𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 ☁𝙛𝙚𝙯𝙘𝙤

prologue

Ethan and Eleanor Daley were twins- same birthday, similar faces. But rather than being close, the two were so different from each other, it was almost impossible to imagine they were siblings.

Every decision Ethan made, Eleanor did the opposite. When Ethan made friends with the quiet kids who read books instead of playing games during recess, Eleanor stayed by herself.

When they were fourteen and Eleanor bleached her hair blond for a reason that no one really knows, it further separated the two.

Maybe that was the point.

When they entered high school, Ethan stuck with his group, while Eleanor could never really find hers.

Until she met Nate Jacobs.

The first time Nate had really noticed Eleanor was the first day of junior year. She had always been quiet, but that year she decided to try something, going out for the cheer team and, surprisingly, she made it. But even then, she couldn't find her group.

Maddy Perez and Cassie Howard were untouchable- they were on a level Eleanor didn't even know existed.

And everyone else stood in their shadow, trying desperately to get on their good sides. So when Eleanor joined, silent and stunning, Nate payed attention to her for the first time.

He had gone up to her the day of her first pep rally, and asked her to cheer for him. He noticed the way her cheeks flushed at the attention, and how shy she really was.

He liked that, he liked being able to control peoples emotions.

He caught her looking at him after, a soft blush still on her cheeks. During his game, when he looked towards the cheerleaders, he saw her, shouting his name with a small grin on her face.

So after that game, he asked her on a date. She agreed, and with that, she became a new level of untouchable.

Nate chose Eleanor because she was everything he liked in a girl. He liked how even though she looked intimidating, she would bend over backwards to please him.

He liked that she had no friends, he liked being the only thing she had. He liked the way she let him control her, clearly desperate for the attention she had been craving her whole life.

He liked the way she didn't realize she was pretty, how she was oblivious to the jealous stares of other girls in the hallways.

He liked how small she was, he liked that if he wanted to, he could crush her. He liked how insecure she was, how she analyzed everything he said and how much it affected her.

But he hated the hungry stares of the other guys in their grade, the way they looked at her like she was something to eat. He hated how much she would cry.

He hated how much she reminded him of his mother, weak. But in a way, that was also what drew him to her.

Eleanor never found anything wrong with Nate. Even when he would yell, even when he would grab her just a little too roughly, she still thought it was her fault. She deserved it.

So thats why she was withdrawn and timid, why she barely had friends even though she was dating the most popular guy in school.

She didn't really realize how empty she felt, because she thought that was normal. She thought that as long as Nate loved her, she would be okay.

So she tried her hardest to make him love her forever.