Saran’s POV

　　Some people say that I’m cold hearted and such a prude. They know nothing beyond what meets the human eye. My father was killed by a Spanish mafia leader when I was only six. I remember seeing a hole on his forehead while his body was in a pool of blood. Some nights I would have nightmares of that incident twelve years ago. My father took me to the park for my sixth birthday. On our way home, about eight motorcycles pulled up and a man in a red jacket and helmet shot him right there in front of my eyes. My father hid me in the backseat and told me not to move or make any sort of noise. I didn’t even gasp when a bullet went through my dad’s forehead. I was trained for this! My dad would put a taser on my shoulder and told me not to make a sound every time I shot a bullet and missed the target. He’d tell me that he was raising a tough daughter. He was a different man inside the training room and outside. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, he indeed raised a tough one.

　　Later that year, my mom died in a car accident. I don’t even know if it was an accident. My mom was drowned in tears and depression months after my dad died. I didn’t know what I did in my past life to deserve such cruelty. Sometimes, I wished that they died of natural purposes. Then I wouldn’t be so curious about who was behind it. One thing I know, is that my father’s killer called him a “traidor” before he pulled the trigger. His Spanish accent was clear. Maybe it’s another reason why I hate Julio.

　　After that, my mother’s twin sister moved in to live with me. I thank Jesus everyday for her. She was 26 when she became a mother to a child she didn’t give birth to. She was not like my mom, at 26, she was set to travel the world. Sally saved up for her dream and was about to pursue it when when such a disaster happened. Her fiancée did not agree to adopt me as their child and that is why he’s in her ex list now. For twelve years she has never dated anyone, she was focused on raising me. She literally threw away her dreams, love life, and bright future for me. However, she always told me that she’s never felt true happiness before me. Sally always made me feel loved when she reminds me about how much of a blessing I am to her and how staying back to raise me was the greatest and proudest decision she’s ever made. I never felt like a burden with her, but I felt like I should always make her proud and never let her down.

　　Now you understand why I always have my guard up and not interested in boys. I should steer clear of any distractions. One thing Aunt Sally always told me, is to never take crap from nobody. She would pretend to be mad at me when she comes over to the office. Later on, she would treat me to dinner if I win the fight. “That’s right! My baby is not one to mess with! These skanks got to know how to show some manners” She would blabber proudly. I just laugh at the thought of her coming over to Principal Shaun’s office pretending to be all mad and stuff.

　　Every Thursdays and Fridays I don’t go home until late night. Aunt Sally knows I would be in the training room six blocks down the road. I continue training like my dad taught me when he was here. I hate to admit it, but I miss him the most, even more than my mom. My mom was a workaholic, while my dad was mostly around. I mean, I miss my mom too, but I hardly have any memories with her.

　　Aside from that place, I love love love to spend time in the library and my garden. Peace is a beautiful thing! Books and flowers are such eye candies to me. Aunt Sally likes to eat out, that’s why we go to the Korner’s Cafe Restaurant every Monday and Wednesday. We cook homemade food every Tuesday and go shopping on Saturday. On Sunday, we go to church and stop by my parent’s graves before we come home. Sally is an angel sent by God! She helped me pull through all the sorrow that I was engulfed in. I would be lying next to my parents if it wasn’t for her. She rules out all the bad lucks in my life!

　　So my life was like that on a daily basis, nothing new. Aunt Sally was a secretary for the Don Inc. She just got promoted to the position of “personal secretary” today and it is a milestone worth celebrating. The owner of the Korner’s place agreed to help me set up a surprise party at the restaurant. I had saved up enough stack from the money Aunt Sally gave me. I invited all her friends and close workers. I told her that it was going to be a normal dinner and I was glad to see how glad and surprised she was that night. “Hope, baby, you didn’t have to do this! And you’re grounded for lying to me” Sally told me while trying her best to hold back the flood of tears that were on the verge of spilling out.

　　That night, Julio Sanchez showed up with her girlfriend for the week and tried to eat there. I was aware of the power the Sanchez family had so I interrupted when Ballos, the restaurant owner was arguing back and forth with Julio trying to convince them to eat elsewhere because the place has been reserved. “Let them eat here, count them as invites” I said. “Are you sure you can afford the food we want to eat” said the Julio’s date. “Take the offer or leave! Some people just can’t appreciate a kind offer huh?” I snapped. Julio looked surprised and I didn’t miss the “I want to laugh but I’ll hold it in” expression on his face. “Apologize to my girlfriend!” he yelled. “Um like I would. I suggest to go out the exact way you came in before we have a problem” I replied. I was already fueled up but that crazy girlfriend of his slapped me. I immediately grabbed her head and bang it against the wall before I threw a righty at Julio’s face. The security showed them outside after that and damn did I feel good, no, I felt great!

　　The next day was my first day as a senior at Jingsu High School. Girls were screaming from the top of their lungs while running towards the entrance gate. The guys had jealousy and envy written all over their faces. Ah, this has been a daily routine for the last four years, the prince charming has arrived. Who must that be? Yes, Julio Sanchez. Even my best friend Rori is head over heels for that dork. Not me though, maybe it is because he’s a half breed. No, that doesn’t make sense because my mother was Korean and my dad was Greek and that also makes me a half breed. I’m just focused on my education and don’t like boys in general.

　　I never really had any problems with Julio Sanchez, we never bumped into each other or took any classes together before or maybe we did and he just skipped classes. My first week went great and I hung out with Carl when Rori was busy with cheerleading stuff. Carl has been my guy best friend for the last eight years. He’s a playboy and we share everything. Carl and Rori are the only two people who knows that Sally is not my biological mother. No one knew, her identification is basically the same as my mother’s but she wasn’t the same person.

　　The next week, I turned in my projects as usual. I matched my classes with Carl except our 6th period, he took a cooking class as his elective and I took art as mine. I was told that our class is expecting a new male student. My teacher told me that I will help the new kid learn about all the lectures from last week and I agreed. I thought he was a new transfer student but never really cared. The bell rang and I walked in with photocopies of my notes from last week. Our new student, introduce yourself. I was going over my notes when I heard a low voice say “Hi! I’m Julio Sanchez, and that’s you need to know. The teacher gave him a smirk and told him “sit next to Saran, she’ll fill you in on last week’s lectures”. I was shocked for two seconds then I came back to reality. “Bloody hell! This dork is the new kid you mentioned?” I unconsciously spat out louder than I intended. The girls in my class stopped fangirling for a minute and threw their heads at my direction. I know they must think I’m crazy because I’m not like them. I saw an evil grin on Julio’s face when he sat next to me and pushed his seat closer to mine.

　　“I’m sorry for what I said earlier” I lied. “But here are the notes from last week and—-I didn’t finish when Mr. Hanks interrupted, “You two can do that after school and focus on the current lesson” . I looked at Julio with irritation in my eyes because I didn’t want to spend more time with him. “I am guessing that you’re smart, and you can understand the notes” I said hoping that he’ll agree. “I am smart, but I can’t understand your handwriting” he replied. I was more pissed than insulted because I knew for a fact that anyone could read my handwriting unless they’re blind.