FALLEN FOR A BAD BOY

CHAPTER 1 ★ The sun shone brightly in the sky, painting it in brilliant color. Its rays spilled into a massive bedroom, gliding across the flawless skin of the girl still lazily asleep. She had forgotten to close her curtains after enjoying the night's scenery, so the sunlight hit her face directly. She groaned and raised a hand to block it. Good thing this happened - who knows if she would've woken up otherwise? Today's important. Her first day at college. A fresh start. Lots of students would be resuming today. New people. New faces. Ugh. Sloppily, she climbed down from her tall bed and, for some reason, went straight to the mirror. She stared at her reflection with a blank expression. Her mind wandered back to the moment she told her friends she was leaving. --- FLASHBACK - HOWARD COLLEGE, CHICAGO "I can't believe you're leaving us, Auri," Elena said, holding Aurora's hands tightly. They were all seated in the cafeteria. "Me too. We'll miss you so much," Audrey added, her eyes brimming with tears. She was the emotional one in the group. "Yeah, we'll miss you so much, Kitten," Justin said softly. Kitten - the nickname he'd given her. "At least I'll have some breathing space again," Tony said with a shrug. Justin and Tony were the only two guys Aurora truly interacted with in college. They acted like her brothers - though she always kept clear, serious boundaries. "I don't want to leave," Aurora replied. "But my parents insisted we return to New York." "Let's just finish our lunch and not get all emotional, please," she added with a weak smile. "We'll really miss you." --- END OF FLASHBACK "Miss Aurora?" She turned to see the maid - her nanny - standing behind her. "I knocked but got no reply," the woman said gently. "It's fine, Nanny," Aurora sighed, running a hand through her deep red hair. "Your mom wants you downstairs." "I'm coming," Aurora replied with a bored tone as she headed to the bathroom. "For an American girl, that's too much," the nanny muttered under her breath, eyeing Aurora's figure before walking away. --- In the bathroom, Aurora splashed water on her face, trying to steady her breathing. Coming back to New York had reopened wounds. Old memories she wanted buried. She was trying. She really was. "AURI, SAVE ME!!!" She flinched. That voice again. The one that haunted her for years. "I love you, Auri. I really do. But you don't want to return my love. So suffer the consequences..." "No... shut up... shut up..." she whispered, shutting her eyes tightly and covering her ears. She splashed her face again. And again. Over and over - until her heartbeat calmed. She exhaled sharply and stared at herself in the mirror. --- DOWNSTAIRS "Where is she?" a poised, elegant woman asked the nanny. "She's coming," the nanny replied. "Was she acting strange?" "Not really." "Hope she didn't fall asleep again," the woman muttered, then waved the nanny away. She stood there for a moment. "What if we made a mistake coming back here?" she whispered. --- Back in her room, Aurora finished dressing and stood before the mirror. Nothing special. Not to her. She opened a drawer and retrieved her favorite bracelet. Her eyes landed on two photo frames lying face down. She picked one up. It was a photo from high school - her and her friends. She studied the faces one by one. But when her eyes landed on a certain person, her expression darkened. She placed the photo back down and didn't bother picking up the other. "Back to New York City, Aurora," she whispered. "Where it all started.” * The nineteen-year-old girl descending the stairs is undeniably stunning. Her long, straight, deep red hair cascades down her back, following her every move. Straight-cut bangs fall across her forehead, framing her pretty face and piercing almond-shaped eyes that gleam with a hint of mystery. She doesn't look friendly. She's dressed in black. All black. When she enters the dining hall, her parents don't even look surprised. "Morning," she says simply, dropping her black bag and sitting down. "Morning," her father, Melvin, replies from the head of the table. "Auri, are you still upset with us for bringing you back here?" her mother, Gemma, asks cautiously. "I'm fine. A few sleepless nights won't kill me," Aurora replies coolly, starting to eat. "We just want you to face your fears. You can't keep running or hiding forever," Melvin says. "Like I said, I'm fine," she repeats flatly. They don't push further. They already know how that ends. "You almost woke up late," Gemma comments. Here we go... "Don't start," Aurora mutters as she eats. "It's a habit now," Gemma continues. "A bad habit." "Mom..." "This is too much, Auri." Gemma sighs. "I just want you to be the happy girl you used to be." "Well, too bad. Every day is Halloween for me," Aurora replies. "Try to make some new friends. Not everyone betrays," Melvin adds. "Hm." It's all she says. "And for the love of God-don't. hurt. anyone," Gemma