Damaged (Bullied Series #3) (SAMPLE)

Prologue

Three and a Half Years Ago

"Did you know that ninety nine percent of our solar system's mass is the sun?" Kayden asked me, pausing the movie on his laptop to look at me.

We sat on the floor next to each other as we watched a sci-fi movie called Sunshine, but unlike Kayden, I wasn't excited about it. Personally, I thought it was rather dull. From time to time, he paused the movie to tell me some facts about space, most of which weren't relevant to the movie at all.

One of the first things I'd learned about Kayden was that he was a space geek. He was obsessed with everything that had to do with space, unlike me.

"No."

"Yes. Its mass is 330,000 times bigger than Earth's, and when it dies, it will become a red giant and envelop Earth."

I was totally lost. I had no interest in the sun and our apocalyptic future, but I figured I should show at least some interest. "What is a red giant?"

"It's a dying star in the last phase of stellar evolution. This won't happen for another five billion years, but just thinking about Earth being gone gives me chills."

He grinned, his dark brown eyes glimmering with excitement and joy, and I wondered how he could be so excited about something so depressing. That was Kayden, though. I'd known him for more than a month now, and if I could describe him with a single word, it would be cheerful. He was always so positive—so unlike me—and I often felt unusual next to him, like there was something wrong with me because I didn't share the same sentiments. Most of the time I was gloomy, and I tried to act like a normal teenager in front of him, hoping not to seem like an awkward creep.

I had to pee badly, and I squirmed. The toilet in Kayden's bathroom wasn't working, so I had to go downstairs, but I didn't dare. I'd only been in Kayden's house a few times so far, and each time I came over, his twin brother, Hayden, treated me horribly. So I didn't want to risk seeing him. Hayden was an absolute jerk, and I completely disliked him. Every time I saw him, my skin would crawl and heart beat faster in fear.

"What's wrong?" Kayden asked me after a minute and stopped the movie again.

"Um, nothing."

He chuckled. "Look, if you want to go to the bathroom, just go."

My cheeks reddened as his lips curled into a grin. "How do you know?"

"You've been squirming for the past thirty minutes." His smile widened, eliciting a stronger blush from me.

"Okay. Fine. I want to go to the bathroom."

"Then I officially give you permission to go."

He burst out laughing, and I pouted. I wasn't used to being this relaxed with someone, and I'd never had a male friend, so Kayden's nearness and friendly attitude made me uncomfortable.

Now I needed to put some space between us until my shame subdued. "Fine," I said as I got up.

"You know where the bathroom is. Or do you want me to be your guide?" He was still grinning, enjoying teasing me immensely.

"I know where it is," I muttered, lacking any good comeback, and left his room.

My eyes immediately darted to Hayden's door, and my pulse picked up. He wasn't supposed to be home, but I was afraid of stumbling across him anyway. He was an awful person, and his humiliation and mean remarks constantly hurt me. He treated me like I was a lesser human, and even though he was the most beautiful guy I'd ever seen, he was so ugly on the inside.

I went downstairs and halted when I heard sobs coming from the living room. Sobs?

Wait. This wasn't a woman crying.

My heartbeat sped up once more. Was this Hayden?

A male voice mumbled something through tears, and I stopped breathing. No. This wasn't Hayden. Or was it?

"Hurts...," the guy said.

I tiptoed to the wall separating the living room from the hallway and froze when what was clearly Hayden's voice said, "I understand." My breathing faltered.

The other person mumbled something in response. Then he asked, "Why?"

"I don't know, man," Hayden replied. "Life is shit."

I reached the doorway on my toes and peeked into the room. A pang spread through my chest when I saw Hayden and his friend Blake seated on the floor next to each other with their backs turned to the back of the couch. Blake held his head between his knees with his arms encircling his legs, while Hayden held his arm across Blake's shoulders. He looked at him with worry written all over his face.

I inhaled sharply and whipped my head back, my heart hammering against my rib cage. I couldn't believe what I just saw. Blake was crying and Hayden... I'd never seen Hayden look like that before... He was worried.

What was going on?

"She was..." More sobs and murmurs filled the air. I strained to hear Blake better, but it was impossible.

"I wish I could help you, man," Hayden said softly, and my breath caught in my throat. A sprout of warmth unfolded in me.

I'd never heard him speak like this. Never. His voice was always cold, derisive, or emotionless, as if it was impossible for him to care for anyone, but now he was this kind stranger, looking after his friend who was suffering, and I was stunned.

I knew it wasn't right of me to eavesdrop and I should leave right away, but I couldn't. I was glued to the spot as I listened to Hayden's soothing words, "I'll be with you through everything, man. I'll help you get through this."

I clutched my throbbing chest. This was impossible. He was an evil, heartless person who didn't even love his own brother. He couldn't be this supportive. He was incapable of caring.

"It was my fault!" Blake cried and burst into more tears.

"No, it wasn't your fault. It was the fault of those—"

"It was!" He muttered something I couldn't catch, his voice laced with bitterness. "Emma..."

Emma? I risked another glance at them, and all air left my lungs when I saw Hayden's face. He was crying. His eyes were red, and the tears created glistening paths down his face. It tugged at something deep within me.

"I'm here for you," he said. "You'll be okay."

He hugged him and patted his back as Blake continued to sob. I clenched my hands, battling with the revelation that Hayden wasn't who I'd projected him to be.

"You'll be okay," he repeated tenderly, and to my utter surprise, something changed in me. "You can always count on me. You'll get through this."

My heart expanded with a potent emotion, which was equally dangerous and life-giving. I stared at the wall across from me, but I didn't see anything. My knees grew weak and my head swarmed with so many questions as the realization settled in my mind.

Hayden Black cared. He was capable of being there for others, and despite all his cruelty, he had something good deep inside of him... He was much more than what I'd thought.

And just like that—in a matter of a few fleeting seconds—I started to like him.

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Hey, hey, hey!! <3 Thank you so much for checking out the prologue! I just love this moment and how Sarah started crushing on Hayden <3 And Kayden is such a sweetheart!

Now let's head to the first chapter!

Love ya,

Vera