Chapter 1

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Huh, because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

I wake up to the chorus of Pharrel William's Happy blaring from my alarm clock.

I groan into my pillow but sit up on my bed and shut off the alarm, not really in the mood for such a happy-go-lucky song. It's only 6.30am, and I am not much of a morning person.

I try to rub the sleep off my eyes as I grab my phone and slouch across the room to the adjoining bathroom. It's pretty, colored in white and deep purple; my favorite color, and I have my own big bathtub which I make sure to enjoy regularly. I search for my favorites playlist on my phone and turn up the volume before stepping into the shower.

"Right from the start, you were a thief," I belt out over Pink as I scrub myself with body wash. "You stole my heart, and I your willing victim, I let you see the parts of me that weren't all that pretty, and with every touch you fixed them..."

I've sung along to six songs until I turn off the water and dry my hair into a bamboo towel before wrapping another towel around myself. I make my way out of the bathroom and into my walk-in-closet almost bursting with clothes. I may have a problem. 

I pick out a white sweater dress and attach a brown belt around my slim waist, then pull on brown knee-high boots and an off-white jacket.

Then I make my way to my dresser and plug in my pink hair dryer. It takes almost twenty minutes until my black hair is completely dry. I leave the natural curls as they are and pull it all up on a high ponytail that brings out my defined cheekbones and then pull out my make-up bag and pat on a little foundation. Not too much, though, since I already have a pretty good skin. I line my dark brown eyes softly with brown eyeliner, then coat my long lashes with mascara. I finish the natural look with blush and moist my lips with chapstick.

As I put on some gold earrings and a delicate bracelet, l look at myself from every angle. I smile at my reflection, happy with the way I look today. You wouldn't know I haven't slept much lately just by looking at me, which is good. I don't need to give anybody anything more to gossip about around the school; there will already be enough.

Now that they have actual real juicy stuff about me to talk about, I want to come out as the confident, whole, unbeatable Nora I am instead of the shattered girl everybody will be expecting.

News flash people: I don't go down that easily, I smirk at myself and grab my handbag before exiting my room.

When I enter the spacious kitchen, mom's already leaning against the island, her other hand holding a cup of coffee and the other writing something on a thick calendar. Something work-related, no doubt. Being the manager of a huge luxury hotel has its perks, like our huge house, but it also makes her really busy.

"Morning," I greet as I open the fridge and take out an organic peach yogurt cup. I rip off the lid and sink my spoon into the creamy deliciousness.

"Morning, honey," my mom answers without raising her eyes from her notes. "You sleep well?"

I shrug, "Yeah, okay."

I finish the yogurt and grab a banana and a water bottle and stuff them into my bag. "Anyway, gotta go. Wanna be early today." I'm hoping to get to my locker and in class before the halls get crowded with people whispering about me. I mean, I'm pretty good at ignoring that stuff, but it doesn't mean I won't avoid it as much as I can.

"Wait!" My mom calls just when I'm about to open the front door.

I look over my shoulder at her, arching a brow.

"You need to give Madison a ride."

My face immediately falls. Great. It's not that I don't love my fifteen-year-old sister, but well... we're so different it's hard to enjoy her company. I don't even remember when's the last time we spent some quality time together. Probably a few years ago.

"Mads!" I yell into the huge house, "Let's go!"

She's one of those annoyingly perky morning people who's up before even the birds start singing, so she should be ready and likely somewhere checking her homework for the fifth time or sitting with her nose buried in a book.

"Coming!" she yells from the living room.

A moment later she walks into my sight carrying a green backpack, her reading glasses still resting on her nose. Her eyes and caramel skin are a bit lighter than mine, as is her dark brown hair. She's also shorter and skinnier. Where she's all skin and bones, I have muscle from years of training.

Her trademark loose jeans and big shirts don't exactly bring out her figure, either, rather making her look even skinnier and mousier. She clearly hasn't inherited mom's fashion sense, I personally think I got it all. We've tried for years to get Mads to dress more complimentary to her body but she argues she feels more comfortable in loose clothes. Well, her life, her choice.

"You ready?" I ask.

She nods and follows me out to our large driveway where my vibrant blue convertible with a beautiful opal white interior waits. I got it as a sweet sixteen birthday present two years ago and fell in love with it instantly.

"We picking up anybody?" she asks as she slips into the passenger seat and I start the car and put the top down.

"Not today," I pull off the driveway and turn on the radio.

Don't start now by Dua Lipa is on and I sing along while Mads sits silently next to me. She's not really one to do anything she's not good at, not even in my company. I've never really understood that. I know I'm a good singer, but even if I wasn't, I wouldn't mind what other think of my singing.

