Coleen

I slammed the door to the apartment as soon as I arrived. Heavy breaths left me. It felt like I had just run a marathon.

But nothing, absolutely nothing could get rid of the image in my head.

How on earth did Hayden Michaels in the same college.

That wasn't hard to find an answer to. This was a private prestigious college his family could afford after all. In some twisted coincidence, he had also chosen the same college.

This was my Dream college, my hope out of those memories and he was here with them.

"I can see you had some fun," I flinched as a voice came out of nowhere.

Looking up, I tensed as I found Mark staring at me from his doorway, a knowing smirk on his face.

"How was the party?" I asked

"It wasn't anything." I said, trying to keep my expression from giving anything away.

"Sure, I believe you. Coleen, all grown up," he teased,

To my relief, he didn't push the matter further, moving towards our living room as he rambled about his day in college. As he told me how he met up with a girl in his classes he was interested in I couldn't help but smile, genuinely happy for him.

I was going to forget about that night. Whatever Hayden was doing in the same damn college wasn't my business. I was never going to cross paths with him ever again. Not if I could help it.

...

After recovering from the leftover hangover, I went to college for my current classes, set on moving forward with the day. In the midst of the classes and the familiar feeling of work, everything else faded from my mind.

I was fine. Great, even.

By the end of my final class for the day I stepped out only to be called by the Lecturer to see him. Anxiety filled me as soon as I was alone with him.

Why was he calling me? Had something happened?

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience Miss Miane. This should have been addressed earlier, but because you received a scholarship in this college due to your high grades, you have the offer if joining in an after school study group alongside other full scholarship students. Not everyone is present but they are actually having a meeting now if you'd like to join in." Mr Morrison said.

In an instant, the anxiety was replaced with pure excitement.

"Thank you for this opportunity sir ," I smiled, heart racing as he nodded.

It took everything in me to not jump as he led me towards the 'Scholarship study group'. Less than a minute after learning of it I was already excited to meet them and make new friends.

I stepped inside and my smile froze in place, a chill filling me.

A group of people were sitting in a group and among them...

Hayden sat on one of the tables, eyes trailing towards me.

"Ah, I suppose you've met Hayden Michaels, he was in the same highschool as you, I believe?" Mr Morrison smiled, seemingly noticing my stare.

"He's also here on a full sports scholarship if I'm correct. He's also in several of your classes. Since you two are familiar I'm sure you'll get along," he patted my shoulder before leaving me.

How wrong he was.

My heart sank into pure dread as I met the faces of the other people waiting for me. Their stares bored into me, expecting me to move but I couldn't, frozen in place.

This had to be some sort of mistake.

The Michaels family owned one of the biggest companies in the whole damn city. Everyone knew his name. How could he of all people need a scholarship?

There were others, more deserving people who needed it. Not him.

Bitterness filled my insides. No matter how unfair it felt , I couldn't find the words. It didn't change the fact that I was face to face with him once again.

The one who I hated most, who for some twisted reasons I had slept with last night.

Did he recognize it was me? Had he done it on purpose? Was he mocking me?

Panic filled me, and I felt my belly roil when I met his gaze. His sea green eyes seemed to taunt me from here.

And slowly, s smirk grew on his lips m

I recognized that smirk. The same look he had given me after that day of our graduation. It brought me back to the humiliating prank after graduation.

Bile filled my throat. I couldn't stay here anymore.

I spun around, rushing out the door and ignoring Mr Morrisson's calls.

Blinking back tears, I ran out of the hallway and entered the nearest bathroom. Thankfully I realized it was empty just as the first sob crawled up my throat.

"You can't cry now Coleen. You're stronger than this" I told myself, forcing the choked tears down.

The entire day had been a rollercoaster of emotions by itself. First the one night stand and now this? What kind of sick joke was this?

He was the last person

"You're overthinking it," I shook my head frantically.

This was just a mistake. One that could easily be resolved. Thinking back to that signature smile of his anger welled up inside me. How could I let him singlehandedly intimidate me with only a single gesture?

I was stronger than before, but I knew how to pick my battles, and he wasn't worth it.

The place was big enough for both of us, and I would make sure that I never saw him. Ever.

Coleen.

I was never going back there again.

