Chapter 1

ANNALISE

"Well Well, look who we have here."

That was the first thing I heard when I stepped into the hallway. My heart leapt in my chest as I felt their eyes turn to follow me.

They always did. At first, it was because I was new.

That excuse had expired weeks ago now because everyone at school had learnt the same new unspoken rule.

Watch what happens when Annalise walks in or better said… Who?

But I had learnt to ignore them, just as I did as I walked to my classroom.

The moment I stepped through the doors, I heard him before I saw him.

My bully.

Knox Callahan.

The reason why the whole school just seems to have it out for me.

He was leaning against the locker just close to mine, flanked by his friends.

"Tic-tac? Hope she's not a clock today?"

A few snickers rippled through the classroom at his jest of me, right on cue.

My eyes scanned him.

Knox was all broad shoulders, lazy smirk, eyes that already knew exactly what he was about to do before he did it.

And no brain, most importantly—because if he had one he wouldn't be making fun of me for something beyond my control.

I had Tourette's syndrome you see, and Knox never gave up on an opportunity to terrorise me.

He was good at waiting.

Always waiting.

My fingers curled at my sides.

I hated him.

The realisation hit me when I took a deep breath to help calm my racing heart.

'Don't look. Don't react. Don't give them anything' that's what I told myself.

It almost worked.

"You're quiet today tic-y," Knox pressed as I adjusted the strap of my school bag.

My spine straightened.

And I kept walking towards him with my eyes trained forward.

"Oh, she's coming," he teased.

And just as I pulled up close to him, he stepped in my way and covered my locker.

I exhaled sharply, “Move.”

But that only made his smile widen.

"Or what?" He pushed off the lockers, closing the space between us in two slow steps.

I hated that he was close enough that I could smell his woodsy cologne, close enough to get under my skin.

"For someone who hates attention," he murmured, voice low, "you sure know how to put on a show."

My heart slammed once and hard against my rib cage; traitorous organ.

"I said… Move."

For a second, just one nanosecond, I saw something flicker in his dark eyes.

Then it was gone as quickly as I saw it and replaced by that same cruel amusement.

He shrugged in surrender.

"Fine."

Knox stepped aside.

But not before his large shoulder clipped mine on the way past, hard enough to shove me into the classroom lockers.

A gasp rippled from my mouth.

My body slammed against the metal of the lockers with a loud sound.

Pain rushed through me at the impact.

Laughter followed from both him, his friends, my classmates and the people standing around the hallway who had slowed down in order to watch.

This classroom had a way of turning into a drama stage whenever he decided to open his mouth and cruelly pick on me.

A few pulled out their phones to record.

And just like that, the show had started.

"Aww, tic-tac might cry," he cooed.

His voice was purposefully cute.

He always did that.

And I detested the way my heart slammed against my chest when he did.

Rage boiled my blood.

Words rushed up my throat.

But I swallowed it down.

The pain.

The anger.

The humiliation.

The very real urge to swing at his perfect face was buried deep inside of me.

My chin was simply tilted, just enough to meet his gaze and look him dead in the eye.

"Stupid."

He only kept laughing.

My chest constricted, but I forced myself to turn away from him while tears gathered around my eyes.

When I opened my locker, my romance novels instantly tumbled out of the locker.

He was quick with his hands, bracing the three paperbacks before they fell.

Slowly, I turned to stare at him because pretending he didn't exist had never once saved my unfortunate ass.

"Careful, sweetheart," he whispered as he pushed them back into the compartment.

His voice wafted into my ears and slid over me—low, amused, and far too close.

"Take a step back," I hissed even though my heart was hammering in my chest.

He crossed his arms, leaning forward with that stupid smirk sitting on his face.

Perhaps it even lived there.

Didn't he ever get tired of this shit? Calling me out on my involuntary tics?

"Go away," I murmured.

His brows lifted.

"You aren't getting rid of me until you go tick tick like my grandfather's clock."

Anger simmered in my belly.

"Stop it," I glared at him.

"Ohhhhhhh," he drawled with a shit eating grin. "Tic-tac's got some balls!"

The sound of his friend's laughter grated on my nerves more than it actually should.

But I focused on the books I was putting away in my locker rather than on him because my brain convinced me that he was not worth my time at all.

Yet he wouldn't let me be.

His voice pestered me in the background while my hands shook with an incoming tic.

I prayed desperately it wasn't one because they would laugh at me to stupor.

Suddenly, my head fell to the side.

I looked up to see Knox who had pushed it a little bit hard with his fingers.

"Answer me, stupid bitch!" His irritated voice jarred me to reality.

"Fuck off man!" I screamed.

My shoulder twitched.

‘Oh no,’ I thought, ‘please not a tic.’

But it was.

My shoulders wouldn't stop trembling even as my eyes followed in the twitching.

His eyes widened in mock surprise.

"There, she's bringing it on," he pointed excitedly at me with a wide smile.

My mouth opened to speak.

But I couldn't.

Not because I had no words.

But because the small quick movements that hit me stole my breath away instantly.

The sound of their laughter in the background as I struggled to keep a tight grip on the reins irked me even more.

Words flew out against my will as my head tilted again and again to the side.

Words I had no control over.

Their laughter made it worse.

"Pussy!"

Knox's face fell instantly.

My eyes widened.

I hadn't meant it.

It was just my new tic.

But the look on Knox's face as he straightened told me otherwise.

"What did you call me?" He demanded, coming closer, cornering me.

"Screw me..." Another tic.

His lips curved.

"The clock is begging for a fuck!" He threw his head back and laughed.

Tears burned my eyes.

"Fuck you!" I yelled.

Then I turned away and began to leave just as another bout of tics hit me.

"Shaking like an electric fish. Electrocuted specimens much?" He spat out.

My feet froze.

I turned to him and forced a smile onto my lips as I lifted my brows.

"And you?” I said calmly “still coming to school when you can't read? Aww, that's a really brave thing to do."

His friends went quiet.

The hallway did too.

Knox pushed off the locker and took a step toward me with a menacing stare.

"Watch your mouth tic-tac."

"Same way I watched the match last Friday, I suppose?" I added with raised brows.

My voice remained flat.

His jaw fell.

"You couldn't watch the goal, so I figured one of us had to pay attention."

The laughter that rippled through the quiet space wasn't for him this time.

It was at him.

His jaw tightened.

Something shifted in his eyes and I noticed that it was laced with anger.

Knox moved fast.

His hands were closing around my throat before I could realize anything.

My gaze rounded.

"Say that again," he demanded, not squeezing, just gripping.

But the pressure was just enough to make my heart pound against my ribs.

I opened my mouth, ready to hurl insults straight to his face.

But before the first word could leave my lips, he bent down and catching me off guard.

His lips had almost crashed with mine when an authoritative voice from behind called out.

“Mister Callahan”