Prologue

My name is Nikola Evan, and for as long as I can remember, my alarm clock has always been the sound of a certain someone throwing a tantrum. Every day at exactly 7 a.m., my neighbor and my mum's best friend drops her kid off at my place. She goes to work and comes for him at midnight, so we spend the majority of our time together. If you sense any joy in my tone, you're wrong. I don't like spending time with this 'kid', but unfortunately, I have to.

All my complaints to my mother about this 'kid' being obnoxious and annoying fall on deaf ears. She believes I'm just not used to having anyone around, so I'm not ready to accept him. That's not true at all. This kid has been in my life since elementary school, and now I'm resuming high school with him still in my life. If I wasn't used to people, I would have warmed up to him by now.

This certain someone is none other than... drum roll please... Oliver Luanda, my mortal enemy. For those wondering, it's not one-sided. He hates my guts as much as I hate his. He never wanted to come over but had to because of his mum. She, like my mum, is a single parent working long hours to take care of her kids. I really like her because she's kind and has such a lovely smile, which makes me wonder how Oliver came from her.

When I said kids, I meant it. Oliver has an older brother who chose to live with his grandma because he didn't like it here. He's about nine years older than Oliver and me, so he could make that decision long before we could properly walk.

Michael, Oliver's brother, is so different from Oliver. He's an angel. When he visits, he tells me about his school, and we make cookies together. With Michael around, I can tolerate Oliver's presence. My mum noticed how much I liked Michael and hoped I'd eventually like Oliver too, but that never happened.

My love for Michael didn't fade; it grew stronger as I got older. Now, when he's around, I literally can't take my eyes off him. His blonde hair, like golden strands, always seems to reflect the sunlight, and his blue eyes are like a sea I want to get lost in. I could give more details, but I'm keeping it PG for now.

Michael is perfect, my dream guy with blonde hair, blue eyes, perfect grades, and great taste in books. Unfortunately, his brother is the opposite of him... and me. Oliver has brown hair, grey eyes with brown streaks, doesn't like reading, and is very rough and sport-inclined. My number one prayer has always been that Michael would fall for me and be my forever husband, but as usual, my luck runs dry.