Tied Together

Chapter 1: Sick Joke

I am undeniably out of my element.

"Tate." Mrs Tim's voice snaps, her lips pressing together tightly. She taps her bony finger against her crossed arm expectantly. Her usual scowl imprinted on her aged face.

"You must know the answer to the equation if you have taken it upon yourself to sleep in my class!"

I sink lower in my seat, the class snickering. I force myself to look at the whiteboard at the bunch of numbers and letters that mean absolutely nothing to me. Could be another language for all I care. I refrain from rubbing my temple as a dull throb starts to make way.

I just need to graduate.

"Uh..." My cheeks flush. "I'm not entirely sure..." I say honestly. 

She sighs, a disappointed sight. "Tate I understand why you were slacking at the start of the year.." My body tenses. "But, you can't use that as an excuse for—"

"46," a voice calls out, a deep confident voice. "The answer is 46."

An involuntary shiver runs down my body and I clench my fists tightly. 

My saviour. Ray Preston: the school's 'golden boy'. Or In other words... my Match.

Ray is truly something. Something dangerous, something you want to keep a safe distance from so you don't get hypnotized by those deep blue eyes. Or captivated by that soft curly hair. But it's his mouth that is the real danger. Not just the plump pink lips and that frame that charming smile, it's the words that come out of them that are the real threat. He's a danger to girls hearts—especially mine. 

He has a heart of gold. He's the kind of guy that sticks up for the kid being picked on type of guy. The guy your parents want you to date. The kind of guy that is too good to be true. 

And he is totally.. absolutely.. undoubtedly.. 

Out. Of. My. League.

That is why he dating the school's cheerleader—his high school sweetheart, Lily Heart. They have been dating for 3 years now. In love and happy together for 3 fucking years. 

Hence why he chose her—Not me.

I have been dreaming about meeting my match since a kid. I had this stupid idea that he would come and save me from all my problems. That after all the shitty cards I have been dealt with in life, he would be my light at the end of the tunnel. My saviour. 

That after all the shit I have been through in my life wouldn't be so bad, because I would have one thing good. 

But I was wrong. Hero's are only in the stories, not in real life. It is a fantasy. An unreachable desire. A dream. That is all it will ever be. 

I remember every detail of him choosing her. It was 2 weeks ago on my 18th birthday. 18 birthday is a special day, the day you meet you're match. Your soul mate. Everyone has one, a person that is imperfectly perfect for you. So gone all the dates and bars and boys because who needs that when you have your soul mate waiting for you? Your end game. 

But not everyone wants their Match... 

My eyes meet his across the room and my world stops because I see him. I feel this undeniably invisible force pulling me to him towards him. Tying me to him.

You see I alway had a crush on Ray. But so did most the girls in my year so I never thought twice about it. 

He grabs my arm and drags me into an empty classroom before facing me. I have seen him from afar but never this close, he is even more breath taking from up close.