Ten minutes later, I pull into the parking spot close to the front doors I reserved to myself at the start of the school year. Seniors get the best spots, and because I'm me, no one dares to take my space. I turn off the engine and grab my bag from the backseat before hopping out of the car.

Since we still have fifteen minutes until the bell rings, there's not too many people around yet. But the ones that are, have already taken notice of my arrival. I put on a bright smile and hope no one will be able to see through it.

"Well, see you after school," I wave at Mads and start making my way inside alone so she doesn't feel the need to accompany me. I don't want her to suffer the stares and whispers that will follow me today and possibly for days or even weeks from now. She's more of the shy type who tries to blend in and make herself as unnoticeable as possible, so I'm not going to pull her into the spotlight with me.

I walk with my head held high and with the confident step I always do, smiling and greeting the people who say "hi" to me.

When I reach my locker, I quickly put on my combination and grab the books I'm going to need before lunch, but not before something on the inside door of my locker catches my eye. It's filled with photos of me and my friends, but one in particular holds my attention. It was taken in the summer and in it I'm smiling happily at the camera while Zane, my now ex-boyfriend, kisses me on the cheek.

My stomach turns and I rip the picture off. I haven't seen him since we broke up before the weekend, and I don't exactly know how I'm going to react when I do see him. After a year and a half of dating, we know the same people and have many common friends, so it's not like I can avoid him forever.

I sigh and close my eyes for a moment to clear my head.

"No sleeping in the halls!" A high voice screeches into my ear, making me jump in surprise. I slam a hand on my fast-beating heart and turn around to face my best friend.

Her blonde hair falls in loose curls around her pretty face and her bright gray eyes meet mine in amusement, her full lips turned up in a smirk.

"Olive! You scared the hell outta me," I exhale deeply.

We've been best friends since eight grade when she transferred to our school and we noticed how much alike we are. I don't think I could get through this day without her by my side, to be honest. It's not that I'm weak, I'm definitely not, but her presence just makes everything so much more.... bubblier, and easier to handle.

"Your own fault for spacing out," she rolls her eyes grinning.

"Yeah well, I forgot all about this," I show her the crumpled photo in my fist. Her grins instantly fades and she snatches the picture out of my hand and tears it to pieces. I raise my eyebrows at her.

"He's an asshole," she tells me matter-of-factly, putting her hands on my shoulders and looking me straight in the eyes. "You deserve so much better than him. Now, I'm not going to let you wallow in this crap today. Remember what you said yesterday?"

I nod slowly, biting my lower lip, "I said I'm done crying and being angry, and that I'm not going to let Zane bring my mood down and ruin my day."

"Exactly," she smiles at me, "and I'm going to make sure you keep to that. So put a smile on that pretty face of yours and be the confident, amazing, strong woman I know you to be."

Her words bring a real smile out of me and dampen my eyes. "I love you O," I draw her into a tight hug.

"Love you too, loser," she smiles shaking her head. "You ready for all the judgement and looks and gossip these bitches have to offer today?" she asks, nodding at the now crowded hallway, some people already stopping to stare at me and whisper to their friends as if I can't see them.

I can't help but laugh. Olive has never been one to filter her words, she just blurts out everything that comes to her mind.

"I think so," I answer grinning, then slam my locker shut. I crook my arm with hers and together we walk to our first class of the day, English lit.

We're the first ones there and greet our teacher, Mrs. Holcomb, who smiles at us warmly. Maybe now would be a good time to tell that I'm a kind of a nerd. Not like Mads, but still. I've been an honors students since sophomore year and half of my classes are AP. I'm planning on attending the University of Southern California, since they have a great track and field program, and with my SAT score of 1530 and grade point average no lower than 3.9, not to mention my track achievements, my chances are pretty darn good.

We take our usual seats in the middle, not wanting to be way up front but not wanting to hide in the back either. People start to roll in slowly, mostly my friends as this is the one class almost all of us share.

Audrey Bowen plops down on the desk in front of me, followed close-by by her three-year boyfriend, Connor. I feel a stab of jealously in my chest as I look at their intertwined hands and happy faces, but ignore it. They're my friends, it's not their fault my relationship just went down the drain.

"How are you?" Audrey turns around in her seat to face me, masked concern on her face. Her wavy blonde hair falls just past her shoulders, and her big blue-green eyes take in my appearance.

"Great," I smile back at her, knowing she'll see through it. It was just a few days ago that she listened to me cry and rant over the phone about Zane, so she's well-informed about my state of mind at the moment.

She gives me a comforting half-smile but doesn't say anything, which I'm grateful for. I don't need all my classmates to know I'm not taking the break-up as well as I'm acting to.

