The Biker's Sinful Obsession

Embarrassed.

Zee

By the end of my morning classes, it was time for the lunch break. I was heading to the school cafeteria when someone suddenly jumped on me from behind, nearly making me drop my books.

It was my friend, Juliana. Unlike me, she was a social butterfly—outgoing, loud, and always surrounded by a crowd. She was an average student who didn’t bother herself with grades, tests, or the idea of getting a scholarship. Her parents were well-off and could afford most of the things she wanted, so school, for her, was just a formality. It wasn’t something she stressed over.

Though our friendship was more of an on-and-off situation than a deep, steady bond, I still called her my friend—mostly because she was the only person who didn’t mind sitting with me or talking to me during school hours.

Outside the school walls, however, we were practically strangers. Oh, and did I mention she was a cheerleader? Of course, she was. She was also close to Blake, the queen bee of the school.

“Hey, I heard the new guy was in class this morning,” she said cheerfully as she threw her arm across my shoulder like we were in some high school movie.

“Yeah, he was,” I replied flatly, trying to hide the mix of curiosity and irritation in my voice.

Why she was asking about the new student, when she hadn’t even shown up to class was beyond me.

I wondered what she was up to this time.

“Why do you say it like that? Come on, I also heard he’s super hot,” she pressed.

My thoughts drifted back to the moment Denver walked into class; he was confident, dangerous, and, yes, drop-dead gorgeous,s, like someone who walked straight out of a Netflix teen drama. But I wasn’t going to say that out loud. Not now. Not ever.

The first and only guy I ever told myself was hot, was still serving me premium heartbreak daily, and from what I’d seen and heard about Denver, he could be worse.

Moreover, Denver gave the vibe of a bad boy vibe; his type is the one my father strongly disapproved of ever seeing with me.

“Okay, I don’t care. I mean, there’s nothing special about him,” I said, waving off the conversation.

Juliana blinked at me, clearly surprised. But she recovered quickly, plastering a smile back on her face.

“Really? Because I was wondering if you’d invite me to join your private tutoring so I can meet him.”

“I hate to break it to you, Juliana, but I don’t even think I’ll be tutoring him—which means you can see him anytime you want,” I said.

“You sound offended,” she said dramatically.

“I’m not. I just don’t want to talk about the new student,” I replied, raising my voice a little more than I meant to. I only realized it when I saw a few students glance our way.

Juliana, never one to back down from attention, smiled sweetly and said loudly,

“Hey, you don’t have to be upset. I wouldn't be interested if I looked like you. I mean, look at you, he’d have to be sick in the head to find you attractive.”

Her voice echoed across the cafeteria like a microphone, and the sting of her words hit harder than I could’ve imagined.

Laughter followed, of course. I stood there, frozen, utterly humiliated. Scratch the fact that I called her "friend" earlier. She was just another mean girl in disguise.

I felt super embarrassed as all eyes were now on me. I would have walked out of the cafeteria at that moment if I wasn’t starving, having barely touched my breakfast that morning.

I forced myself to grab lunch and head to my usual corner. But just as I passed Blake’s table, she stuck out her leg. I tripped, and my lunch tray flew in the air like a bad comedy scene before crashing onto the floor.

The students burst into another fit of laughter, and I got up angrily, ready to beat the foolishness out of Blake. But just as I was about to strike, I felt someone holding my hand mid-air. When I turned to see who it was, I saw it was none other than Lawrence.

His grip was firm yet gentle, and for a moment, I forgot where I was. I forgot the cafeteria, the laughter, the spilled food. His blue eyes met mine, and time slowed.

I felt grounded by his touch. This had to be the closest he’d ever been to me, and I’m not going to lie—I liked how he held my hand. Staring into those blue eyes of his felt like something out of a magic book.

“You don’t wanna fight Blake, do you? Or are you planning to lead the cheerleading team in our next soccer game?” he teased, smirking.

“Now that would be awesome to watch,” someone in the cafeteria said, and the other students started laughing.

But for some odd reason, even though I felt embarrassed by his words, I was also thankful—he had unknowingly saved me from being blacklisted as a scholarship candidate.

“I think she likes you, Lawrence,” Blake said, noticing that I was still gazing at him speechlessly.

Lawrence looked at me, frowning as if he was just hearing it for the first time. Of course, he must have; I have never told him how I felt about him.

“Is it true? Do you really like me?” he asked, holding my gaze in his.

Even though I wanted to deny what I genuinely felt for him, out of fear of being rejected, I figured this was one hell of an opportunity to finally tell him how I truly felt.

“I asked you a question, Zee. Do you like me?” he repeated.

I slowly nodded, and another round of laughter filled the cafeteria.

I was pretty sure I had turned bright red from the embarrassment, but I held on to the faint hope that he would support me instead of openly rejecting me in front of everyone.

He leaned closer as if he wanted to whisper something just for me—but his voice proved otherwise.

“I don't see you. You're not my type. Not today, not ever,” he said loudly enough for everyone to hear.

His public rejection sparked another round of laughter, and I felt another wave of humiliation. I wished the floor would open up and swallow me whole and when it didn't, I ran out of the cafeteria as fast as I could.

My chest tightened as I ran—out of the cafeteria, past the lockers, past everything.

I didn't stop running until I found myself at the abandoned construction site behind the school. The one we were strictly forbidden to go near. But I didn’t care.

I needed a place where I could easily vent my frustration, and the building was the only place that offered such luxury at the moment.

When I reached the building, I took the stairs all the way to the top floor. I stood near the edge, looking down and for a moment, I wondered what it would feel like to jump from that height.

But the thought of how my father would feel if anything ever happened to me made me push the thought aside quickly.

I couldn’t understand why people chose to focus on my body size instead of what I had to offer.

I’m one of the best students in senior year, if not the best, yet they chose to fat-shame me and make me feel horrible.

When will I ever be good enough for them to see me for who I truly am, other than my thick skin?

“I don't see you. You're not my type. Not today, not ever,” Lawerence kept ringing in my head over and over again.

I was still lost in my thoughts when I felt someone standing behind me. Since I was at the edge of the building, I panicked as I turned around to see who it was.

Somehow, I lost my balance, but I was quickly caught by none other than the new student.

Denver.