says firmly. Aurora rolls her eyes, sipping her juice. "Champagne would've been better," she mutters, frowning at the drink. "Who even taught her how to fight?" Melvin asks Gemma. "I don't fight, Dad," Aurora mutters. "I beat people up." Gemma sighs in frustration. "Well, don't beat anyone up." Aurora changes the subject before she gets pissed. "What about your paint shop?" she asks Gemma. "Art gallery," her mother snaps. "Yeah, sure." "Your sarcasm is getting worse," Melvin chuckles. "She knows what she's doing." Gemma glares at Aurora. She just smirks. "Getting me a nanny wasn't necessary," Aurora says. "She worked for us when you were little," Melvin replies. "Since we moved back to New York, we called her again. She always understood you." "That was then. I'm not the same. She'll get angry and quit, one way or another." She stands up. "I was supposed to live alone. I stayed to avoid being followed by bodyguards, but now I regret it." "I'm leaving." She grabs her bag and walks off. "Bye," Gemma says. Melvin says nothing. "What if we tell her about her childhood sweetheart?" Gemma whispers. "It's no use. She doesn't like boys," Melvin replies. Just then, Aurora's phone rings. She swipes green immediately. "Babyyyy…” "Keep it down," Aurora said sternly. "Auri baby, I'm so happy! I can't wait to see you today!" an enthusiastic voice rang from the other end. "Hurry and get here already!" "Only if you hang up." "I'm so excited for your grand entrance!" "Stop spouting nonsense, Oma," Aurora rolled her eyes. "Come on. You know how pretty-" "Oma!" Aurora cautioned. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Just get here quickly." "I love you!" "Gross," Aurora rolled her eyes again. "Bye best-" She hung up before Oma could finish. --- ALL ELITE COLLEGE Cars rolled in one by one. Students milled around taking selfies. PDA was everywhere-makeouts, fights, smoking, and wildly revealing outfits. "I can't wait to see Kim again! I wonder why she didn't let us visit her over the break," one girl gushed. "Who cares? I just wanna see the car she's been posting non-stop," her friend replied. At that moment, a brand new BMW pulled up. "OMG, she's here!" A blonde stepped out, swaying her hair like a model. > ~ And the b***h is back ~ She's pretty ~ That's not the case ~ Then why are you licking your lips? ~ She irks me ~ La hot ~ Nothing special. I've slept with her countless times ~ I've done justice to those titties ~ I envy her a lot "Nice ride," Tiffany muttered as Amelia squealed. "Hey girls," Kimberly greeted, her blond hair bouncing. "Gosh, Kim, your car is-" "I know. My older brother got it for me," Kimberly cut in. "Why didn't you let us visit?" Amelia whined. 'Us?' Tiffany thought. "Wasn't necessary." "Damn girl, that's a Hennessey Venom!" Tiffany said. "You're obsessed with cars," Amelia sighed. "Of course. Check out my pink one over there," Tiffany said proudly, eyes scanning for her. Everyone's favorite. "Well... I met Leo at a club yesterday. We hooked up," Kimberly added with a smirk. Tiffany's head snapped toward her. "You... you met Leo?" "Yeah. As always, he looked super hot." "Wow Kim, you're lucky," Amelia said. "I know." Kimberly went on, but a louder engine interrupted her-another brand-new car. "Seems like everyone's coming back rich," Amelia mumbled-then screamed. "OH MY GOSH! IT'S HIM! AHHHH!" Girls erupted in chaos. --- Oma stepped outside, unfazed. "He's not a celebrity, for goodness' sake," she muttered, then groaned. "Ugh. The other one's with him too." > ~ Leo!!! ~ Ricky!!! ~ I love you Leo!!! ~ RICKY!!! The two boys being worshipped didn't care. "So you spooned her? How dare you?" Ricky clutched his chest dramatically. Leonard rolled his eyes. "Don't piss me off, Ric," he said darkly. "I've told you-Kimberly's a nasty b***h. Haven't you used her enough? I've literally lost count of how many times I've had her." Leonard ignored him, watching the new girls taking photos. "Listen to me, bastard!" Ricky smacked his chest. "She thinks she's my ultimate babe," Leonard replied blandly. "That's cute. Other girls think the same." Ricky grinned. "Seriously though, stop messing with hearts. Get a girlfriend." "Date Oma. She's cool... I think." Ricky added. Leonard scoffed. --- These two: Leonard and Ricky. Ricky - playful, romantic, every girl's dream. Leonard - cold, ruthless, devastatingly hot, but dangerous. Both are heartbreakers-one for pleasure, the other for pain. "Hey, your ultimate w***e's coming." Ricky nodded at Kimberly walking over. "Hey baby. You look amazing. I love you in black denim." She kissed Leonard lightly. Ricky rolled his eyes. "Hi Ricky," Kimberly said with a fake smile. Ricky flipped her off. --- ELSEWHERE Oma was pacing. "Ugh! She's always late." She tried calling Aurora again. No answer. "I should've threatened her!" --- MEANWHILE "What the heck is wrong with Kim?" Tiffany snapped. "Hey, relax. She's coming," Amelia