That was my resolve. After that disastrous introduction of a study group I'd resolved to never go into another one again. The next day I apologized to Mr Morrison for the sudden outburst and told him just that. His confusion and disappointment made a part of me guilty but despite his questions and requests all I could give him was an awkward apology.

After that cane my next step. To my surprise, it didn't take me long to find out the said classes that I shared with Hayden vis the school lists, thankfully nonne of them i had attended yet. Immediately I found them I quickly transferred from those classes to alternatives. Within two days I had received approval from all the transfers, ignoring the looks around recieved from the Professors themselves.

That didn't matter in the long run. What mattered was separating myself far away from Hayden's maliciousness. And I succeeded. This was the end.

Everything went well after. Throughout the week I had attended classes like normal , talking to Lisa and making new acquaintances along the way. Despite the setbacks I had in the beginning, my life was back on track.

Now it was the weekend and I was more than ready to recharge for the rest of the day. If not for Mark that is,

"I have no idea why you're roping me into this. Why couldn't you guys just do like any other couple?" I complained exasperatedly in the face of Mark's pouting face. Mark's sudden request had put a bender in my plans for the day.

It was rather simple. After a week of talking- and constantly gushing over her to me- he'd finally set up a date with Alicia, the girl he liked.

The problem? They had agreed to a double date, including me and according to him, her single male best friend who was accompanying her.

"Come on, I don't know who he is, but I'm sure he's great. Alicia definitely wouldn't be friends with someone who isn't half as amazing as her," he said and I held back the urge to tease the stars in his eyes whenever he spoke about Alicia.

He turned to me with a smirk.

"Who knows, maybe you might even like him."

I huffed, rolling my eyes when Mark leaned in.

"Come on Coleen. It's just one double date. Don't you want to see your best friend happy with the love of his life?"

A part of me wanted to tease him for being too whipped, but his sincere pleading made me stop. No matter how annoying it was sometimes, I did want to see him happy.

"Fine," I sighed reluctantly, "I'll go with you."

I fought a smile when he hugged me tightly.

When the time came we headed to the restaurant they'd agreed to meet, stepping in together. We spotted her immediately, her description exactly as Mark had gushed over, with bright purple dyed hair and blue eyes.

"It's so nice to meet you." She smiled, before leading us inside. The moment I saw a familiar frame I tensed and Mark did the sane beside me.

"This is our second contender for the date. Hayden, come meet Mark and Coleen." she waved him over.

My jaws clenched the moment his eyes met mine. Turning to Mark I found panic on his face before he made eye contact with me.

"Alicia....I didn't know you knew...Hayden." Mark chuckled uneasily and Alicia's brows furrowed in confusion.

"We go way back. Do you two know him?" She asked

"In a sense." Hayden was the one to speak this time but his eyes were completely focused on me.

Anger boiled inside me. What sort of sick joke was life playing on me?

A tug brought me out of my thoughts and I turned to find Mark staring at me pleadingly. His eyes said enough. He was begging me to bear it, to play along for now.

The urge to lash out was tempting but I forced it down. I wasn't going to let this or him ruin Mark's happiness.

"Let's uh... get a table," Mark said.

Tension grew in the atmosphere as soon as we sat down. It was clear to everyone, Alicia included that something was wrong, but we all tried to ignore it.

As time passed agonizingly slowly, Mark and Alicia got along despite the tension and I could see why Mark fell head over heels in love with her. My eyes were focused on them, watching them bond lost in their own bubble.

All the while I tried to ignore Hayden's presence.

"You haven't been coming to the study group." my skin prickled as I heard his voice. Clenching my jaw, I kept silent, still decidedly ignoring him.

Every once in a while, he continued trying to 'make conversation' with me. Whether it was to pretend in front of Alicia or to dig in a taunt, I didn't want to know. I kept silent, looking decidedly away from his direction, unwilling to respond despite his persistent stare. Clearly, he was acting oblivious to the hint that I wanted nothing to do with him.

I tried to focus on Mark and Alicia's conversation when his sigh broke through the chatter,

"Are you really so intimidated by me that I scared you off joining?" His words hit me like a jab and I could feel the outright smugness in it,

"The Coleen I knew wouldn't have let anyone scare her off studying. Wasn't it your dream to be part of some prissy study community? Why back out now?" he asked

With those words, my patience snapped.

