LOVE BEYOND HATE

Andrea’s POV “Wake up, Andrea! It’s time for school!” Mom’s voice echoed from downstairs. I groaned and pulled my blanket over my head. Five more minutes. Surely, five minutes couldn't hurt. “ANDREA!” My eyes flew open. Okay. Apparently, five minutes could get me killed. I sat up and rubbed my sleepy eyes before looking at the clock beside my bed. 6:02 a.m. Today was my first day of high school at Riverdale Schools. Just thinking about it made my stomach twist. I dragged myself out of bed and headed into the bathroom. After a quick shower, I returned to my room and stared at the uniform hanging neatly beside my wardrobe. White shirt. Dark-blue vest. Matching tie. Pleated skirt. White socks. Black shoes. Everything had been prepared the night before. I slipped into the uniform and stood in front of my mirror. I pulled my hair into a neat ponytail, leaving two little tendrils on either side of my face. I stared at my reflection. “You've got this,” I whispered. I paused. “Hopefully.” I grabbed my schoolbag and hurried downstairs. The smell of breakfast welcomed me before I even reached the dining room. Everyone was already seated. Dad was at the head of the table, Mom was making sure everyone had what they needed, and my older siblings—the twins—were already dressed. Unlike me, they had already finished high school. They were fresh graduates now, spending most of their time talking about college, applications, and what they wanted to study. Sometimes I envied them. They were done with this stage of their lives. Meanwhile, I was only just beginning mine. Then there was Samara, my younger sister, who was already in junior high school, and my four-year-old youngest sister, who was in kindergarten and seemed to think the entire house revolved around her. The moment my youngest sister saw me, her face brightened. “Andrea!” I smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Good morning, baby.” “Good morning.” I greeted everyone else before taking my seat. “Morning, Dad.” “Morning, sweetheart.” “Morning, Mom.” “Good morning, darling.” I reached for my glass of juice. For a moment, I simply looked around the table. This was what I loved most about my family. We were loud. We annoyed each other. We argued over the smallest things. But we were close. I had loving parents, older twin siblings who had just graduated from high school and were preparing for college, Samara in junior high school, and my youngest sister in kindergarten. Everyone seemed to be moving forward in their own way. And now it was my turn. Dad looked up from his phone. “So, Andrea. Are you ready for school?” I nearly choked on my juice. “Ready?” He laughed. “You're nervous.” “Very.” One of the twins chuckled. “You'll be fine.” “Easy for you to say.” They had already been through high school. They knew what it was like to walk into a new school, make friends, meet teachers, and figure everything out. I didn't. Today was my first day. I was going to be the new girl. The girl nobody knew. The girl everyone would probably stare at. Dad checked his watch and stood. “Let's go.” Mom looked around the table. “Have a good day, everyone.” “Bye, Mom!” We all echoed. I grabbed my bag and followed Dad out. --- The drive to school was quiet. Our driver was behind the wheel while I sat in the back, my schoolbag beside me. I stared out the window as the city passed by. The closer we got, the more nervous I became. I rubbed my palms against my skirt. What if nobody liked me? What if I got lost? What if I embarrassed myself? What if— Then I saw it. Riverdale Schools. I slowly sat up. The school was enormous. The dark-blue building stretched across what looked like an entire campus, surrounded by beautifully maintained gardens, wide walkways, trees, and several other buildings. Students were everywhere. Some walked in groups. Others stood around talking. Some were already rushing toward the entrance. But what caught my attention most was the huge inscription across the front of the building. RIVERDALE SCHOOLS. Dark blue. Bold. Impossible to miss. I pressed my forehead lightly against the window. “Wow.” It looked like something straight out of a movie. “Andrea.” I didn't respond. “Andrea.” Still nothing. “Andrea!” I blinked and turned. Samara was staring at me. “What?” “What are you looking at?” “The school.” She giggled. “You've been staring at it forever.” I looked outside again. “It's huge.” She rolled her eyes. “We're here.” I looked toward the front seat. Dad wasn't there. I frowned. “Wait... where's Dad?” Samara burst out laughing. I looked around. The car was empty except for us. “When did everyone get down?” She laughed harder. “You were in space!” I rolled my eyes. “Very funny.” I grabbed my bag and got out. Samara took my hand as we walked toward the entrance. --- Riverdale was even more confusing on the inside. There were hallways everywhere. Classrooms. Offices. Staircases. More hallways. I stopped. “Okay...” Samara looked up at me. “What?” “I think we're lost.” She shrugged. “Ask somebody.” I looked around. A little girl was walking past. “Excuse me?” She stopped. I smiled. “Are you new here?” Before she could answer, Samara spoke. “Obviously.” I stared at her. “Samara!” She looked innocent. “What?” The girl looked awkwardly between us before walking away. I