like the sun

Chapter 1

I set down a moving box, sighing. It feels so weird, standing in the same house I grew up in, seven years later. The walls, the floors, the doors- they're all the same.

But not me.

I'm different, broken, this time. Nothing seems the same, but I remember through fuzzy images in my head how I used to love that purple wall in the kitchen and the window seat in my room.

I straighten my back and walk into my bedroom. I'm glad to be back in LA, after living in Florida from when I was nine to about a week ago. There was no way I could stay in that town. Just being miles away already makes me feel safer.

I open the blinds to my window. Peering across the way, I catch a glimpse of the neighbor's room. Clutching the windowsill, my eyes strain to see the figure in the bedroom across mine in the bright sunshine.

The person turns around, and I see it's a man. I tilt my head to take in his features. He has a really beautiful face, I decide, with high cheekbones and full lips. He looks...sad. Lost, I think. Seeing him more clearly, I can tell looks are deceiving, that he isn't a man.

He's a boy, about my age. The boy is trying- trying to fill the role of someone older. His shoulders sag, his eyes too young and wide for responsibility.

I bite my lip and turn on my heel, going to grab more boxes from downstairs, shaking my head.

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The alarm blares, and I swing my hand around to silence it. Groaning, I sit up and arch my back as I stretch.

My toes hit the cold floor as I pad into the bathroom.

I pick up my toothbrush and look around for my hairbrush. I see the box of makeup on the floor and I consider putting some on- but a tugging sensation in my chest brings my mind back.

Remember the last time you did that?

I look away and finish my teeth as I turn the shower on.

The front door slams as I run down the front walkway to meet my old friend Danny at his car.

"Danny!" I exclaimed, opening my arms for a hug.

He grins, his dirty blonde hair messy and his green eyes sparkling. I haven't seen Danny since last summer, since I last came to visit. Me and him have been best friends since preschool. I'm really glad that I can see him more than twice a year again.

"Monet! I missed you so much!" He wraps his arms around me and opens the car door. "Exited for your first day at Charlton High?"

"Yes," I chuckle at his excitement. "I missed you too."

We talk the rest of the ride to school about what I missed since coming back and how Florida was. Just being with someone I trust helps calm my ever-present nervousness. We pull up to school and I step out, the cold nipping at my cheeks. I tug down my maroon sweatshirt.

I can feel eyes on us as we walk towards the doors to the large building. I can vaguely remember going here for local plays and events when I was younger. The doors seem much smaller now, but far more menacing.

Danny takes my hand and guides me to the front office where I go get my locker information and other stuff.

The bright colors of the lockers and the swirling voices blur together in my head. My breathing speeds up.

Crowds of people...that night.

Stop.

That night-

No.

I will not let this ruin my first day. I clutch my bag tightly as I walk towards the lockers with numbers close to the one I was given.

My brow furrows as I look for the right locker. Suddenly, I feel something hard bump into my back. Confused, I turn around.

I'm met with the face of a Greek god. I squint my eyes, and give him a once-over. Nope, just a regular teenage boy- but unnaturally handsome if you ask me.

"Can I help you with something? You look lost." The boy says kindly. "I'm Mason." I nod, looking behind him at the emptying hallways.

I eye one person in particular standing next to Mason- the boy!

The boy from next door is standing very close to me, and I can make out his features now. I was right. He is really beautiful. He's so attractive it's almost hard to look at, actually.

I snap my gaze back to Mason.

"Um, yeah. I'm Monet." I breathe, trying to ignore the strange stare I'm getting from next-door-boy. "My locker is number 834, and I can't seem to find it."

That isn't true, actually- I barely started looking for it, but I don't want to be rude since he offered to help me in the first place.

Mason smiles, nods. He glances at the top row of lockers for a split second.

"Right here. Next to Xavier's, actually!" He exclaims, apparently exited.

I tilt my head. "Ok...who's that?"

Mason laughs, and pulls neighbor boy forward. "This is Xavier!"