a chance

"Adam has always bullied you, he always says mean things to you and keeps annoying you."

• You are pretty popular in school but you always keep to yourself and always try to be down to earth and nice to people. You're dating the capitan of the football team, a jerk who has cheated on you several times but your parents won't let you break up with him.* "He neglects you and never keeps his promisses, sometimes he gets physical if there are disagreements." "You don't have the best relationship with your parents either. They pressure you into being perfect and the golden child. This is one of the reasons you started ballet. Your mom always wanted you to be perfect, keeping you on strict diets and a struct regim." "This was why Adam hated you, he thought you were just another bitchy popular girl, but he was wrong." "The fuck you're doing here?" "Adam asks when he sees you entering the gymclass, where you usually had your ballet lessons. He was playing basketball with some other guys."

"Adam smirks and rolls his eyes at Samantha's questions. He takes a moment to reply, relishing in her confusion."

"Well, who said I care? But even if I did, it wouldn't be your business, now would it?" "He scoffs and leans against the basketball hoop with his arms crossed." "And don't act like you know anything about me or how I treat people. You've always been too busy being perfect to notice anyone else."

"Adam's expression turns guarded when Samantha mentions Athena's mother and her injury. He crosses his arms even tighter, looking away from her."

"Well, that's news to me. I haven't seen her in a while." "He says, trying to sound indifferent." "And Bordy's an idiot. I wouldn't believe a word he says."

"He shifts his weight to his other foot, not wanting to keep talking about this but feeling like he had to say something more to satisfy Samantha."

"And if I was there, so what? It's not like I'd go out of my way to help her." "He shrugs and looks back at her." "But seriously, I don't know anything about her injury or when she'll be back."

"Adam gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at Samantha's accusation. He didn't care about Athena all that much, but he hated being wrongly accused of something like this."

"You don't know anything!" "He shouted after her before taking a deep breath to calm down. He ran a hand through his hair and paced back and forth, trying to figure out what to do."

"Finally, he decided on confronting Bordy head-on. He marched over to where Bordy was playing basketball with some of their other classmates." "What the hell did you say to Samantha?"

"Bordy looked up from the court, surprised at Adam's sudden approach. He grinned and tossed the basketball to one of his friends before turning to face Adam."

"Just telling her the truth, man." "He shrugged nonchalantly." "You know how it is. One stupid choice can have some serious consequences."

"Adam narrowed his eyes, feeling a tightness in his chest. He wanted to hit Bordy right then and there."

"What stupid choice?" "He practically growled." "What did you tell Samantha?"

"Bordy smirked, tilting his head slightly as if he was trying to taunt Adam." "That you were messing with Athena during ballet practice. That's why she broke her ankle. All hearsay, I suppose, but you know how rumors spread."

*Adam's face turned red with anger. But he knew he couldn't

let his temper get the best of him, especially in front of everyone else on the basketball court.*

"You're such a piece of work, Bordy." "He spat out, clenching and unclenching his fists." "Athena's injury has nothing to do with me. If anything, you're probably the one who caused it."

"He turned on his heels and walked away, not wanting to waste any more time or energy on this useless conversation. But in his heart, he knew that Bordy's words had more than a kernel of truth to them, and he felt a sickeningly guilty feeling start to crawl over him."

"Adam walked out of the gymnasium and into the school hallway. His mind raced with thoughts of Athena, Bordy, and the situation he was now in."

"With frustrated sigh, he leaned against the cool wall and tried to process everything that had just happened. Part of him felt sculpted by guilt, while another part of him wanted to deny any involvement in Athena's injury."

Suddenly, a familiar voice called his name from behind. "Hey, Adam."

"Adam couldn't help but feel dread at the sound of Samantha's voice. But he turned around anyway, bracing himself for what she might say next."

"What do you want, Samantha?" "He asked coldly, trying to keep emotion out of his voice."

Samantha looked Adam straight in the eyes. "I know Bordy likes to stir up trouble. But I needed to hear it from you - did you really have something to do with Athena's ankle?"

Adam sighed in frustration. As much as he disliked Athena, the accusation hurt. "I never touched her," he said sincerely. "Bordy's just trying to pin it on me."

Samantha studied Adam's face, searching for any sign of deception. After a moment, she seemed to relax slightly. "Okay. I believe you."

Adam raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You do?"

"Yeah." Samantha nodded. "Bordy will say anything to cause drama. I figured there had to be more to the story." She paused. "For what it

's worth, I'm sorry for assuming the worst of you."

Adam's tension lessened a little. It was unusual for Samantha to show him any sort of kindness or empathy. "Thanks," he muttered, nodding shortly.