sighed. “You can't just say things like that.” “She looked new.” “So?” She shrugged. I shook my head. “Come on.” Eventually, we found the principal's office. A clerk greeted us and checked my name before handing me my student ID card. “Keep this with you at all times.” I nodded. “Okay.” She then led us through the hallway. When we reached my classroom, my stomach tightened again. Samara squeezed my hand. “Good luck.” I smiled. “Thanks.” She was taken to her own area while I stood outside my classroom for a moment. I took a deep breath. Then I walked in. Almost immediately, the room went quiet. Everyone looked at me. I suddenly became extremely aware of my shoes. The teacher smiled. “Everyone, we have a new student joining us today.” I swallowed. “Hi.” A few students smiled. Then a girl near the middle of the room stood. She walked toward me with a friendly smile. “Hey.” “Hi.” “I'm Angel.” “I'm Andrea.” “You're new, right?” I laughed softly. “Is it that obvious?” She looked me up and down. “Kind of.” I smiled. At least I had someone to talk to. Before we could continue, the English teacher walked in. “Good morning, everyone.” The class greeted her. She glanced at me. “Andrea, I'd like to see you after class.” My smile disappeared. “Okay.” What had I done? I'd barely been in the school for an hour. --- By lunchtime, I was exhausted. Four periods. Four. And somehow, they had felt like ten. The moment the bell rang, Angel appeared beside me. “Lunch?” I nodded. “Sure.” We walked toward the dining hall. The moment I entered, I stopped. “Oh my God.” Angel laughed. “First time?” I nodded. The dining hall was huge. Much bigger than anything I had been used to. Rows of tables filled the room while students crowded around them, talking and laughing. The smell of food filled the air. I looked around, completely distracted. I was so busy taking everything in that I didn't notice someone walking toward me. Until— Bump. I walked straight into him. “Oh!” I stepped back quickly. “I'm sorry.” The boy looked at me. He wasn't angry. Instead, he gave me a small smile. “It's okay.” I blinked. That was it? No attitude? No annoyed comment? He simply adjusted his bag. “You're new here, aren't you?” I nodded. “Yeah.” “I figured.” I smiled awkwardly. “Right.” “I'm David.” “Andrea.” “Nice to meet you.” “You too.” Angel called my name from behind me. I turned. When I looked back, David had already walked away. I watched him for a moment before following Angel. For some reason, I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. --- By the end of the school day, I had learned the names of three girls who clearly didn't like me. Stella. Kit. Kendall. I had overheard enough of their conversation to know they were talking about me. The new girl. Me. I pretended not to care. But I did. A little. After school, I asked for directions to where my younger siblings were waiting. The moment I saw my four-year-old sister, she ran toward me. “Andrea!” I crouched down and caught her in my arms. “Hey, baby.” She giggled. “You came!” “Of course I came.” I looked around and spotted Samara talking with some of her classmates. At least they seemed to be having fun. Maybe my first day hadn't been completely terrible. It had just been overwhelming. The drive home was peaceful. Samara chatted excitedly about her day while my youngest sister slept beside her. I rested my head against the window. Maybe tomorrow would be better. Maybe I would finally stop getting lost. Maybe I'd make some actual friends. Then— CRASH! The entire car jolted. My heart jumped into my throat. “What was that?” --- Lee’s POV 7:15 a.m. I stared at my ceiling. I didn't want to go to school. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. I reached for my phone from the nightstand and opened the group chat. Jackson: What are we doing today? I typed. Me: Anything but school. The replies came almost immediately. Drex: I'm down. Adrian: Same. I smiled. Finally. A reason to get out of bed. I dragged myself into the bathroom, showered, dressed, and headed downstairs. Mom was already in the kitchen. The moment she saw me, she smiled. “Good morning, sweetheart.” I walked over and hugged her. “Morning, Mom.” I was definitely a mama's boy. And I wasn't ashamed of it. I rested my chin briefly on her shoulder. “I don't think I'm going to school today.” She turned around. “Why?” “I'm tired.” She sighed. “Lee...” “Please?” She studied my face for a moment. Then she shook her head. “Fine. Just be careful.” I smiled. “Love you.” “Love you too.” I kissed her cheek and grabbed my keys. My car was waiting outside. My baby. My pride and joy. I loved that car more than I probably should. Nobody touched it. Nobody ate in it. Nobody spilled anything in it. And absolutely nobody was going to ruin it. I picked up Jackson first. Then Adrian. Then Drex. The rest of the day was supposed to be simple. Hang out. Have fun. Eat. Go home. Instead, we ended up exploring a new place that had recently opened in New York. It was actually fun. Until everyone got hungry. Which meant McDonald's. The line was ridiculous. I stared at it. “You've got to be kidding me.” Jackson laughed. “Relax.” “I am relaxed.” “You're glaring at the people in front of us.” “Because they've been standing there forever.” Eventually, we got our food. Then Adrian