Chapter 1

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Kendall could feel her brother's eyes on her as she ate her breakfast.

She whipped her head round to face her twin. "What?"

He met her gaze and snickered quietly, "What's wrong, little one?"

Austin called her 'little one' because - even though they were twins - he was two minutes older than her and much larger in size.

She scoffed. "It's Monday morning. Must I walk around with a beaming smile on my face for you people to be satisfied?"

Austin threw his hands up in mock surrender, "Alright, alright... didn't mean to poke the beast."

He got up from the kitchen table and took his bowl over to the sink.

"Oh, and what's with you taking Megan to school today?" Kendall asked as they grabbed their school bags and trudged out to the driveway. "Are you guys back together?"

"Something like that, why?" Austin answered with indifference.

"Weren't you making out with some red-head yesterday at the beach?"

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"Man-whore," Kendall muttered as she unlocked her car.

Austin simply rolled his eyes and hopped into his black Audi, driving down the long gravel path toward their front gates.

Kendall stood for a moment, watching him with a smirk, before ducking into her vintage red Ferrari and following him out of the driveway.

The car was a gift from her Grandfather who wasted no expense on birthdays. It took him months of searching around Europe to find the exact make and model that he wanted for her. Kendall didn't have the heart to tell him that she would have been just as pleased with a Ford. Cars were never her area of expertise. Regardless, it became her prized possession and she secretly adored the attention she received when she took it out.

It was a warm day and Kendall had put the roof down by the time she arrived at her best friend's house. Pulling into his driveway, she watched as Ethan opened his front door with his usual dazzling smile.

He had the happiest spirit she had ever encountered. Ethan was tall and buff with dark skin and blindingly white teeth. They had actually begun their friendship by chance in freshman year when Austin and Megan first began their on-again-off-again relationship. Ethan was originally Austin's best friend, and Kendall was Megan's. They gravitated towards each other in their individual solitude and clicked instantly, a fact that Kendall became infinitely grateful for as Megan began spending less time with her and more time with her twin brother.

He hopped into Kendall's car and placed a kiss on her cheek, to which she smiled in response.

"Hey, pretty girl." He said sweetly as she drove them to school.

His unrelenting positivity radiated off of him from the passenger seat, much to Kendall's dismay.

She scrunched her nose. "Ugh, why is everyone in such a chipper mood today? I was counting on you being as unenthusiastic as I am about this Monday morning."

Ethan chuckled. "No can do, babe. First day of senior year, today is a good day." He received an eye roll in response.

"Aren't you supposed to be a cheerleader? Peppy and full of life? Or did you leave your school spirit in Barbados this summer?" Ethan asked with a head tilt.

"I still have it. I just save it for occasions," Kendall countered.

"You mean like cheering for me as I annihilate the opposition on the football field?"

"Precisely. I'm the reason you win all of your games."

"Not sure if that's true."

She turned to look at him, offended.

"Don't you remember last year when you brought your freshman uniform to the game on accident? The only guy who wasn't gawking at your ass was your brother, and he was busy glaring at every guy on the field, deciding who to murder first." He laughed at the memory as Kendall flushed red with embarrassment. "Both of our teams were playing terribly and Austin lost it at half-time when he overheard some guys on the other team talking about you. I'm not even sure what they said but it was enough to land them in the emergency room." Ethan said.

"Hey, don't pin this all on my brother. If I remember correctly, they had to pry you off of punching one of those guys as well." Kendall said.

"I can't be perfectly civilised all of the time. I am only human, Kendall." He quipped.

Kendall giggled.

"Well Austin really gave me an earful that night. He was so mad at me. Just thinking about that argument gives me a headache."

"Right, I remember - you guys didn't talk for like a week. After that he made it very clear to the football team that you were off limits and not to be discussed, or even looked at for that matter. I honestly don't know how you put up with him sometimes."

"At this rate he is ensuring that I'll be single for life. I'm going to die a virgin." Kendall complained as they arrived in the school parking lot and gathered their things.

"Aw come on, that's not gonna happen." He assured, getting out of her car and circling it to meet her. "You might just have to lie for the first time in your life. Have a secret love affair." He muttered in a low, suggestive voice, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kendall smiled at the idea and they fell into comfortable silence as they walked towards their friends.

Megan and Austin were already lip-locked when the two arrived by the lockers where their group – mostly boys from the football team or girls from the cheerleading squad – usually waited for classes to start. They all greeted the pair, some of them coming over for hugs who hadn't seen them since before the summer.

"I'm gonna head to my locker before class, see you later, Kenny." Ethan said before heading down the hall, the other footballers hot on his tail like loyal subjects.

She smiled and then turned to what remained of the group: the cheer team and the love-struck couple who looked as though they were moments away from removing clothing.

Kendall grimaced at the sight of seeing her brother's tongue down Megan's throat. "Ugh, get a room dude."

"Get a life, little one." He mumbled in between kisses.

Megan broke the kiss, causing Austin to huff impatiently. "That's no way to talk to my best friend." She said sickly sweet, breaking free of his hold to turn towards Kendall.

Kendall slapped on the most convincing smile she could muster. "Hey, Megs."

Megan was wearing a cropped navy tank top with a Vivienne Westwood necklace. Her jeans sat just above her round hips, showing off her tiny waist and flat stomach. Her blond hair was in large Hollywood curls that bounced as she spoke and her makeup was done to perfection. She looked fresh out of a Calvin Klein ad.

Kendall couldn't help but compare herself to Megan, every girl compared themselves to Megan. She wanted her body, her hair, and her sweet voice.

