Tempting The Bad Boy

Lyra stepped into the sumptuous campus. “Lyra, come!” a hurried voice called as Azariah seized her friend’s wrist and bolted toward the glittering crowd, without giving the poor girl time to understand anything. Lyra’s grip on her bag straps tightened while Azariah carved through the crowd. Whispered apologies spilled from Lyra’s lips to everyone Azariah shoved aside in her desperate haste to reach the front. A string of profanities came from behind them before they finally stopped. “Azariah, what the heck are you doing?” Lyra mumbled at her friend’s impulsive behavior. “Shh… look there.” Azariah pointed ahead, guiding Lyra’s gaze forward. Lyra’s eyes widened at the scene unfolding before her. The famous boy, Noel, and another new boy she didn’t recognize were fighting while students screamed and cheered as if it were some kind of sport. “Why are they fighting and… who is this boy who dared to stand in front of Noel?” Lyra whispered, finding her voice lower than she intended. “This is Zayden Brown, the new transfer student,” Azariah mumbled, giving Lyra the missing piece of information. “Girl… you missed so many things during your two days of absence,” Azariah said, her eyes drifting toward her friend whose gaze fixed on Zayden. She couldn’t help the smile curling onto her lips at Lyra’s reaction. She couldn’t blame her half the college girls who had already developed a crush on him within just two days. “You know Noel is an asshole. He never liked someone getting more attention than him… so he challenged Zayden, thinking he was just the same, more handsome face,” Azariah explained, satisfaction crawling through her as she watched Zayden beat the s**t out of Noel. Lyra’s hand clenched around her bag strap as a cold spike of sympathy shot through her, making her draw a deep breath when she noticed the blood on Noel’s mouth. She was no fan of him, but it looked painful, and to her, hitting someone was never something cool, even if the other person was wrong at same point. Noel’s body hit the hard ground, a painful whisper leaving his dry throat. “I’m out… I quit,” Noel admitted in defeat. But Zayden looked like he didn’t care even after Noel gave up. Bending down, Zayden curled his hand around Noel’s collar, yanking him off the ground before another punch landed on his already bruised face, sending him crashing onto the rough surface again and knocking him unconscious. Cheers erupted across the campus. Lyra’s hand flew to her mouth as a gasp escaped her lips in shock. It was brutal, cruel, and completely unfathomable. Zayden’s eyes remained fixed on the lifeless body lying on the ground, as though boring a hole into it. The crowd’s screaming and cheering filled the area. Slowly, Zayden’s gaze lifted from Noel’s motionless body to the faces around him until his eyes met Lyra’s honey-brown ones for a brief moment, making her breath hitch. The way he looked at her was enough to make her gulp down nervousness. Zayden moved, picking his bag up from the ground before walking away, ignoring the crowd completely. Lyra remained frozen in place, her eyes lingering in the direction where he had disappeared. “Lyra.” Azariah’s voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her gaze away. Ignoring the knowing look on her friend’s face, Lyra simply started walking, with Azariah quickly following beside her. “How was he…? Did my friend unlock a new crush?” Azariah teased, catching up to her and wrapping an arm around Lyra’s. Lyra stopped and turned toward her friend before replying flatly, “No.” “Then why were you looking at him like you’d found treasure? “No, I was not,” Lyra denied. “He just a spoiled brat. Didn’t you see how he hit Noel?” Lyra said, resuming her walk. Azariah nodded in agreement. “True… but don’t you think Noel deserved it?” “You can say anything, but we can’t ignore the fact that he’s a cold, hot ass,” Azariah confessed dramatically, making Lyra’s lips curl into a slight smile. Lyra and Azariah walked through the campus together. It had only been a month since their first semester had started, those two girls were inseparable, connected like souls tied to the same body. They had been best friends since fourth grade. A girl came running toward them. Before either of them could understand what was happening, she slammed into Lyra, spilling an entire can of coffee over her clothes. Gasps echoed around them. It felt far too deliberate to be an accident. Lyra slowly lifted her gaze from her ruined clothes only to find her twin sister, Aurelia, standing