Eleven

Chapter Eleven: Old memories

Daisy and Williams — the golden couple of Eastbrook High.

Their relationship was admired by students, envied by many, and even respected by teachers and non-teaching staff. Together, they were unstoppable — beautiful, brilliant, and bold. But love didn't come first. Rivalry did.

It all began when Daisy transferred to Eastbrook. She was sharp — the kind of girl who sharpened her pencils like she sharpened her mind: precise, focused, and determined. She hated second place with a burning passion. So, when the first-semester results came out and her name sat right under Williams Black, she wasn't just disappointed — she was furious.

He became her silent target, her academic enemy. She didn't cheat, didn't scheme — she fought fair. But she swore he wouldn't come first again.

What she didn't know was that Williams had noticed her too. Not in the way others did — not because she was pretty or new — but because of how fiercely she fought for what she wanted. Her passion ignited something in him. Before Daisy, he only studied to meet expectations, to inherit the business, to make his parents proud. But now, for once, he wanted to win for himself — and for her. He enjoyed the chase.

For months, that was all it was. Two geniuses racing for the top. Slowly, that wall of rivalry cracked. They began speaking — small conversations in the library, playful smirks in class, heated debates over math problems. The air between them changed.

Williams asked her out. Daisy, being Daisy, took a full week to "think about it."

Then she said yes.

Their first date was magic. The amusement park, the cotton candy, the roller coasters, the laughter — it was a blur of happiness neither of them had ever felt before. That day, something shifted. That wasn't just rivalry anymore. That was something real.

Soon, their relationship blossomed. They became the dream team — smart, in love, unbothered by the world. Daisy couldn't believe it. It felt like she was living in a dream. And when Williams nervously confessed his love in the middle of a beautiful garden filled with pink and white blossoms, she smiled and whispered the words back.

But fairytales don't always last.

The change was slow. Then sudden.

Williams started pulling away.

First, he missed one date. Then another.

"I'm busy" became his only answer. He buried himself in books, chased grades again like his life depended on it, and somehow... Daisy just didn't seem to matter anymore.

At first, she tried not to worry. Maybe he was stressed. Maybe it was just school. But deep down, something felt off. She wasn't even angry when he topped the class again. She just wanted her Williams back.

Then, one day, he dropped the bomb.

"I think we should break up."

No explanation. No closure.

"I just got bored," he said, like their whole love story was nothing but a school project he'd lost interest in.

Daisy was stunned. Hurt didn't even begin to describe it. She tried to talk to him, to understand, but he shut her out, cold and heartless.

The rumors started almost instantly. Whispers in hallways, stares in class, fake sympathy from fake friends.

"She must have cheated."

"Poor Williams, she probably broke his heart."

"Ungrateful bitch."

Then the bullying came. Ugly notes. Shoves in the hallway. Laughter behind her back — and sometimes right in her face. Even in front of Williams. He never defended her. In fact, he smirked like he was enjoying it.

She hated him.

It broke her.

She finally told her parents, expecting warmth and protection — but they were furious. They said she'd embarrassed the family. That she had broken the rules. Instead of comfort, they punished her. Severely. And after graduation, they sent her away — out of the country, far from everything she'd ever known.

She didn't fight it.

She wanted to forget.

She built a new life, a better one, and met Izzy — a friend who helped her heal. Slowly, the pain faded. She didn't talk about it. Didn't think about it.

Until now.

Because he's back.

And everything she buried threatens to rise again.