Zoe And The Beast

Chapter 1 | The Beast of Oakland High

"Jemma told me it was Vincenzo Mascars," Savannah mused. "But he hates being called that."

"Eww, Jemma," Jared muttered under his breath. "She's always after popular, 'good-looking', guys. It's disgusting to watch her chase them."

Savannah's face scrunched up thoughtfully. Of Indian descent, Savannah was our school's ethnic goddess. "But she's after you. You're not popular or good-looking."

"Hey!" Jared protested, with wide eyes.

Those were lies, of course. Jared may not have been part of the popular crowd, but he knew each and every one of the people in the group, and could easily fit in with them if he wanted to. At least half the school knew who he was, mostly for his boyish smile and chestnut hair. He was cute, in his own way.

I stifled a giggle at their banter and stepped through the front doors, only to be greeted by a wide, stone hard chest.

"Ow," I muttered, rubbing my forehead. As I opened my eyes and looked up to scold the guy in front of me for not watching where he was going, I realized who it was.

Vince Mascars.

He smirked as he glanced down at me. I could already tell that this was going to be memorable.

"Zoe, right?" he asked. His voice was deep and strong, empowering confidence and power.

I nodded my head at him, mute. Nothing came out of my lips. I was speechless.

My eyes couldn't leave his face; Vince was even more beautiful close up. You could see every inch of his face clearly, and could tell that he had not one imperfection; a straight nose, symmetrical jaw line, clear face, and sharp, penetrating eyes. Everything on his face was perfect. Even the tiny scar running on top of his left eyebrow looked incredibly sexy.

"I've heard a lot about you," he told me, his hazel eyes clearly amused. "From a lot of different people."

My heart thumped, most likely out of disbelief. His words didn't strike my mind until several moments after he spoke them.

Wait, he knew who I was?

"You've heard," I swallowed, nervous, "about me? What did you hear?"

He gave me a lopsided grin. "So much that you would be surprised."

Still smirking, his eyes did me a one-over. His smile deepened, and his hazel eyes shot back up to mine, levelling his flirtatious gaze.

"Uh..." I trailed off, not sure of what to say. I'd never been so speechless in my life.

"I'll catch you later then," he said, his voice mesmerizing, forcing my heart to skip a beat. "Zoe."

The way he said my name sent shivers down my spine. Everything about him was just so...vivid. So attractive, so alluring, so...appealing.

I nodded again, very meekly. He walked away, arrogance and confidence pouring out of every step. As he left, I caught a whiff of a minty smell, cool and calming. My senses immediately relaxed, and I could feel my shocked expression wash away.

Oh my God.

Before I could say anything, Savannah began bawling out.

"Holy shit!" she shrieked, almost jumping on me. Her features were evidently excited, with enthusiasm and zeal spilling across them. "Vince Mascars just talked to you! He freaking talked to you! Isn't that amazing? He so likes you! Th-"

"Savannah," Jared cut her off, his tone annoyed. "All he did was talk to her. Don't jump to conclusions."

"How can I not?" she bubbled, still gushing over him. "I mean, it's the Beast, after all! He's the second hottest guy at our school, and he talked to Zoe! Can you believe it? I don't ever remember a hot guy talking to Zoe!"

"I talk to Zoe!"

"You're not exactly what I classify as 'hot', Jared."

I frowned at her, ready to object. "I've had boyfriends. It's not like I haven't talked to a boy before."

"Right, but none of them were Vince Mascars! The Beast isn't just a boy, Zoe. He's a man!" she spoke with such awe and admiration; I had to exchange smiles with Jared.

"So, Vince defines the ideal 'man'?" I challenged, still overwhelmed from his presence.

"No, but—"

"Hold up, hold up, hold up," Jared shook his head, putting his hands up in defense. "I get the feeling that you're not talking about me when you refer to Vince Mascars being the 'second hottest guy' at school."

"That's right," Savannah nodded.

"Then who is the hottest guy?"

"Derek! Duh!"

As soon as those words left her lips, the bell rang, and we were toppled over by dozens of high school kids trying to get to the auditorium for orientation.

What a life.

Author's Note

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Edited: May 20, 2018