Prologue

The Prologue

Riley Rivers came into the world on October 15, 2003, overflowing with creativity and a free spirit. Among her five siblings, she stood out as the illegitimate child of her mother.

Both Riley's parents were married to other partners when she was born. However, they soon divorced their spouses, got engaged, but called it off six months later due to her father's infidelity, which resulted in a secret love child.

Her mother decided to raise Riley single-handedly but suffered a mental breakdown, partly triggered by learning that her ex-fiancé planned to marry someone else. She started neglecting Riley and her other children.

On the day of Riley's father's wedding, his bride-to-be fled, leaving him with their newborn son Myles – Riley's half-brother. Riley's parents finally married on her first birthday and tried raising Myles and Riley together. But after discovering another affair and getting divorced five years later, Riley ended up living with her mother while her father moved away with Myles.

As Riley's mother spiraled into madness, she vented her frustrations on her daughter. Her siblings also tormented her – except for Hortencia, the eldest sister who stood up for her.

When Riley turned seven, her mother got engaged again but suffered a miscarriage that led to the relationship breaking down. With all of Riley's siblings gone and starting families of their own, she found herself alone with her unstable mother.

Riley often arrived at school bruised from the abuse at home. One particular bully named Carter Cole picked on her relentlessly. He hailed from a wealthy family tied to a gang leader and the town's mayor. Feared by many, he viewed himself as the ruler of the school.

Despite his constant mockery of Riley by telling her she'd never achieve anything or end up crazy like her mom; deep inside, he had a soft spot for this tall girl with dark-brown eyes. Little did he know that Riley harbored a crush on him too. In her childhood, she'd eat to cope with stress due to the constant criticism and bullying, even from teachers.

Silently, Riley had feelings for him. The boy, of average height, had a slender build with a tan complexion, chestnut hair, and light brown eyes. Despite this, he frequently tormented Riley and hurled hurtful names at her. On one occasion, he declared that she would never achieve anything and become as insane as her mother. Deep down though, he didn't really mean it.

Unexpectedly, he too harbored affection for Riley. She was a tall, medium-built girl with dark brown skin, dark hair, and deep brown eyes. As a child, Riley struggled with an eating disorder brought on by stress from the relentless teasing by her peers — even some of the teachers criticized her.

No one bothered to get to know the real Riley; they only saw a girl tormented by her abusive mother. The other children lied to Riley's mother about her behavior just to watch her get punished. Teachers and the principal were aware of the situation but remained indifferent.

Riley's background made it difficult for them to see any potential in her future; they considered her merely a kid without prospects due to her foreign parents. In their eyes, she was nothing more than an illegitimate child.

In sixth grade, Riley faced even worse bullying after someone stole her diary and exposed it to the entire school. Carter was speechless when he discovered that Riley had a crush on him. He wanted to confess his own feelings for her but couldn't; his friends opposed their relationship and Riley also liked one of his friends.

Reading his diary ignited Carter's anger towards his best friend who deliberately leaked it; unbeknownst to Carter, this friend was very familiar with Riley's sister Hannah.

His best friend leaked the diary because he too was attracted to Riley but couldn't find the courage to tell her. Hannah - who despised Riley immensely - informed him of Riley's feelings towards him. Envious of Carter's relationship with Riley, the best friend became bitter that Carter had ruined everything for him.

The friend in question was Adam Jones, who had known Riley since birth. Adam's parents and Riley's sisters lived next door to each other and attended the same high school. Born out of a teenage pregnancy and an arranged marriage, Adam hoped to continue his family's tradition. However, Carter's actions during a game of truth or dare threatened to end that legacy.

Carter dared Adam to break Riley's heart, resulting in her losing feelings for him. In front of Riley, Adam was dared to passionately kiss another girl whilst shouting, "Riley Rivers, I know you love me, but I don't love you! You're ugly and crazy like your mother!" Heartbroken, Riley burst into tears and screamed.

Upon arriving home, she confronted her sister Hannah and attacked her for revealing her feelings to Adam. Hannah mocked her by saying, "A bastard child like you doesn't deserve a happy ending!"

Rushing to her room, Riley threw herself onto the bed and began to cry hysterically, asking herself why she was ever born. She reached for a bottle of pills, attempting to end her misery, but to no avail.

The following day, Adam felt remorse for his actions. "She'll never love me again because of what you did," he said to Carter. "I don't care," Carter replied. "You were the one who leaked her diary, not me."

As usual, Riley walked by with tear-filled eyes. Carter shouted at her, "Listen up, you little psycho! I don't like you or want you! You think I want a crazy girl with an insane mother as a girlfriend? Get lost, you brat!"

Riley gave him a lingering look before walking away in tears. Later that day, Carter made out with another girl right in front of Riley and acted inappropriately with her. Riley couldn't believe that they were only in the sixth grade.

Adam followed suit and taunted Riley by saying, "Jealous much?" Ignoring their taunts, she did her best to steer clear of them for the entire school year.

During their sixth-grade graduation on the last day of school, a cruel prank was played on Riley that would change her life forever.

In the bathroom, she encountered two girls from Aidan and Carter's class who held her down against her will. She shouted and cried while one girl told her to keep quiet.

While struggling for freedom, she slapped one girl across the face. Enraged, the girl cried out about the slap.

Carter and Adam, along with two other boys who constantly bullied Riley, entered the bathroom while the two girls who initially restrained her left. The boys held her down as Adam grabbed a worm and tried to force it into her mouth.

Squirming to break free, she was struck violently by Adam. Her screams were met with tears and Carter, feeling a pang of guilt, released her. However, Adam continued choking her.

Hearing footsteps, they all noticed another girl had entered the bathroom. She demanded they tell her what was happening.

"Get out of here before you end up like her!" Adam threatened. "Hold on, Riley! I'll get help!" shouted the other girl.

The boys fled the scene and left Riley with the newcomer. The girl asked if Riley was alright, to which Riley replied through sobs that she wasn't and wished ill fate on those who tormented her.

The other girl suggested that she should inform an adult. Desperate to find the principal and her mother, Riley ran out of the bathroom only to find that Adam and Carter, as well as their parents, had already left. She returned home without mentioning the horrific incident to anyone.

That day marked a change in Riley's demeanor. Though she maintained her kindness, she could never again shake off the cold contempt she felt towards boys.

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