"Hey, Kenny." Megan replied as she threw her arms around her friend to envelope her in a hug, so tight that Kendall felt herself lose circulation. "Ugh, I missed you."

The rest of the cheerleading squad stood enraptured as they watched the exchange. Kendall nicknamed them 'the sheep' as they were all a load of followers who did anything Megan told them to and conformed to every modern gender stereotype known to man. They didn't have a single thought of their own, and Kendall often felt as though her IQ was lowering just by being near them.

Austin finally chimed in, causing the two girls to break apart. "I'm gonna go and catch up with the guys. Bye beautiful," he said, giving Megan one last kiss before strutting down the hallway to his entourage.

The group of girls quickly fell into conversation, if that's what you could call the sheep hanging onto every single word that Megan said about her perfect summer travelling in Eastern Europe.

Kendall mentally face-palmed at the idea of spending the rest of the year with these air-heads she surrounded herself with. She zoned out from the group and gazed mindlessly down the hallway, simply observing the passing students without any exciting observations until her eyes landed on him.

Daniel Stryker.

Every teacher's worst nightmare. He skipped class so often that it was surprising he had made it to senior year. He was known for smoking under the bleaches, cursing at teachers, getting into fights (and winning), and finally for being devilishly handsome. Kendall resented his unflinching ability to charm his way out of any situation.

His dark brown hair was tousled in soft waves in an effortlessly sexy way, like he had just run his hands through it. His dark blue eyes stared straight ahead of him as students dove out of the way to avoid his line of fire.

He wore a grey t-shirt that was tight enough to show off his god-like physique, but not so tight that it looked intentional. He paired this with dark-wash jeans and black boots. His strides were long and he oozed confidence as he made his way through the hallway. As he passed Kendall, his intoxicating scent filled her senses. She held back the urge to let out an involuntary sigh.

In that moment she struggled to remember why she had hated him for so long. How could she dislike someone so... dreamy? She quickly snapped herself out of it and remembered how completely insufferable he could be before any drool could come out of her mouth.

Luckily the sound of the bell put an end to her thoughts. Kendall was about to head to her first class when the school speaker began to echo with the Principal's voice.

"Could Kendall Lockwood please make her way to my office immediately."

Kendall felt her breath hitch in her throat as the sheep turned to look at her with dumbfounded expressions.

Megan sniggered, amused. "Woah, looks like little Kenny has joined the dark side this year. What did you do?"

Kendall ignored the accusing tone as she tried to rack her brain for any possible reason she could be in trouble.

"I – uh – um – nothing," she stuttered. Her cheeks were growing redder by the second, "I've got to go." And with that she paced down the hallway, hoping that no one would notice how utterly terrified she was.

***

What is he doing here? What am I doing here? Kendall thought to herself as she gaped at the scene in front of her.

Principal Hawkins was sitting behind her desk looking expectantly at Kendall, waiting for her to take a seat. In front of her desk sat two chairs side by side. The one on the right was empty, and seated on the left was none other than Daniel Stryker, slumped in the chair looking bored out of his mind.

"Take a seat, Miss Lockwood," the Principal said.

Kendall slowly lowered herself into the seat beside Daniel and tried to ignore his masculine scent that was dismantling her train of thought by the second.

"You're probably wondering why I asked you here, Kendall."

"Yes."

"You're not in trouble." Miss Hawkins said. Kendall released a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"I do, however, need a favour concerning Mr Stryker here."

This made Kendall more confused than ever. What could she possibly help the principal with that concerned Daniel?

"As you may know, Daniel is not one of our most... motivated students." Miss Hawkins said.

Daniel remained completely silent.

"Kendall, you are the top of your class with every chance of attending an Ivy league college next fall. With that being said, I have changed his class schedule to be exactly like yours so that you can be his chaperone and tutor for the rest of the year." She said, with a tone that would suggest Kendall should be jumping for joy. However, Kendall could only stare dumbfounded at the Principal, waiting for her to elaborate.

Daniel finally spoke up. "I would like to put it out there that I did not agree to this." His low husky voice made Kendall's stomach flutter excitedly.

"Quiet, Daniel!" Miss Hawkins scolded.

Kendall could see him roll his eyes in her periphery.

"Anyway, as I was saying... You will be going with him to all of his classes to make sure he is in attendance for all of them, you will also be seated next to him in all of these classes so that you can ensure that he is paying attention, and you will be tutoring him for three hours a week in your own time."

Kendall was beginning to grow impatient with the commands being thrown at her. "With all due respect, Principal Hawkins, I'm struggling to see why I should be punished for his lack of competence." Kendall said.

Daniel chuckled at the obvious dig. "Come on, Princess, don't be like that," he cooed sarcastically.

Kendall scoffed at the pet-name and turned back to face Miss Hawkins, who was trying to recover the situation.

"Kendall, this is not a punishment. Teaching Daniel will help with your own studying as well, and it will also help get that shiny letter of recommendation from me for your college applications."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been a grade-A student with outstanding behaviour and attendance, but to get a letter of recommendation she had to chaperone a delinquent? She was being blackmailed and she was less than thrilled about it.

Miss Hawkins noticed her reluctance and quickly added. "I wonder how good a week of detention would look on your transcript, Miss Lockwood."

"You're threatening me with detention?"

"I'm merely suggesting that you do what I say," Miss Hawkins replied, aggravatingly calm.

Kendall could feel her fists clenching. There was no escape.

"Now, off to class, both of you. Here is a note to excuse your lateness to AP anatomy." She offered Kendall a yellow slip of paper and a tight smile.

Kendall took the paper and stormed out of the office with Daniel strolling behind her, struggling to contain his amusement.

Senior year was off to a great start.


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