Falling for my Best Friend’s Bully

The class flew by, leaving me thoroughly captivated with every moment. Creative Writing was officially my favorite subject—it felt like home.

I scribbled notes as the professor explained how "show, don't tell" could bring a story to life. Her words resonated with me and I thought fleetingly of becoming a writer.

Maybe someday.

Words from long ago came to mind:

"You can do anything you put your mind to Ellie. You're my most beautiful masterpiece."

I hurriedly blinked as my eyes filled with tears. Most days, it was hard to remember how my mother sounded but not today.

It felt too real.

The lecturer barely looked my way during class, so I froze when, as the room emptied, she waved Aiden and me over to her desk.

Aiden stood. "Looks like we're up," he said, pulling me out of my daze.

The lecturer peered at us over the rim of her half-moon spectacles, her arms folded tightly across her chest.

"Why didn't you attend my first class a few days ago?" she asked, her tone sharp and to the point.

"Sorry, I wasn't feeling well," I said quickly.

"I had work," Aiden added, his voice calm.

Miss Rose regarded us in silence for a moment, her gaze unreadable. Then, with a sigh, she picked up a thick notepad from her desk and flipped it open.

Tapping the edge of the book with a pencil, she said, "The rest of the class is already aware, but I'm not sure you two are. This project is more than half your grade for the semester." She paused, letting the weight of her words settle. "You'll be writing a novel."

I gaped at her.

"An entire novel?" I asked.

"What's the minimum number of words?" Aiden said.

Miss Rose chuckled. "Already trying to see how little you can do, Mr. Hartley? The minimum is the length of a standard novel, something I covered in the first class— the one you both skipped."

We stared at her, stunned.

"Eighty thousand words," she said, her voice even but firm.

"Ma'am!" I exclaimed.

Aiden rubbed his temple. "That's too much, Miss Rose. Way too much. My job is very demanding, and—"

"And it's a good thing you have the entire semester to finish it," Miss Rose interrupted briskly.

I noticed the way Aiden's jaw tightened, but Miss Rose didn't seem to care. She continued, unfazed. "You'll need to choose one genre from these three options : fantasy, romance and horror. Which will it be?"

I hesitated. Romance was my favorite genre to read, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to choose it. Aiden was my partner, and I didn't want him to get the wrong idea.

Aiden turned to me. "Which do you prefer, Ellie?"

They both looked at me, waiting. I folded my arms and let them drop, feeling the weight of their gaze.

"Romance seems good," I said, deciding to go with what felt natural.

Aiden smirked. "Yeah, romance definitely feels good with you, Ellie."

I rolled my eyes, not sure whether to laugh or groan.

Miss Rose jotted down our names and chosen genre in her book. "That will be all. If you have any questions about the project, don't hesitate to reach out to me."

"Thank you, Miss Rose," I said.

"Bye, Miss Rose. Sorry about missing your class—won't happen again. Maybe," Aiden said, giving her a mini salute. He turned to me, pulling my hand into his.

"Wh-what are you doing, Aiden?!" I asked, stumbling a little as he led me.

"Taking you out for lunch so we can sit down, get to know each other better, and you can hopefully uncover some feelings you've buried deep down for me."

"In your dreams," I replied, trying to pull my hand away.

Aiden grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "So they're buried close to the surface, then? You're making me blush."

"Oh my—ugh!" I yanked my hand from his, shivering slightly as the cold air replaced the warmth of his touch. His hand had been so warm.

"Don't tease me, Aiden. I don't like it."

Aiden leaned down so his face was right in front of mine, his gaze intense. "But Ellie, that's exactly why it's fun."

"You damn—"

I bit my words back as he grabbed my hand again, pulling me along. We walked out of the school building, the sunlight dappling our path.