How dare he talk like he knew me? Like he could predict me?

I finally turned to face him, yet as soon as I saw the smirk laid there, I snapped .

"Why the hell do you care? So you can humiliate me just like you did back then? Tough luck Hayden. I'm done dealing with you." I sneered, satisfaction filling me as the smirk on his face fell.

Immediately after my outburst I realized how loud I'd been. Whipping my head I found Mark and Alicia staring at me, faces paling.

Guilt filled me instantly. They were having such a good time and I'd ruined it.

Taking in a deep breath, I turned away, walking out of the diner. As I called the nearest cab. I heard the door open behind me.

"Coleen...wait!" he called out. And I frowned at the sound of Hayden's voice.

"Screw you Hayden," I shouted, not sparing a glance right before I entered the car. As I drove away I spied him though the car mirror running towards me and for a moment I was filled with confusion.

Why was he persistently chasing after me? Why couldn't he leave me alone?

Eventually the car drove past and he was soon out of sight. I looked away from the mirror shortly after.

....

I didn't see or talk to Mark the next day. Even though I knew he wouldn't fault me for the incident. My outburst still sent waves of humiliation through me.

Leaving the silent apartment, I headed straight to my morning class, still agitated from the day before. The class was spare, thankfully giving me time to think.

At this point I wasn't sure what was worse, that I'd been in close quarters with the man I hated and encountered him three separate times in a row, or that with Mark's new attachment to Alicia, he was going to be a part of my life indirectly.

The last thing I wanted to do was burden Mark with this. He had witnessed more than enough of Hayden's treatment towards me in highschool and the last thing I wanted was for it to affect what already seemed like a beautiful relationship.

I would talk to him. There had to be a way to work around this. There always was.

Prepping my books, I took a deep breath. Now was the time to focus. No more thinking about yesterday, about mark or h-

A loud thump rang right beside me, making me stiffen. Someone was sitting beside me, their body nearly brushing mine.

A wave of confusion rushed through me. This class had plenty of empty spaces. So why sit beside me?

I looked up to speak when I froze in place at the green gaze.

It was Hayden, looking straight at me.

Coleen.

I was never going back there again.

That was my resolve. After that disastrous introduction of a study group I'd resolved to never go into another one again. The next day I apologized to Mr Morrison for the sudden outburst and told him just that. His confusion and disappointment made a part of me guilty but despite his questions and requests all I could give him was an awkward apology.

After that cane my next step. To my surprise, it didn't take me long to find out the said classes that I shared with Hayden vis the school lists, thankfully nonne of them i had attended yet. Immediately I found them I quickly transferred from those classes to alternatives. Within two days I had received approval from all the transfers, ignoring the looks around recieved from the Professors themselves.

That didn't matter in the long run. What mattered was separating myself far away from Hayden's maliciousness. And I succeeded. This was the end.

Everything went well after. Throughout the week I had attended classes like normal , talking to Lisa and making new acquaintances along the way. Despite the setbacks I had in the beginning, my life was back on track.

Now it was the weekend and I was more than ready to recharge for the rest of the day. If not for Mark that is,

"I have no idea why you're roping me into this. Why couldn't you guys just do like any other couple?" I complained exasperatedly in the face of Mark's pouting face. Mark's sudden request had put a bender in my plans for the day.

It was rather simple. After a week of talking- and constantly gushing over her to me- he'd finally set up a date with Alicia, the girl he liked.

The problem? They had agreed to a double date, including me and according to him, her single male best friend who was accompanying her.

"Come on, I don't know who he is, but I'm sure he's great. Alicia definitely wouldn't be friends with someone who isn't half as amazing as her," he said and I held back the urge to tease the stars in his eyes whenever he spoke about Alicia.

He turned to me with a smirk.

"Who knows, maybe you might even like him."

I huffed, rolling my eyes when Mark leaned in.

"Come on Coleen. It's just one double date. Don't you want to see your best friend happy with the love of his life?"

A part of me wanted to tease him for being too whipped, but his sincere pleading made me stop. No matter how annoying it was sometimes, I did want to see him happy.

"Fine," I sighed reluctantly, "I'll go with you."

I fought a smile when he hugged me tightly.

When the time came we headed to the restaurant they'd agreed to meet, stepping in together. We spotted her immediately, her description exactly as Mark had gushed over, with bright purple dyed hair and blue eyes.

