Chapter 1
1423 Words
Everyone gathered in the corridor of May Bloom High as a girl lay helplessly on the floor, trying to defend herself.
“What’s going on?” Alex asked Fred.
“Not sure,” Fred replied. “Looks like Jacob is beating the s**t out of someone again. Come on, let’s take a look—what harm could it possibly do?”
They shrugged their shoulders and followed Alex. The three boys—Alex and his two brothers—were the most feared students in the school, second only to Jacob and his gang.
As they approached, the crowd instantly parted when they saw the three boys coming. In the center, Jacob and his friends were holding a girl down, beating the hell out of her.
The brothers looked at each other and nodded. Without further ado, they strolled toward the four teens. Alex grabbed Jacob and pulled him off the girl, while his brothers dragged Jacob’s friends away and began beating them senseless.
Alex threw punch after punch at Jacob.
“Never hit a girl—especially one that can’t fight back,” he growled. “Four on one? That’s not a fair fight. Did your mom ever teach you how to respect a girl?”
“f**k off, Alex. You’re no different,” Jacob spat.
“I’m better than you. Now f**k off and never touch her again—or I’ll personally break every f*****g bone in your body,” Alex threatened, shoving him away.
Jacob scrambled to his feet, looked at his bruised friends, then at Alex and his brothers. He nodded slightly and ran off.
Alex turned to the girl, holding out his hand. She looked up, confused and shaken.
“Take it,” he said.
She hesitated, then placed her hand in his. He gently pulled her to her feet.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“My pleasure.”
“Vivian.”
“Alex.”
“I know who you are,” she said.
“Good. Then there’s no need for formalities.”
“Why did you help me?”
“Three on one is hardly fair, sweetheart.”
“But why?” she asked again.
“He’s an ass, and I f*****g hate the ground he walks on,” Alex muttered.
He looked her over. “You seriously need to stand up for yourself. Fight back.”
“Who’s going to teach me? I have no friends.”
“Well, now you do.” He looked at her seriously. “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll teach you how to fight these assholes—if you join us.”
“I…” she hesitated.
“That’s my deal, sweetheart. Take it or leave it.”
She thought for a second. What did she have to lose? If she could fight back and prove she wasn’t afraid, maybe they’d finally back off.
They walked down the corridor, his arm draped over her shoulder, heading to the room for her next class.
“If you need me, I’ll be next door. We’re in a few of your lessons today. We’ll have break and lunch together, so no one will say anything to you,” he said. “We also need to discuss the terms of our contract by the end of the week.”
“Contract?” she asked, confused.
“I’ll have it drawn up. All we have to do is sign it.”
She looked unsure. He kissed her forehead gently and took his arm off her shoulder.
“I’ll be waiting here for you, okay?” he said with a smile and walked away as she entered the classroom.
What she didn’t realize that day was that everything was about to change—for the worse.
---
At the end of the week…
“We need to discuss the contract,” Alex said.
“What contract?” Vivian asked again.
“For this to work, we need to make sure you know where you stand, and what you have to do to get our protection.”
“Sure…” she said, cautiously.
“Take a seat, Vivian.”
She sat down next to Alex, nervous. He pulled out a folder and opened it.
“Right. For this to work in your favor—and mine—I’ve drawn up a contract.”
“Okay,” she said, biting her lip.
“First, I’ll teach you everything I know so you can fight back. But to do that, you’ll have to agree to move into my house once you turn sixteen.”
Her heart dropped. That was only a few weeks away. Everyone knew how rich and powerful the Alessandro family was. They could get anything they wanted with a snap of their fingers. Her parents wouldn’t stand a chance against him—and with this contract, neither would she.
“You need to agree to these terms, Vivian,” Alex said seriously. “So we can stay connected.”
“What other terms?”
“We’ll share a room. But you’ll need to wear a maiden’s uniform while in my home.”
“Why?” she asked, wide-eyed.
“So no one will take you away from me.” He looked at her directly. “Vivian, we have many enemies. If they find out about you, they’ll try to use you against me. But if you wear the uniform, they won’t think twice. You won’t have to wear it during training—only at home. Okay?”
She gulped. Could she really agree to this?
“Do we have a deal, Vivian? If not, we end this now—and your bullies will go right back to torturing you.”
What did she have to lose?
“Good choice, Vivian,” he said, handing her a pen.
She took it and quickly signed the contract, placing the pen down with trembling fingers—regret already sinking in.
She knew this was going to be the worst decision of her life.
"Welcome to the family, Vivian. Training starts on Saturday. I’ll be outside your house at seven a.m., so be up and ready. We’ll go for a run first, then head to the gym. We’ll begin with some simple exercises and move on to the punching bag. I need to teach you how to use your fists—and that's the best way to start."
"Okay," she replied.
He stood up and kissed her on the cheek.
"This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Little did she know… she had just signed her life away.
---
Saturday Morning
True to his word, Alex was outside her house at exactly seven, wearing sweatpants, a loosely fitted t-shirt, and running trainers. Vivian had chosen a workout crop top, leggings, and her own pair of trainers.
"Glad to see you took my advice to wear something sporty and comfortable. Are we ready?"
"Yes."
"Let's go."
They plugged in their earphones and ran side by side, signaling each other with hand gestures to change direction or cross the street. After a while, they paused at a park bench to drink some water before continuing to the gym.
Once there, they did a routine warm-up before he showed her how to use the punching bags. She seemed to pick it up quickly.
"You're doing well, Vivian—for your first time. But I’ll need to show you a few techniques so you don’t hurt your hands or wrists."
"Okay."
"Come take a rest, and I’ll teach you how to punch properly before you go back to the bag."
"Okay."
They sat down and drank some more water. Alex demonstrated the correct punching form, emphasizing safety and precision. Vivian mimicked his movements until he was satisfied.
As they left the gym, her stomach growled. Alex laughed.
"Guess you’re hungry too?"
"A little," she admitted.
"Come on. I know a place with the best food you’ll ever taste."
She nodded, and they walked together to an exquisite restaurant.
"I can’t afford this place, Alex..."
"My treat."
"B–"
He gave her a stern look, and she chose not to argue further.
He smiled, and they entered. The staff led them to their table. Since they were underage, no alcohol was served.
"Chill, Vivian. My parents own this place, okay?"
"Okay."
They ordered pasta and chicken and ate in a comfortable silence. She thanked him for the meal.
He smiled and nodded. Later, he dropped her off at home.
"Be ready at the same time tomorrow," he said.
She nodded and walked inside.
- Writer