Samantha looked over her shoulder briefly before turning back to Adam. "I have something for you." She held out a sheet of paper with a slight smile. "It's a flyer for the ballet studio that Athena goes to. Thought you might want it."

Adam's eyes flickered briefly to the paper and then to Samantha's face. He wondered why she would give him something like that. But he took it from her anyway. "Uh, thanks."

Samantha nodded. "See you around, Adam." With that, she turned and swayed away, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind her.

"Adam walked into the ballet studio, holding the flyer that Samantha had given him tightly in his hand. He looked around at the room filled with girls and felt a bit out of place. He saw Athena sitting in the back of the room and his stomach dropped. He hadn't expected her to be here, but then again, he wasn't sure why she wouldn't be."

"He took a deep breath and began walking towards her, trying to ignore the pit in his stomach. When he reached her, he paused for a moment before speaking." "What are you doing here?" "He asked, his tone a little hostile."

Adam raised his eyebrows, slightly amused but still trying to maintain his tough persona. "Oh, I am above ballet," he said, his tone laced with sarcasm. "But Samantha gave me this flyer," he held up the piece of paper, "and I thought I'd check it out."

He watched Athena carefully, noticing the bruise under her eye and the discomfort she was in. A small part of him felt an indescribable pang of sympathy towards her. However, he forced himself not to show any feelings of kindness to her. He was supposed to be the mean bully after all.

He crossed his arms over his chest, feeling uncomfortable. "You know, it's kind of pathetic that you're still trying to dance with that busted ankle."

Adam watched Athena as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun, unable to fight the urge to sarcastically comment. "Wow, your hairstyle is just stunning," he said, the teasing tone in his voice clearer now.

He listened as she responded to his previous comment, noticing how frustrated she was. A small part of him wanted to comfort her and tell her that he understood how she felt, but instead, he remained silent and continued to pick on her.

"Well, aren't you Miss Goody Two-Shoes, always following the rules," he said, rolling his eyes. "Don't you ever get tired of being perfect?" he asked, his voice laced with annoyance.

Adam tried not to become too emotional when Athena admitted that she wasn't perfect. He assumed that maybe he should sympathize with her but decided to push his darker persona to the forefront.

"Oh, trust me, I don't need any more information about you," he said, his voice full of contempt. "And yeah I have been bullying you for a while now because you're just so damn easy to pick on," he continued, trying to find a way to make her upset.

"Hey, speaking of hobbies," he said, changing the subject. "Your favorite color is Lavender, right?" he asked with a smirk. "I bet your boyfriend never buys you anything that color. You know why? Because it's ugly, just like you."

Adam watched as Athena left the gym, feeling guilty for the cruel things he had said to her. He wanted to stop her and tell her that he didn't mean any of it, but his pride wouldn't let him.

Instead, he just stood there, feeling empty inside. He knew that he had a soft spot for Athena but didn't understand why she was pushing him away.

"Great job, Adam," he muttered to himself, realizing too late that he had driven Athena away. He knew that it would be tough to make things right between them, but he was willing to try.

Adam walked down the hallway, his usual swagger replaced by a more somber style. He had been thinking about Athena all weekend and was determined to make amends.

As he walked past her locker, he saw her gathering books for her next class. He took a deep breath and approached her.

"Hey, Athena," he said, his tone softer than usual. "Listen, I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you the other day. It was completely uncalled for, and I'm sorry."

He waited for her response, hoping that she would forgive him and they could start fresh.

Adam took a deep breath, realizing that he had his work cut out for him if he wanted to make things right with Athena.

"You're right, I haven't been sorry before. But I am now. I know I've been a total jerk to you in the past, but I realized how much of a mistake that was. I want to make it up to you."

He followed her as she headed off to her next class, walking a little slower than usual to keep pace with her. He could see the confusion and hesitation on her face, but he remained determined.

"I want to take you out on a date," he said, finally. "Somewhere nice. Just the two of us. What do you say?"

Adam sighed, realizing he was dealing with a much harder case than he previously anticipated. He had been so focused on trying to make things right between them that he hadn't realized how much he had hurt Athena in the past.

"I understand," he said, his tone softened slightly. "And I know you have every reason not to trust me, and I'm sorry for that. But I swear to you, I'm not playing any games. I'm just trying to make things right, and maybe get to know you a little better outside of the basketball court and ballet studio."

He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I know I've said...ugly things to you in the past. And I can't take those back. But I want to try and make things better between us. Even if we just start by being friendly towards one another. What do you say?"

Adam waited patiently for her response, keeping his distance to show that he wasn't trying to pressure her or make her feel uncomfortable.