"It's so nice to meet you." She smiled, before leading us inside. The moment I saw a familiar frame I tensed and Mark did the sane beside me.

"This is our second contender for the date. Hayden, come meet Mark and Coleen." she waved him over.

My jaws clenched the moment his eyes met mine. Turning to Mark I found panic on his face before he made eye contact with me.

"Alicia....I didn't know you knew...Hayden." Mark chuckled uneasily and Alicia's brows furrowed in confusion.

"We go way back. Do you two know him?" She asked

"In a sense." Hayden was the one to speak this time but his eyes were completely focused on me.

Anger boiled inside me. What sort of sick joke was life playing on me?

A tug brought me out of my thoughts and I turned to find Mark staring at me pleadingly. His eyes said enough. He was begging me to bear it, to play along for now.

The urge to lash out was tempting but I forced it down. I wasn't going to let this or him ruin Mark's happiness.

"Let's uh... get a table," Mark said.

Tension grew in the atmosphere as soon as we sat down. It was clear to everyone, Alicia included that something was wrong, but we all tried to ignore it.

As time passed agonizingly slowly, Mark and Alicia got along despite the tension and I could see why Mark fell head over heels in love with her. My eyes were focused on them, watching them bond lost in their own bubble.

All the while I tried to ignore Hayden's presence.

"You haven't been coming to the study group." my skin prickled as I heard his voice. Clenching my jaw, I kept silent, still decidedly ignoring him.

Every once in a while, he continued trying to 'make conversation' with me. Whether it was to pretend in front of Alicia or to dig in a taunt, I didn't want to know. I kept silent, looking decidedly away from his direction, unwilling to respond despite his persistent stare. Clearly, he was acting oblivious to the hint that I wanted nothing to do with him.

I tried to focus on Mark and Alicia's conversation when his sigh broke through the chatter,

"Are you really so intimidated by me that I scared you off joining?" His words hit me like a jab and I could feel the outright smugness in it,

"The Coleen I knew wouldn't have let anyone scare her off studying. Wasn't it your dream to be part of some prissy study community? Why back out now?" he asked

With those words, my patience snapped.

How dare he talk like he knew me? Like he could predict me?

I finally turned to face him, yet as soon as I saw the smirk laid there, I snapped .

"Why the hell do you care? So you can humiliate me just like you did back then? Tough luck Hayden. I'm done dealing with you." I sneered, satisfaction filling me as the smirk on his face fell.

Immediately after my outburst I realized how loud I'd been. Whipping my head I found Mark and Alicia staring at me, faces paling.

Guilt filled me instantly. They were having such a good time and I'd ruined it.

Taking in a deep breath, I turned away, walking out of the diner. As I called the nearest cab. I heard the door open behind me.

"Coleen...wait!" he called out. And I frowned at the sound of Hayden's voice.

"Screw you Hayden," I shouted, not sparing a glance right before I entered the car. As I drove away I spied him though the car mirror running towards me and for a moment I was filled with confusion.

Why was he persistently chasing after me? Why couldn't he leave me alone?

Eventually the car drove past and he was soon out of sight. I looked away from the mirror shortly after.

....

I didn't see or talk to Mark the next day. Even though I knew he wouldn't fault me for the incident. My outburst still sent waves of humiliation through me.

Leaving the silent apartment, I headed straight to my morning class, still agitated from the day before. The class was spare, thankfully giving me time to think.

At this point I wasn't sure what was worse, that I'd been in close quarters with the man I hated and encountered him three separate times in a row, or that with Mark's new attachment to Alicia, he was going to be a part of my life indirectly.

The last thing I wanted to do was burden Mark with this. He had witnessed more than enough of Hayden's treatment towards me in highschool and the last thing I wanted was for it to affect what already seemed like a beautiful relationship.

I would talk to him. There had to be a way to work around this. There always was.

Prepping my books, I took a deep breath. Now was the time to focus. No more thinking about yesterday, about mark or h-

A loud thump rang right beside me, making me stiffen. Someone was sitting beside me, their body nearly brushing mine.

A wave of confusion rushed through me. This class had plenty of empty spaces. So why sit beside me?

I looked up to speak when I froze in place at the green gaze.

It was Hayden, looking straight at me.