Ava’s POV
I’d been free of my master for years, but my nightmares hadn’t stopped haunting me. I started residing in this town with Oliver. I didn’t really fit in this place. I was still frightened and scared of having friends around me. Many girls wanted to be my friends, and many guys wanted me to be their girlfriend, but I never gave any of them my scrutiny.
Oliver encouraged me to move on with my life. She asked me to give one of the guys a chance. She suggested I go on a date with him to get to know him better. I tried to, but I always ended up shivering in front of them, so I decided to live on my own.
I haven’t heard from or seen my father since I crawled out and fled from that hell. This was the safest place for me to hide from him. He was evil. He had abused me more times than I could remember, and he had done things to me that I should never have had to go through in my life. I will never forget and forgive him for all the torture he did to me.
Oliver’s parents were so sweet and kind to me, making me recall a little memory about how my father used to be. The father, who was once my protector, bullied me for more than five years. He tortured and broke me day and night until he decided to give up and sell me to Mr. Drake. I was finally able to escape my hell after Mr. Drake and Mr. David’s harassment. I was saved and adopted by Oliver’s parents.
“Hey, what happened? What’s wrong with you?” Oliver asked as we entered the school.
“Nothing, I’m just feeling uneasy. I’m feeling something big is about to happen, but I don’t know what exactly the thing is,” I told her.
“Nothing is going to happen to you. With me here by your side, you should feel relaxed, okay?” she assured me.
“Okay, thanks,” I responded, smiling at her.
“Ava Garcia!”
I heard someone call my name, a voice that only my stalker Lucas could have. He rushed up to us.
“Goodness! I’m not interested in this guy. Why can’t he just leave me alone?” I murmured to Oliver, trying to overcome my anxiety and fear.
“Hey, what’s up?” he greeted me with a smile.
“Tell me why you called and stopped me?” I asked him, angry now.
“Ava, I have always loved you. I’m sincere with you. Can you give me a chance to prove myself? I promise to cherish you. We can start by being friends if that is okay with you. You won’t regret it,” he confessed.
“Stay away from me. Lucas, stay far away. I’m not interested in you or being friends with you. Can’t you understand human speech? Don’t you get it? Do I have to imprint it on your brain?!” I yelled at him, attracting the crowd to us. “I don’t want a boyfriend.” I hauled Oliver with me and left Lucas dumbfounded.
“Ava,” Oliver called. “If you don’t forget your past, you will be trapped forever in it. Lucas seems sincere about you. He looks in love with you. Why can’t you give him a chance? Everyone deserves a chance, Ava. As he said, start by being friends with him, that won’t hurt. What do you say?”
“Okay, I will do as you said,” I agreed with her and decided to give it a shot.
After the class, I met with Lucas. Fortunately, he didn’t appear upset at all.
“Hey,” I greeted him, feeling guilty and bad about the way I yelled at him earlier. “I am sorry for yelling at you, Lucas,” I apologized.
“It’s okay. I’m also sorry for forcing you to be my girlfriend. I promise I won’t do that again,” he said.
“No, actually, uh…” I coughed. “If you don’t mind, we can start by being friends with each other. What do you think?”
He was speechless as he scanned me. “Did you just say we should be friends? Are you for real?” he queried, sounding like a child.
“Yes, only if you don’t mind,” I repeated myself.
“Yes! Of course! I don’t mind at all. I’m the happiest man on the planet because you agreed to be my friend!” he exclaimed, jumping up and down.
He held me by my hand. I flared, trembled and freaked out. I yanked my hand free of his grasp.
“Don’t touch me!” I shouted at him again.
I hate the touch of a man. I refuse to love or be any man’s plaything. Not again in my life.
“My bad. I’m sorry,” he apologized when he realized what he did.
“It’s okay,” I told him, calming myself. “I have to go now. Oliver must be waiting for me.”
“All right, Ava, but can I walk you up?” he whispered, giving me a cute puppy eye.
Who cares?
“Okay, we can start from there.”
I forced a smile as we both walked together, but I made sure I kept my distance from him. Oliver was already waiting for me beside the car by the time I reached the car park.
“Hi, Oliver!” Lucas greeted her with a smile. He was always smiling.
“Hello there, Lucas,” she greeted back.
“Lucas, we need to go now. See you tomorrow,” I said.
He gave a slight nod. “Alright, Ava. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I entered the car with Oliver, and we drove out of the school. I noticed Lucas in the rearview mirror. He hadn’t moved in his position yet and was waiting for us to depart before leaving.
“I guess you guys are friends now, Ava,” Oliver remarked.
“Maybe we will once we get to know each other.”
Everything went off without a hitch. I’ve been happy to be Lucas’ friend. We went on a date together with Oliver, and I learned a little bit about him. He was aiming to touch my hand, but I never allowed him to get close to me, let alone hold my hand. He invited me on another trip, but I always brought Oliver along.
