Torn Asunder

Chapter 1 Valentine

~~ This first chapter for both of them might go a little slow. I'm trying to introduce characters and give a brief background at the same time. It'll get more interesting as the story progresses, so please stick with it.

My cheek burned, a stinging reminder of why exactly I hated this stupid highschool. I had no doubt that there was a bright pink handprint staining my cheek, and I was just grateful that the angry cheerleader in front of me had acrylic nails that were too bulky to scratch my face up. She was ranting at me, annoyingly high pitched voice screetching but I just tuned out her words, waiting for her to stop and catch her breath. The hystrionics were grabbing a circle of attention, a fact that I really didn't appreciate. If there was a person at this school that didn't like being a center of attention, that would be me. See, I'm at the gawky stage of my life right now. I'm 17, about to graduate, and still have a very real tendancy to trip over my own feet. It's unfair, how often I get in trouble for situations that just aren't under my control and I had the distinct feeling that if this went on for much longer, a teacher would come by and reprimand me for causing a commotion. Even if it was Daniella's fault that people were blocking the hallway in an attempt to watch her ream me out.

"If you don't stay away from him I'll scratch your ugly eyes out!" she shrieked at me and brought her arm back to slap me again. Why? Because I seem to be a magnet for bad luck. You see, I'm a straight A student, so all the teachers like to have me tutor the dumbass jocks so they scrape by exams with a passing grade. And as it was nearly final exams, Mr. Park has asked me to tutor Carlos, the school's quarterback and Daniella's current boy toy, in Earth and Space Science. So of course that means Carlos has less time to spend with Daniella and apparently that's my fault. So here we are.

A large hand wrapped around Daniella's wrist, keeping her from striking me again. Following the hand up the arm and to the face, I was confronted with the familiar, smoldering eyes of my twin brother, Dante. "Daniella, I really don't think Valentine has a secret love for your knuckle dragging boyfriend. You hit her again and I'll ask the drama club to swirly you then egg you at prom. Alright?" he offered, voice smooth. The smile on his face was devastatingly handsome and Danielle was staring at him in a mix of lust and anger. And with my brother, this wasn't an unusual reaction, because he would fully complete his threat, and never get caught out for it. Dante was evil genius material with a capital MUAHAHAHA and a mustache twirl thrown in for good measure.

See the secret is that my twin is a brilliant actor that has convinced every adult he ever encountered into believing that he is a sweet, good natured boy scout. And he is, don't get me wrong, Dante is a dear heart. But he's also the mastermind behind every prank, every food fight and every flash mob this high school has to offer. Every single time I get in trouble, it's because of something he's come up with. And you just can't seem to get mad at the guy for it. Because as often as not, he'd swoop in like a modern knight in armour and get me out of the trouble as fast as he'd gotten me into it. Part of it is how he looks. I mean, Dante is my twin brother and ick, but he is a heartthrob. Dante doesn't look only 17, no he definitely looks like a college football star. His face is square and manly, a dimple saving him from looking too stern. He has the goofiest smile ever and murky green eyes that hold secrets. He's let his hair grow longer this year, coming down to his chin and the rich brown colour has given him a bit of a badass edge amongst the ladies. Considering how often I have to cover for him at home so he can go out 'honey dipping' as he calls it, I'm surprised I'm not yet an auntie.

People just seem to be drawn to Dante, he has that spark, that certain something that lets him be king and captain, a natural born leader. And I was just as happy for him as he was to be him. I hate being the center of attention, I have this really bad tendancy to do something stupid when people are watching me. I trip over air, I stutter, I get flustered or I blurt out things I really shouldn't. My friends all think it's a lot of fun but I really like to not air how much of a dweeb I really am in public.