suggested a pub. I didn't like the idea. The moment we entered, a strange smell hit me. It smelled like vomit. I almost turned around. But Adrian seemed excited, so I kept my mouth shut. I sat there while the others ate. Jackson was being loud. Drex was being annoying. And somehow, both of them thought my car was a dining table. Drex brought chicken wings into the car. I stared at him. “Are you eating that in here?” He looked at me. “Yeah?” “Get it out.” Jackson laughed. “Bro, calm down.” “No.” Drex ignored me. I turned around. “I'm serious. If you drop one piece of that chicken—” BANG! Everything went silent. I froze. Drex slowly looked through the windshield. “Uh...” “What?” He pointed ahead. “We just hit a car.” I stared at him. “What?” I looked through the windshield. A car was directly in front of us. A man was already getting out. He looked furious. I stepped out. “Sir, we're sorry—” “Why do you boys drive so recklessly?” The man didn't even give me a chance to explain. He kept ranting. Adrian immediately stepped forward. “Sir, it was an accident. We're really sorry.” I was already irritated. The smell from the pub. The stupid argument in my car. The accident. The man yelling. Everything was getting on my nerves. Then I noticed someone standing near the other car. A girl. I had never seen her before. She was wearing a Riverdale uniform. I barely looked at her. My eyes met hers for a second. I was too pissed to care who she was or what she looked like. I gave her an irritated, disgusted look before looking away. That was it. Nothing more. I turned my attention back to the driver. Adrian was still apologizing. “Sir, we're really sorry. It won't happen again.” The man continued complaining. I sighed. I was done. “Let's go.” Adrian looked at me. “Lee—” “I'm tired.” I got back into the car. A few moments later, we drove away. I didn't look back. I didn't know that the girl beside that car would be standing in front of me again the very next day. And next time, I would actually notice her. --- Andrea’s POV By the time I got home, I was exhausted. I handed my younger siblings over to the nanny and went upstairs. My room felt like heaven. I dropped my bag on the floor, changed into something comfortable, and collapsed onto my bed. After resting for a while, I forced myself to sit up and finish my assignments. Later that evening, I called my friend from Seattle. Talking to her made everything feel normal again. We talked about school, the move, and everything I missed. At dinner, Dad asked about my first day. “It was okay.” “Just okay?” I smiled. “It was actually fine.” Then I remembered something. “Dad?” “Yes?” “Can I go to the BTS concert?” He looked at me. “The what?” “The BTS concert!” My face immediately lit up. “Please. I'm an ARMY.” My brother groaned. “Here we go again.” I turned toward him. “What?” “You're obsessed.” “So?” “You talk about them every day.” “And?” Mom laughed. Dad shook his head. “You girls and your music.” “Dad!” Everyone laughed. A small argument broke out between my brother and me, but it ended as quickly as it started. Eventually, I went upstairs. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed. Tomorrow was another day. I closed my eyes. --- The next morning came at 5:45 a.m. My alarm rang. I groaned. “Again?” I wanted to stay in bed. But I got up anyway. Shower. Uniform. Hair. Breakfast. Bag. School. This time, the drive didn't feel quite as frightening. I knew where I was going now. Sort of. When I arrived, I headed toward my locker. I had just started putting my books inside when I noticed someone familiar standing nearby. David. The boy from the cafeteria. He smiled when he saw me. “Morning.” “Good morning.” “How are you?” “Good.” He glanced at my locker. “Wait. You're the new girl from yesterday, right?” I laughed. “Apparently.” He smiled. Then he looked at the locker beside mine. “Looks like we're neighbors.” I glanced at the number. He was right. I smiled. “Great.” “See you in class?” “Yeah.” He walked away. I turned back to my locker. Then I heard loud voices coming from down the hallway. I looked up. Four boys were walking toward the classroom. Jackson. Adrian. Drex. And— Lee. I didn't know why, but I recognized him immediately. The boy from the accident. The one who had looked at me like I had personally ruined his entire day. The hallway immediately became louder. Girls whispered. Some giggled. Others fixed their hair as the boys passed. I rolled my eyes. Of course. The rich boys had arrived. Lee walked with his friends like the entire school belonged to them. Then his eyes landed on me. He stopped for half a second. His expression changed. Recognition. This time, he actually looked at me. Not because he remembered my face from somewhere. Because now he remembered the girl standing beside the car yesterday. The new girl. Me. I stared back. His expression remained unreadable for a moment before he looked away and continued walking. I frowned. What was his problem? He walked into the classroom with his friends. I followed a few seconds later. I had no idea who Lee Anderson really was. I only knew two things about him. He was arrogant. And apparently, he already disliked me. I had a feeling I was going to see a lot more of him. I just didn't know how much. Or how complicated it was going to become.