Mark was surrounded by a large group of cheerleaders when I got to school. I knew he wasn’t the boyfriend I deserved but something about him scared me. That’s why I never talked about breaking up because the stare he would give me made my heart beat faster in a bad way. His eyes met mine with a frown but as soon as I blinked, the loving gaze replaced the glare. I needed to think deeply about the risks.

“Lena! Baby!” Mark shouted as I tried to walk around his spotlight. I turned to look at him and felt intimidated when the little snotty girls stared me down.

My gaze turned back to his as I fumbled where I stood, unsure of what to do. Either go to him or say hi and walk away like I always imagine. I hadn’t realized that through my daydreaming, Mark had me already in his arms with roses a few inches away from my face. My best friend looked at me and shook her head before walking away. At that moment I really wished I could’ve reached out for her and leave my boyfriend.

“Why didn’t you come to me, huh?” I heard him whisper in my ear between his teeth. The little hairs in my body stood up as his lips breathed in my ears. Before I could answer, he gripped my waist and led me into the building where the lockers were.

He waited for the halls to clear out before turning his full attention to me. I cowered against the lockers waiting for what was coming next. “I brought you roses and you didn’t take them. You realize you made me look worse than a nerd right?”

I closed my eyes and breathed in. “I wasn’t paying attention to you. I’m sorry—“

His piercing laugh rang in my ears as I flinched. “What?! Look, you are my girlfriend. A girlfriend is supposed to be all about her boyfriend. Not the other way around.”


I was about to walk away when I felt him throw the roses at my face. I caught them before they fell and stared at the small stains of blood in the thorns. A tickling feeling ran down my face and landed in my palm. Blood.