there beside her friend Morwen, who had thrown the coffee on her smug satisfaction written across Morwen's face. Aurelia’s expression, however, remained perfectly calm, as though nothing had happened. Aurelia was only one minute older than Lyra, yet that single minute had stolen an entire life from her. They were twins, yet they looked nothing alike. Lyra had pale skin kissed with faint freckles, untamed ginger red curls cascading down to her waist, and deep honey-brown eyes that carried a softness. Aurelia, however, was breathtaking in the way royalty was meant to be. Sharp green eyes, sleek black hair flowing elegantly down her back, warm bronze skin, and a beauty so striking people turned their heads the moment she entered a room. From the very first day, students and professors favored her, and cameras followed her every move. Why wouldn’t they? She was Princess Aurelia the firstborn daughter of King Draven, heir to the throne, the kingdom’s beloved jewel. Everyone knew her name. But Lyra? No one knew she was King Draven’s daughter. She had always been hidden behind the royal walls, treated like a secret never meant to be known. The world knew the king had two daughters, yet it had only ever seen one… cared for only one. “Morwen, can’t you just walk straight, i***t?” Azariah snapped angrily. “Lyra, are you okay?” she asked quickly, turning toward her friend. “Yeah…” Lyra mumbled, trying to clean the mess from her clothes. It was cold coffee, not making it wores. “Stop being so dramatic, lowlife,” Morwen scoffed as she wiped her hands carelessly. “Can’t you see who you’re standing in front of?” Azariah looked up immediately, her jaw tightening in anger. “Miss Morwen, liking someone’s expensive shoes does not make you any high class… And,” Azariah’s eyes scanned her from head to toe, “we really don't need to argue on who is the lowlife here.” Azariah said as a scoff left her lips, a scornful look flashing on her face. Morwen’s face turned red as her hands clenched. “You b***h!” she screamed at Azariah. “I suggest you keep your mouth shut right now if you don't want me to show how big of a b***h I am,” Azariah whispered, moving forward as Morwen quickly stepped back. People were gathering around and uneasiness crawled up in Lyra. As Aurelia sensed students were watching, her expression changed into masked innocence. “Are you okay, Lyra?” Aurelia asked with feigned concern in her tone, years of practice making her words sound genuine. Lyra clenched her teeth, sigh leaves her lips. “Azariah, let's go,” she whispered low, not wanting Azariah to move further, Azariah listen to her friend seeing the anxiety in her eyes as people eyes are judging them. They moved away from the crowd, ignoring everyone. “Lyra, how long are you planning to let that b***h bully you?” Azariah questioned, burning in fury. “Do you remember our school time? We used to get bullied all the time by everyone for standing against her. I don't want that nightmare to return again. You too used to suffer because of me,” Lyra said as she remembered the painful memories. “I just want to avoid her… as much as I can and complete my degree,” Lyra confessed. “How can she treat her own sister like this… I hate her so much,” Azariah said, gritting her teeth, she is the only one who knows that Lyra and Aurelia are sisters. “You go to your class and I will clean this up,” Lyra said, looking at the baby pink shirt on which stains were clearly showing up now. “Okay, and I think I have some extra clothes in my locker… you can take them,” Azariah told her, her eyes gazing at her watch which was clearly stating she was going to be late for her class. Her eyes met Lyra’s. “Let's meet at our place, bye.” Saying it, she ran for her life. A smile formed on Lyra’s lips seeing Azariah run for her life. She knew Mrs. Ashford was going to take another good class for her. Lyra walked toward the washroom area as she tried to scrub out the coffee stain. She may have looked stupid, but this shirt was important to her. She met a staff member who told her to use the basement locker rooms because some work was going on in the girls’ washroom. After thanking them, Lyra made her way downstairs. Lost in her thoughts, she stepped inside only to halt in her tracks. Her breath stopped as she saw the scene in front of her. Zayden was standing there with a towel wrapped around his waist, water drops rolling down his Greek-god-like body, making her gulp nervously. It took her a full half minute to realize she had entered the male washroom.