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Welcome to Natalia's high school manual! Yup, she's just your average normie student. And nope, this is definitely not a fairytale. It's not your typical girl meets boy and they fell in love with each other story, then all of the sudden, BOOM! A happy ending that will satisfy the whole humanity. Her story was a bit different, –nope. Scratch that. It was a disaster, to be exact. A roller coaster ride to the top. Witness how Natalia (without H) face her high school journey with the help of her manual, a set of rules that she invented for herself. Rules that will help her survive high school. Along with her family, friends, and even enemies, will she be able to follow all the rules on her manual, or not? Read and find out.
NATALIA CARTER –that's my name.
First of all, I want to clarify some things. This is not a diary. You can call it a journal or whatever it is that you want, just please... Spare me the word "diary." That kind of name was for the girly girls, like some of my classmates. They talk and write to their diaries like it's their secret keeper or like their life depends on it.
Second, as I've told earlier, my name is Natalia, not Nathalia. Remove the H, please. I'm not your typical student, though I can't also say that I'm unique. I'm just a normie teenager, and believe it or not, my story wasn't just like the others. I'm not a nerd that falls in love with the bad boys. And here's the reason why.
My bestfriend, Nathan, is the nerd. Not me. Our parents are best of friends that's why they named us very likely to each other. Another reason why, bad boys in our school are definitely not hot. Like, gosh. They often went to school without taking a shower, wearing the same clothes every other day, and ruin our school properties.
Those bad boys... Their different from Tyler Smith's group, our classmate since middle school. And yep, believe me, he's the type of bad boy that you often read on different love stories. But I swear, I'll never fall in love with that guy. His eyes were like the vampires. It does nothing but glare at people.
Nathan is the only friend I have. And I'm the only friend that he have, as well. Basically, we've known each other ever since we were a kid because of our parents. After a week from now, our summer break will be ended and classes will start to begin again.
Nathan and I will finally be a high school students! Yay! But please note the sarcasm. Being a high school student wasn't easy, that's what they say. But I wanted to correct them. Being a high school student is a disaster, I just didn't know why everybody is excited... Oh well, except me of course.
"Nat! We need to buy you some new shoes!" I heard my Mom calling from outside of my room.
"I don't need a new one, Mom!"
"I don't care. I'm still gonna buy you a pair. Jessica told me that she's gonna buy Nathan, that's why I wanted you to have something new too," she stated, knocking on my door.
I just sighed before opening my bedroom door. There she is, standing in my way looking at me like I was some kind of a freak.
"What now, Mom?" I asked.
"Come on, Nat. You're old enough to fix yourself. Look at you! You look like a mess. Would you mind combing your hair?"
"Fine, fine. But, do we really need to buy a new shoes for school? I mean, I thought we are on a tight budget right now."
"That's not your concern anymore. Just fix yourself so that we can go now."
"Alright..." I answered, bored.
She motioned me to get inside of my room and start fixing myself. I just nodded before closing the doors again. The reason why I don't want to spend some money on a new stuffs because that was against the rule number one of my manual, stating, "Don't show off. Stay low key."
If you're wondering what is that manual, it's a compilation of some rules that I'd created myself. Those rules keep me safe all these years. I survived middle school because of that manual and I'm hoping that my high school life would be as peaceful as possible with the help of it, of course.
Nathan often wondering why do I need to follow all those rules and restrain myself from all the fun. But my answer was very simple. I don't want to be like him. If his own definition of fun is being dragged on by the bullies at school hallways because he didn't let them copy his assignments, then I rather enjoy myself at home than join in that kind of fun.
Through the many years of studying, I already came up of almost a hundred rules on my manual. And now that we are going to be a high school students, I'm planning to create another one. A manual containing new and fresh rules for me. Everyday during after my classes, I'll try to come up with one rule to be added on my manual. In that way, I can summarized what I've learned in school that day.
"Nat! Where are you? We need to go now!" I heard my Mom shouted from downstairs.
I quickly grabbed my comb before trying to fix my messy hair. It didn't do. So, to make the long story short, I picked up a scrunchies and tied it in my hair. I looked at the mirror, not bothering to put a powder on my face or anything. I'm fine with my looks. I'm contented and happy for who I am, and I believe that that's already enough. And that is what makes my manual's rule number two: "Be yourself. Love your looks."
I ran downstairs, surprised to see my bestfriend and Aunt Jessica sitting on the couch in our living room. Nathan waved at me, and of course I did the same.
"Hey, Nat!" I greeted him.
"Hello, Nat."
"Your nicknames are so cute! I'm glad we named you two after each other."
My Mom laugh at Aunts Jessica's remark. Now I know why she's rushing me earlier. That it's because Nathan and his Mom were already waiting for us here.
"Come on, kids. Hop in," Aunt Jessica told us as soon as we got outside of the house.
She opened the door before Nathan and I got inside. Mom sat in the passenger seat, next to Aunt Jessica. They are blabbering about some random stuffs the whole trip while Nathan and I are just sitting quietly besides each other on the backseat.
"Hey..." Thankfully, he finally opened his mouth.
"What?"
"I think Mom and Dad are going to have a divorce soon," he whispered melancholically.
"What?!" I nearly gasped in disbelief.
"Shhh. Please lower your voice. I can feel it. Even if they didn't told me about it, I know that it will happen someday."
I just stare at him, scrutinizing his emotions through his eyes.
"Are you okay?" I worriedly asked.
"Yeah. Don't mind me. Though I'm a bit sad, but I know you wouldn't leave me like what my Dad's going to do soon."
"Of course I won't," I promised, before I offer my pinky finger. He accepted it, and we sealed our promises.
My third rule was, "Never state a promise to anyone." I neglected it, for I knew in my heart that I'm going to rephrase it later as soon as I got home. Rule number three is gonna be, "Learn to keep your promises."
[HIS SERIES BOOK #3] “You’re my light, my love, and my shelter.” –Gabriel Elizar. He chose to chase her. From the moment he laid his eyes on her, he began to fall deeper. But not all love story deserves a happy ending. Things ended up so bad, resulting into a multiple heartbreaks. As Gabriel finally realized that the woman he loves wasn’t destined to him, he decided to give up. He came back to his unselfish shelter, the woman he never thought of as his love. The woman who is willing to provide a home for his wrecked heart.
[HIS SERIES BOOK #2] “His amending touch will stay forever in my heart.” –Kate Frias. Kate had been broken before. Not just once, but twice. Her first heartbreak happened way back in high school, where the man she loves for a long time had fallen for her bestfriend. Second, it was with the most successful businessman in their country. And who would have thought that for the second time around, it was all because of Claire, her old bestfriend. Being broken twice made her realized one thing... And that is to never get herself too attached to anyone. Specially with his father treating her as an asset to gain partnership from different famous companies. But when a man made her feel his rectifying graze, will she be able to resist it, or will she surrender her heart again?
[HIS SERIES BOOK #1] “You will always be my epitome of beauty.” –Darren Herrera. Darren Herrera is one of the best businessman in his country. He’s a billionaire, has a pair of two mesmerizing blue eyes and face of a ravishing model. The epitome of the word perfection. Herrera Corp. will soon to be his, but only in one condition. He needs to get married and have a child to Kate Frias, the daughter of his father’s bestfriend. For him, having a wife and a child was a huge disaster. And no woman can pass his epitome of the word “beauty,” even Kate. That’s why he hired someone, someone that he can trust to play along as his wife. And that’s when he met Claire, a women that will make him change his own epitome of beauty.
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"