CHAPTER ONE:THE ACCIDENT
1151 Words
The lecture hall buzzed with the usual mix of noise, keyboard clicks, whispered gossip, and the occasional laughter from students waiting for the professor to show up.
Anna Blake sat in her usual spot near the middle, with Rachel, Julie, and Cam. She smiled quietly as Rachel whispered something about the TA’s new haircut.
Anna didn’t speak much, she didn’t need to. She was the nice girl, a girl everyone liked to have around, even if they didn’t really see her.
She wasn’t pretty and stylish, with her oversized glasses...her hair always in a tight ponytail. Loose-fitting clothes that masked more than they revealed.
And everyone was comfortable with that version of her until the door slammed open.
“You stupid b***h!”
Heads turned sharply as Shayla marched into the room.
Anna blinked. “What...me?” She was confused...
“You think I don’t see you?” Shayla snapped, striding forward in her skin tight jeans and designer crop top. “Texting my boyfriend like you don’t know who the hell he is?”
Anna froze. “but I didn’t”
Behind Shayla, Daniel walked in looking equally embarrassed and annoyed.
“Shayla, not here,” he muttered, trying to grab her wrist.
She snatched her arm away.
“No. Everyone needs to hear this. I’m not about to let her slide. She’s pathetic. Thinks being sweet will get her a guy like you.”
Daniel gave a weak laugh, running a hand through his hair.
“You’re making a scene. Look at her. You think I’d leave you for that?”
The word hit like a slap.
The laughter came next,soft at first, then louder and not from strangers, but from her friends.
Rachel covered her mouth and whispered, “Babe, don’t take it personal. He was just joking…”
Cam added, “Yeah, it's Daniel. You know how he talks.”
Julie tried to smile. “Honestly, the way he said it was kinda funny.”
Anna nodded slowly. She could feel the heat rising in her chest, but her smile didn’t break.
“Yeah,” she said, standing. “Just a joke.”
She grabbed her books with shaking hands.
“I just remembered that I’ve got somewhere to be.”
She walked away while no one tried to stop her.
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Elsewhere in the city…
Ryan Alexander took off his suit jacket the second he stepped into his penthouse.Everwhere filled with silence but not the peaceful kind, just the cold, empty kind he’d grown used to.
At twenty six, he was the CEO of one of the most powerful financial firms in the country. He was rich, feared, untouchable and completely exhausted.
The board hated that he was young. His relatives hated that he was in charge. His father? Still tried to control him from behind the scenes.
Everyone wanted something but no one cared how much it cost him.
He ran a hand through his jet black hair, dropped the tie, and grabbed his motorcycle keys. Going out with no guards, no SUV, no headlines tonight.... Just the open road, a hoodie, a matte black helmet, and no one calling his name or disturbing his peace...not even his assistant.
............
...........
Anna kept on walking without paying attention to her surrounding and how much worse could it get....
Anna’s knees gave out when the weather changed... she hadn’t even realized how far she’d walked, or how fast.
When the drizzle turned into real rain, she dropped onto the cold sidewalk behind the engineering block and hugged her knees to her chest.
No more fake smiles.
No more “I’m fine.” She tried to comfort herself
The tears mixed with the rain. Perfect... Now no one could tell the difference.
Ryan slowed the bike as he turned the corner by the university’s west gate. The rain made it hard to see but something caught his eye.... There was someone there...
It was a girl, curled up on the sidewalk like she belonged to the street.
He stopped, pulled off his helmet, and stepped closer.
“Hey.”
But Anna didn’t look up.
“Are you okay?” he asked again, voice steady but cautious.
“I’m fine,” she muttered, still hunched over.
“You don’t look fine.”
She finally looked up and her breath hitched. A stranger stood in front of her, hoodie soaked through, water dripping from his jawline.
“Why do you care?” she snapped, voice shaking.
“I don’t know yet.” he seemed nonchalant
Laughing bitterly she replied ...
“People like you never care. Not about girls like me.”
He said nothing.
Anna’s voice cracked. “Do you know what it’s like to be the friendly one and the ugly one? The one everyone uses for comfort but never for love? The one who’s easy to talk to but impossible to want?”
Still, he said nothing.
“I didn’t ask to be invisible. I didn’t ask to be a joke. But today” Her voice broke. “They laughed like I deserved it.”
The rain soaked both of them....Neither moved.
Then he knelt beside her.
She flinched as his fingers brushed a strand of wet hair from her cheek.
“Don’t.” she muttered out admist tears...
“Why are you still here?”
He didn’t answer.
Slowly, he took off the helmet completely, revealing a face too perfect to belong to a stranger on a street.
Sharp jaw. Icy gray eyes. Wet hair pushed back in a careless sweep.
Anna’s breath caught.
He was beautiful.
He was looking right at her.
She stood too quickly like she was shocked. “I have to go.”
And she ran.... No name and no explanation, just soaked footsteps fading slowly...
Ryan stayed there for a moment watching how she kept running... he didn’t chase her.
Her shoes slapped against the wet pavement as she ran. She didn’t know where she was going only that she had to get away. Away from those eyes. Away from what she had just confessed to a stranger.
The rain blurred everything, and her vision stung from crying. She barely saw the crossing until she stepped into the street right into the headlights.
A horn blared loudly, brakes screeched and the world spun.
She didn’t feel pain just impact. The hard slam of her body against the side of the car and the crack of her knees, immediately gasps filled the air while people screamed.
Ryan watched from where he stood, frozen.
He saw her fall, saw the car stop, saw people rush toward her, some pulling out their phones, others calling for help.
He didn’t move.
His fingers curled tighter around his helmet. His jaw clenched and the chaos around her grew louder.
But Ryan.... he just turned away.
Got back on his bike and rode off.....
- Writer