“Why do you always drag me along with you? I thought this was a trip between you two. How will you get to know him better if you keep dragging me along with you on every trip?” she grumbled.
I smirked with a frown. “I remember you telling me to give him a chance, my darling Oliver.”
“I told you that, but I never told you to bring me along. I’m not willing to go with you, but you keep towing my ass!” she yelled, enraged.
I shrugged. “If you’re not coming, I’m not going to honor his invitation. As simple as that.”
“Okay, fine. You win, I lose. Let’s get going. We don’t want to keep him waiting,” she conceded, defeated by me.
“Who cares if we’re late?”
We talked a lot on the trip and dined like friends should. I walked into the classroom the next day at school. The first thing I noticed was the sound of chanting. Students were guffawing and talking amongst themselves. A girl yanked my hair out of nowhere before I could take my seat.
“What the hell? Who are you? Why are you grabbing me by my hair? What do you want?” I asked her.
“You, bitch! Stay away from my boyfriend, or I’ll show you hell in this school!” she screamed, drawing our classmates’ attention.
Bitch? I’ve had enough of hearing this word. Hell? I just crawled out of one.
“Would you mind telling me who this boyfriend of yours I’m messing around with is?”
“Lucas,” she sneered. “He’s my boyfriend, bitch! Back off, and don’t you dare go near him again!” she warned, her hands clenched around my hair.
It didn’t hurt at all. I twisted and grabbed her hand. I smirked like a badass. I’ve told myself numerous times that I will never be intimidated or bullied by anyone again. I’ll show everyone that I’m not a weakling.
I shoved her and gave a thunderstorm slap. “Bitch, I’m not easily bullied. You want to show me hell?” I grinned and gave out a horrible laugh. “You can’t, baby girl. Do you know why? Because I’ve been there before, and I know what it’s like to be in hell. I crawled out of there by myself. Bitch, I’m the queen of hell, and I’m your boss.”
I gave her a mocking smirk and tightened my grip on her hair. She cried out in pain.
“If you dare come after me because of this nonsense, I’m going to show you the true hell itself, because I am the queen of hell. Do you get it?!” I hissed.
She nodded, pleading with me to let go of her hair. I tossed her away before dashing out to look for her so-called boyfriend. I didn’t have to walk far before I saw him. Wow, he was such a playboy. He was busy flirting with another girl.
“I love you, Diana. Will you be my girlfriend?” he said to the shy girl as he flirted with her.
“But don’t you have a girlfriend?” she asked back, gently hitting him on the chest.
I was disgusted by the scene in front of me. I stood there listening in on their conversation. They never noticed my presence.
“Who?”
“Everyone knows Ava is your girlfriend,” she replied.
“Damn it! She’s not my girlfriend. Never. You misunderstand everything that happens between me and Ava. I never asked her out, and I don’t love her. She’s just forcing herself on me. She’s been chasing and stalking me all day without giving me any freedom to breathe,” he stated, concealing his mouth in her neckline.
My mouth widened in surprise. How could he? How dare he lie on my back?
I raged to where he was, and he raised his head to meet my burning gazes. He was taken aback to see me. He immediately pushed the girl away from him.
“Hey, Ava. How are you? What are you doing here?” He turned to face me, an awkward smile on his face.
“Are you kidding me, Lucas? You’re asking me how I was? You’re asking me what I’m doing here? Are you fucking crazy? Are you nuts?”
“Look Ava, I can explain. Let me explain. This is not what you assume. She’s just one of my stalkers who confessed her feelings to me,” he reasoned.
I was even beyond shocked. Damn it! This fucking asshole has the audacity.
“So, she’s also your stalker, as you claimed I was?!” I screamed, which echoed all across the corridor.
“What? What are you talking about? Who said you were my stalker?” he asked, playing pretend.
“No one did because I’ve been here, listening to everything you have said, all your trash about me,” I smirked.
Without saying anything, he lowered his face to the ground.
“I’m very disheartened and disappointed in you, Lucas. You’re nothing more than a waste, trash, and a playboy. I regret being friends with nobody junk and a low life like you. You disgust me,” I said emphatically.
He was enraged. “How dare you call me a low life and trash, you bitch?!”
I sneered, stepping towards him. I was feeling numerous kinds of emotions. Hatred replenished my heart, and I smacked him across the face.
“Keep this in your mind: Never mess with me. I’m stronger than you think, and if you dare to cross me or my path, that day will be your demise. Do you get it, garbage?” I warned him.
He was speechless. He thought I was just one of the bitches that fell down on their knees to worship him.
“You got it?!” I yelled at him.
“Y-Yes. I got it, but you aroused something in me. Something I never knew existed. Interesting.”
I never bothered to hear him out. They were all the same. I should never have given him a chance in the first place.