"Hi," Lindsey, Audrey's twin, sits down on my other side, not looking happy at all.

The twins look a lot alike with their high cheekbones, narrow cheeks, and full lips, but they can be easily distinguished from each other. Besides the minor differences in facial features, including Audrey's face being softer, Lindsey recently dyed her long hair dark strawberry blonde, making separating them so much easier.

"What's the matter with you?" I ask as she rests her head on the desk, her face buried behind her messy hair. I'm answered with a long groan.

Audrey bites back a smile, "She's hungover."

"Wait, you guys actually went to that party last night?" Olive looks up from from doodling on her notebook.

"Well, she did," Audrey nods her head at her sister, "I just picked her up a few hours ago."

I laugh. Lindsey is a party-animal, never missing a good party, no matter if we have school the next day. It's funny how the twins are so different even though they're best friends and closer than anyone. When Audrey is sweet, kind, and pretty much like the typical "good girl", Lindsey is more straightforward, edgy, and daring. But we all love them equally.

"Can you guys keep it down" Lindsey mumbles with her eyes closed.

We all roll our eyes and I'm just about to open my mouth to respond when a group of guys walk in. We all turn our heads toward the noise, me almost involuntarily. Crap. For a moment I forgot he's in this class too.

I share an uneasy look with Olive as the group passes us on their way to the back. My eyes lock with Zane, his light green eyes emotionless. I can't help but feel a little offended and hurt that he seems to feel nothing at all for me anymore, but keep my face  impassive. It's almost like a staring match between us now, him having stopped in the middle of a step, each challenging the other one to look away first.

"Zane!" Jaxon calls from the back, obviously having noticed his best friend's absence.

Zane's head snaps to him and he breaks the gaze, quickly walking away without a word. I blink a few times to get a grip of myself and look back to my friends who are now giving me sympathetic looks.

"I'm fine," I reassure before any one of them can say anything. Luckily the bell rings just then, making us all turn our attention to Mrs. Holcomb.

After English I have music — and no, I don't mean band, I mean an advanced music course — so I say bye to my friends and head to third floor, ignoring the whispers and stares that follow me.

But right when I enter the empty hallway, a hand grabs my arm from behind and jerks me to a stop. I almost trip on my own feet in surprise, and turn around to glare at whoever it is that's manhandling me.

"What the f—" the rest of my sentence gets stuck in my throat as I take in the very familiar person in front of me. I just saw him but I'd been so focused on his eyes that I hadn't really taken in the rest of him.

His light brown hair is styled up, and it's clear he hasn't shaved for a few days, which is very unlike him. His jeans hang on his narrow hips and a white t-shirt rests against his tanned body, a greenish gray jacket slung over his shoulders. He looks good, as always, but that doesn't prevent me from narrowing my eyes.

"Zane."

"I want to talk to you," he says, dragging a hand through his hair like he does when he's feeling uncomfortable. Well, he isn't the only one.

"Well, too bad, because I've already said everything I need to," I glower at him and turn around.

I haven't even taken one step before he takes a hold of my arm again.

"Get your hands off me!" I hiss, yanking my arm free from his hold.

"Babe—" he starts but I cut him off.

"I'm not your babe anymore, get that through your thick head."

He sighs, clearly frustrated. "I just want you back b—" he stops mid-sentence when he notices my glare, "—Nora. I miss you."

"I don't miss you," I half-lie. I do miss the good times we had, and there's a lot since we were together for a long time, but I do not miss the past few months when were just fighting all the time, neither of us happy.

"You don't mean that," he frowns, hurt flashing across his face.

For a fleeting moment I see the guy he used to be, and waver. When he sees that, the cocky look on his face returns and the moment is over.

"But I do," I say coldly. "We're over."

"C'mon!" he throws his hands in the air, clearly exasperated. "Give me one more chance and I'll prove myself to you."

I close my eyes before looking back at him. "There's no more chances left in me, Zane. You blew it, you really blew it this time."

"I'm sorry, okay? It was a mistake, I—"

"You're sorry?" I raise my brows in disbelief of the words he just said. "Sorry doesn't fix anything!"

"I—"

"You cheated on me!" I yell, then bring my voice down. "You cheated on me, Zane, multiple times."

"They didn't mean anything to me," he tries to defend, but I'm only feeling disgust toward him now. He trampled all over my heart and now he has the audacity to belittle it.

"That just makes it worse."

"Nora—"

"No," I interrupt his pleads yet again. I can't fight over this again. "We're done. Done. There's no going back. So leave me the fuck alone." I turn on my heels and stalk away, leaving him staring after me.

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