Chapter 1 Freaking Hayden Myers

Millie's POV.

I was twelve years old when I first saw him. He was fifteen. I want to say it was love at first sight. He was the cutest guy I've ever seen. His golden blonde hair was like a ray of sunshine. His eyes were the color of the ocean. When he smiled, I felt an unusual pressure in my chest as I dreamed of kissing his soft-looking lips. To me, he was perfect, still is. Too bad he never notices me.

Even now, as we grew older he only sees me as his sister's friend, nothing more. But I haven't given up hope yet. I will show you I am a grown woman now and I am the one you want to be with!

Okay, I am still seventeen, but at least I am not a kid! Guys in my high school say I am pretty and they ask me to go on dates but I only have one person in my heart. Zack Myers.

"Millie! There you are," my best friend Alison shouted from across the hall. She was Zack's sister and my best friend since middle school. She was the reason I got to meet the love of my life.

It was the beginning of our senior year so I was organizing my locker.

"Hey Ali," I said.

"Are you coming over after school," she asked.

"Of course I am!" I said. I wouldn't miss a chance to see Zack, I thought to myself.

"Good, because 'you know who' will be there," she said and winked. As my best friend, she knew exactly how I felt about her brother and she fully supported me. Which is why I think she is the coolest girl in the entire school.

After school, I told my mom to drop me off at Allison's house. I checked the mirror beforehand to make sure I looked good. not that it mattered. Zack never cared about how I looked anyway.

My heart thumped against my chest as I saw him sitting in the living room.

"Hey Zack," I said shyly.

Zack gave me a bright smile. The same one that made me fall for him, hard. "How are you doing kiddo?"

I wished he wouldn't use that nickname on me. It made me feel so...young. "I am okay, are you doing anything special today?" I asked.

"Melanie is coming over so I might hang out with her," he shrugged.

Right...forgot about Melanie. Zack and Melanie were in an on and off relationship. She was the thorn in my eyes, the bane of my existence, and the biggest cock-block between me and Zack.

"Oh okay then, I'll see you later," I said and left in a hurry. I've known him for 6 years but he still made me nervous.

I moved away from his sight but didn't leave the room entirely. I stood there and watched him longingly. Why couldn't I be a woman and confess my feelings already? Even if he rejects me it'll at least end this misery. But I was too afraid to get rejected, my teenage heart wouldn't be able to take it.

"If you are done ogling at my brother, I'd like you to move. You are blocking my way," a deep voice spoke in my ear, startling me to my core.

Freaking Hayden Myers...

Hayden was a year younger than Zack. They were the polar opposite. You know how I said Zack was handsome and had a great personality? Hayden was none of that. Okay, I lied. He also had the looks with his longish hair which he dyed black, pale blue eyes and an almost perfectly symmetrical face. Just like his brother. If only his personality was as good. Hayden Myers was an epitome of a douche bag. When I looked into Zack's eyes I felt warm and cozy inside but when I saw Hayden, I felt cold shivers.

Him teasing me endlessly since we were kids didn't help either. Every time I tried to get close to Zack, he would butt in and ruin everything.

One particular incident made me hate him for life. When I turned 14, I decided to bake a heart-shaped cookie and give it to Zack. But somehow Hayden got a hold of the box before Zack and ate the cookie and then replaced it with a dead rat. He even wrote a note that said, "To my Zack, I love you like a stray cat loves a rat!" Zack didn't talk to me for two days until Alison cleared up the misunderstanding. But I cried myself to sleep and vowed to hate Hayden forever.

"Sooooo, are you gonna move or what?" Hayden barked.

I made a sour face and moved away.

"I see you haven't given up on the golden boy yet. Face it Mildew, you are too ugly for his taste," he grinned.

Oh, and did I mention he calls me Mildew instead of Millie? As in the fungus?

"Buzz off Hayden, I don't have time to deal with your bullshit," I snapped.

"Ooooh sassy. You better watch your language, Missy, I am older than you remember? You better respect me." he said and feigned shock.

"Only by two years. Besides, jerks like you don't deserve respect," I glared at him.

"OUCH! How old are you now? Like 15?" he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Don't you understand Math? You are two years older so that means I am 17. I am turning 18 in a couple of months," I was starting to get impatient. Why was I wasting my time talking to this loser?

"Well, you look 12 to me. Anyway, I would love to continue this stimulating discussion, but I must run. I have a hot chick waiting for me to get her in bed," he said.

"Gross," I said and headed towards Alison's room. I never understood why girls like him so much. Besides his looks, he had nothing to offer. He didn't even bother to enroll in a college after he graduated. He had no future, unlike his brother. Zack was going to college and had an internship in an advertising agency.

"What took you so long? Where you finally having an amazing conversation with Zack?" Alison asked.

"I wish, he said Melanie was coming over," I said with a pained expression on my face.

"What, really? I thought they broke up," Alison.

"Who knows," I flopped on the bed and buried my face in a pillow. At this rate, I would never have a chance with Zack.

"Also, I got stuck talking to the undesirable one of your family," I groaned.

Alison laughed. She always found Hayden's treatments of me amusing. Some friend. "I think Hayden has a crush on you," she said.

"EWWW don't make me puke," I laughed and threw the pillow at her.

There was no way in hell that devil liked me. Liked to torture me? Definitely.