When Love and Hate Collide

Chapter 2- Drive Me Crazy

KISSES

The whole week passed by in a blur, keeping up with a lot of assignments and school work. We have just ended up the second week of class yet it seems that teachers just loved loading us with school stuff. I am not complaining though, I definitely love school and everything that has to do with it. Well, except for one, ah no, two things, Edward Barber and his sickeningly sweet lover, Heaven Peralejo. I wish they would just leave me alone.

"How sweet! I really love watching your love affair with your books, Kirsten," said Heaven as she passed by me and the stack of books I have placed in front of me during break time, when I was alone in one of the gazebos near the field.

"Oh, I didn't know we are in the first name basis here, Peralejo," I said distastefully, not looking up from my books

" Ah, don't get that to your head, Delavin. I certainly do not want to be uber close with you. Don't want to be associated with weirdos." She snorted unprettily and left me to go to the field to watch Barber and his group as they were preparing to start their soccer practice.

I went back to my books and was about to stick in my earphones when a beautiful girl came up the gazebo.

"Would you mind if I join you here?" She was a very beautiful girl with lovely pointed nose and long, straight hair. She also had that lovely, tall figure much like Maria but a little shorter than her.

I was a little taken aback at her beauty that I was not able to speak immediately. "Ah," I blinked a few times and continued. "No, I wouldn't mind. Sure, please have a seat.." Wow, if this was Harry Potter, I'd say she is a Veela, minus the blonde hair.

"Thanks," she said as she sat beside me with a smile. "You're Kisses Delavin, right?"

I smiled at her. She seems like a nice lady. "Yes, Kirsten Danielle Delavin." I held out my hand to her for a handshake which she gracefully accepted.

"Stephanie Vaz, I'm a new student here. Grade 12."

"Oh you're a year older than me. I'm in Grade 11."

"I know," she said, still smiling brightly. "Edward talks about you. A lot."

"Huh?" A confused look etched in my face. "You mean, Barber?"

"Yes, he's my stepbrother. He must not have spoken about us. We prefer to keep it a secret though," she said, with a dreamy expression across her face.

"Oh, I, well we know of the remarriage of his Dad but not that we know he has a stepsister." I looked back at my book, feeling a bit awkward now that I found out who she is. I suddenly jerked when I realized Barber was talking about me. "He must be saying bad things about me, doesn't he?'

"Oh, Edward? Actually no, but he talks about you a lot. Not angry, more like frustrated, baffled." I raised an eyebrow. Frustrated? Baffled? Seriously, what is wrong with that boy's head? Stephanie was staring at me intently, with a hint of smile on her face. "You're beautiful."

"Huh?" I looked at her disbelievingly. "Whoa, with my looks? You. You are beautiful. Me? I'm nowhere near that. I may be used to people complimenting me with what I got in my head, but calling me beautiful. That's a far cry."

"I don't think so. You just don't see what other people see in you." She watched the soccer team as they did their laps across the field with Barber in the lead. I felt her eyes on me in a few moments and I felt my cheeks burn.