said. Tiffany rolled her eyes. "I'm going inside. I can't watch this." She stormed off. Amelia stared longingly at Leonard and Ricky. "Let's go inside," Kimberly said to Leonard, clutching his hand. He looked pissed. "Let go of my hand." "But bab-" "Let. Go." Her smile dropped as she obeyed. "I thought after last night we-" "We what? Stop feeling privileged." "I'm sor-" Kimberly's words were drowned out by the screech of a red convertible. Gasps rippled through the crowd. A girl stepped out, menacing and powerful, '7 RINGS' blasting like a battle cry. Black mask. Black shades. No one could see her face. Kimberly frowned. "Ahhh! OMG! She's here! She's here!" Oma squealed, smiling as people turned. "Now that's what I call a grand entrance.” 👥 "Whoa... Who is that???" 👥 "Damn!" 👥 "Another b***h that's gonna end up in Leo's bed." 👥 "Quiet." 👥 "It's true. One way or another, it's gonna happen." 👥 "I love her car." "What the-" Tiffany muttered while Amelia kept staring. Kimberly's frown deepened as she clutched Leonard's arm possessively. "Dude, this chick looks-" "I don't care," Leonard cut Ricky off coldly. "That's your business," Ricky replied with a grin. "But I know you want her. You wanna play with her-just save a little of her sanity for me when you're done. Don't crush her too much." He patted Leonard's shoulder, smirking as Leonard rolled his eyes. Ricky kept talking, neither of them acknowledging Kimberly at all. --- Across the parking lot... Oma ran straight to Aurora, squealing as she threw her arms around her. "Auri baby, I missed you so much!" she said, pulling back with a huge grin. "Cool," Aurora replied simply, peeling off her black mask. "I love this bad girl look... Oh my gosh, your nails! Red and glassy?" Oma gushed. Aurora rolled her eyes. "I knew you'd drive in like a madwoman." "When was the last time you even saw me drive?" Aurora asked flatly. "Whatever," Oma huffed, rolling her eyes right back. "And your hair! Did you have to dye it red? What's with you and red?" "Stop scolding me." A girl approached them. "Hey Oma," she smiled. "Hi Kiara," Oma replied. "Well, perfect timing. This is my best friend, Aurora. Auri, meet Kiara." Oma introduced them. "Hi, Aurora. I'm Kiara. It's really nice to finally meet you-Oma talks about you all the time," Kiara said with a friendly smile. Oma started to get nervous. Aurora was staring at Kiara... for a little too long. "It's nice to meet you too. I'm Aurora," she finally replied. Oma breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Soo... I'll see you guys later," Kiara said, heading off. Once she was gone, Oma turned to Aurora. "Okay... You still have trust issues. But listen-Kiara's different. She's a good person and a great friend." "We thought the same about the b***h who betrayed us," Aurora said sharply, her eyes dark with resentment. "The past is the past, Auri. Let it go," Oma said softly. Aurora rolled her eyes. "Lead the way." She popped a lollipop in her mouth and followed Oma. Behind them, the red convertible's roof started sliding closed. As she walked, Aurora caught students throwing curious glances her way. And then-her eyes locked with his. Leonard. He was mid-conversation with Ricky when he suddenly turned, as if sensing her gaze. Their eyes held. Kimberly scowled deeply, digging her nails into her palm. Ricky smirked knowingly. He leaned closer to whisper in Kimberly's ear, "Looks like your expiration date's coming up, Kim," and kissed her neck mockingly. Kimberly shot him a glare sharp enough to kill. "Auri," Oma said, and Aurora turned back to her. "I need to show you around," Oma said-and not-so-subtly threw a glare Leonard's way. Before following, Aurora caught Kimberly glaring at her like death. Aurora smirked. "It's so hot outside," Ricky fanned himself dramatically. "Are you talking about the weather or her?" Leonard asked blandly. "Both, dude. Get off my back," Ricky laughed, heading inside. Leonard followed, but Kimberly rushed after him, grabbing his arm again. He stopped and looked at her hand. Then he looked at her-the look in his eyes made her blood freeze. She quickly let go. "I thought after last night, we-" "We what? Don't feel so special," he cut her off. "I'm sor-" "Save it." He turned and walked away. "I love you," she whispered with a twisted, possessive smile. --- Later, inside a classroom... Leonard slammed a girl against the wall, his lips devouring hers. She was completely naked, trembling under his touch. His fingers inside her were torturous pleasure. She clung to him, overwhelmed. He shoved her onto a desk, lowered his black jeans, and slammed into her with no warning. "Ouch..." she gasped, lying back in submission. Leonard pounded into her mercilessly, drawing tears of pain and twisted pleasure from her eyes. It hurt-damn, it hurt-but she didn't care. Her friends warned her about him, but she was determined to be one of the girls he "broke." She wanted it-wanted him.