laughter. I looked down in embarrassment and watched as droplets of tears dropped from my eyes. Does she always have to be the best? "Student mocked. “You got a B+,” Lyra shouted from across the hall. “That is higher than anybody else in class.” “He pisses me off,” the student hissed and walked away. Sebastian's smile fell as he lowered his head to look at my face. “Are you really crying?” His voice softened. The bell suddenly rang, and the students all scattered in a hurry to go home. I walked away from Sebastian; my driver would be waiting for me right now. Even being one second late would put me in trouble with Father. I got in the back seat of the car. "Hello, Bert,” I greeted. "Ms. Manchester,” he bowed his head to greet and started the car. As the car slowed into the road, I straightened my uniform, reaching into my purse. I brought out a small mirror and looked at my hair. It was messy. I quickly brushed it and put it in a high bun. Perfect. The car was silent as we drove him. Bert was unusually quiet today. “Bert? "Is everything okay?” I asked. He gave a heavy sigh; now I was sure something was wrong. He moved his right hand away from the steering wheel and raked it through his gray hair. “My daughter has been put to bed.” I gasped, "Really?” My voice was high-pitched with excitement. He nodded. “Why then the sad look?” I suddenly stop smiling. “Your father wouldn't let me go see the perfectionist.” His voice cracked. I watched him through the rearview mirror, and my heart cracked when I saw tears gathering. My smile fell. “I haven't seen Melanie in years, Ms. Ivy; I'm afraid I have to quit.” I slumped back against my seat, almost as if his words had pushed me back, so heavy that I couldn't move. Why was Father so heartless? The maid worked tirelessly, but he still treated them like they meant nothing. House attendants would quit only a few months after working with us; Dad would replace them immediately. Bert was the only one who had stayed the longest. I actually formed a bond with him. “Hmm,” I heard him say. My brow rose. "What?” “The car behind us, it seems to be following us.” I looked back with my brow raised as I saw the familiar car behind us; it was Sebastian's car. “Is he crazy?” I mumbled, could he be following us? With every turn we took, his car followed us; it wasn't coming to my home, was it? Soon we pulled into our compound; I looked back and watched him drive past. I sighed with relief. My feet echoed as I walked through our giant living room, heading upstairs for my bedroom. The maids had made the bed and cleaned the bedroom, just like they had always done. I placed my bag on the bed and began to take off my uniform. I knew my father would ask for my grades when he returned. The thought of it made me shake. Maybe if Mom were alive, maybe if she hadn't died when she had me, I would have somebody to stand up for me. I had never seen him smile or laugh; his expression was always stern. I knew he wasn't always like that. I had a photo of Mom and Dad together before I was born; he had the biggest smile on his face. I What broke him? “Psst,” I froze and slowly turned back. “Who was that?” I heard a familiar voice laugh; it was coming from the window. I looked at it, and my lips flew as I saw Sebastian standing in front of the window of the next house. He stuck his head out. I rushed to my window. “What are you doing there?” I gasped. I looked behind him and saw movers carrying things in. My lips parted. "No…no, you are not…” He smirked, enjoying the horrified look on my face. “I bought the house,” he announced. My heart sank. Why? Why on earth would my school nemesis buy a house next to mine? His bedroom is directly opposite mine.