by Elena Monroe
Cancer—not the terminal kind, the astrological kind.
“It's like the astrological sign. You ever notice that? Weird.”
Her features sank into panic, like it was a sore spot for me to have mentioned it, yet she’d never discourage someone. She turned around, throwing her shirt on, to cover up any more of my inquiring.
I moved back, grabbing a lipstick off my nightstand and perfectly coating my lips in a deep red. I held it out in a silent gesture to match her grapes from earlier.
“No, thanks. I just wear a clear gloss.”
I watched her pick a teal sweater from her closet and pull it over her arms.
All that was missing was some grandkids and cats.
She playfully bumped her shoulder into mine, and we both pulled back when the shock zapped us both.
I laughed. “See? Dying. It's been happening since I got here. Even the school doesn't want me here.”
Her laugh halted into a smile that resembled strong sympathy.
I guess I was only half joking, most people just took all of me as sarcasm.
“Who's party is it anyways?”
I hadn't met anyone here who had even seemed like they had ever been to a party, let alone would throw one on campus. Everyone was so rigid here—rule followers. The only exceptions were Nyx and Bolton. I was still trying to figure out how anyone fit here.
“Jasper. He's on the football team. You'll meet him at games and pre and post celebrations. Pretty much a party follows him everywhere.”
“One of those, huh?”
“He's certainly something. He's gorgeous, though, so his flaws get overlooked.”
I muttered to myself in discontent. I had met every type of Jasper at every new school I went to, from coast to coast. Entitled, gorgeous, and always the one to make high school harder than it needed to be—for everyone but himself. I despised the Jaspers of the world.
I followed her out of our room, out of the building and into the field behind it. She walked through the tall grass with ease, and it wasn't until that moment that I wondered where the party was. Boarding schools didn’t offer much privacy. I staggered behind her, kicking the blades of grass against my boots and watching the moisture of Seattle coat cover the toe.
“We can walk there. It's on the other side of campus, the old abandoned building past the field. They stopped using it in the 90’s because of a fire in one of the labs.”
She willingly gave information without me having to ask. She was too giving, and it made me suspicious.
“Anyone off campus come to his parties?”
She slowed down her focused pace and smiled in my direction. The lamps illuminating the campus after dark put her smile perfectly on display. “Not interested in anyone at Arcadia?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t interested in any aspect of this place. Maybe a boy would anchor down some wild part of me I couldn't control—the part of me that craved adventure and danger.
Detention with Nyx wasn't the worst thing I had ever suffered through, but Nyx didn't illicit the same interest I had in Bolton, the boy who breezed by me so quickly my head spun around before I could give him my mean mug. I didn't know what my interest was in him, but something about him held my curiosity hostage.
All my ex-boyfriends were wholesome and nice, basically the opposite of Bolton in every way.
So why did I care if he didn't like me? Why did I feel this hell bent need to get his approval? Why did he seem like the most dangerous adventure I'd have yet?
I heard Luna’s soft voice smooth my thoughts down to a whisper when she spoke. “Not even Nyx? Every girl wants him, because they have zero chance with Bolton.”
“He's the strong, silent type, right? He barely spoke during our hour sentencing.”
She looked down at the sidewalk instead of at me. “He's just been through a lot… he's moody. He's on scholarship too. He only transferred in last year. No one knows much about him.”
That sounded about right. Brooding was always in some abusive relationship with mystery.
It was all just too much work for me. I wasn't the type to hug it out until you hit your head into some epiphany.
I liked the kind of guy who knew exactly who they were; it wasn't silent, but ruthlessly deafening.
It would take more than a strong silence to tame me.
The abandoned building was exactly out of a horror movie, and for a minute, I briefly wondered if this was a type of hazing as the new kid. This place was already creepy and sinister enough, but the threat of dying of boredom had me even accepting my own innominate death.
My body tensed with just the thought. I could be walking into a situation I wasn't prepared for, all because I was letting my boredom drive my actions.
We got close, and I saw the small string of lights and lanterns decorating the stairs and door, like some sort of messed up beacon of hope in the hell called Arcadia Prep.
I was elated to see rich, snobby kids could still have fun free of their pretenses.
Luna prepped me as she pushed the door open to what now would be known as heaven. Everything needed a balance. “Things get wild sometimes. Just take it in stride…”
I didn't know if that was supposed to be a warning, but to me, it sounded like an invitation.
The party was still timid, like people only gathered out of boredom not rebellion. I was taken aback by the tone being so relaxed that I wasn't sure where to put my displaced energy. I was ready to walk into relief, but this felt like a library instead. I turned to Luna, letting my eyebrow pop up in criticism.
“Real wild, huh?”
She slapped my forearm lightly, jokingly… Let's be real, this girl probably wouldn't kill a spider if it meant hurting another living creature.
“Jasper and the boys aren't here yet, duh. Nothing good happens without them.”
Now I was making more sense of this place, even the rich had no even playing field. These boys ruled school, and no one made a move without their permission. This was more common than individuality, trust me, I had lived in most of the United States. Seattle was no different.
Luna had a bounce in her step when she reached her friends, minus Nyx, Bolton, and Jasper. Kate’s glare didn't leave my direction, as her wrist twisted in a broken manner, holding the Solo cup like it clashed with her outfit and she was pissed no one told her what colors to wear.
I could barely hold my snarky laugh inside without biting the inside of my sensitive mouth.
“What's so funny, New Girl?”
I was looking for adventure, not confrontation. Her eyebrows stretched up into her forehead, and her lips tensed, waiting for me to respond.
“You. Worried the Solo cup doesn't match your outfit?”
I looked her up and down once more for effect, even though I was impressed. She wore mom jeans in a way mom’s only wished. She was the school’s obvious bombshell, dressing like a mom’s desperate attempt to relive this part of their adolescence, and embarrassed the cup clashed with the ensemble. Kate was ironically a cliché in every way.
I pivoted on my heel, making a clean getaway after my verbal hit-and-run. I wanted whatever she was drinking, because this “party” was not up to my standards.
Pretty tame high schoolers. Parents must be proud.
I wandered around until I found the keg nudged in a corner, and I wondered how many of them had done a keg stand, stayed out too late, or broken any kind of rules, besides being nice to the new girl.
Arianna
I strutted around, proud of my cup of room temperature beer. I started exploring past the party and into the rooms breaking off like veins from the heart of the party. The building was huge, and the only part truly off limits was the top floors that still held a faint stench of smoke.
I wasn’t interested in damaged. Damaged was different than dangerous. I was a pro at knowing the differences.
All the rooms resembled science labs of some nature with the islands, stools, and even some beakers left behind.
Abandoned.
Sneaking a look into each room, I swayed my hips down the hallway, moving to the music leaking into the spaces.
I got to the end of the hall, curiosity completely un-sparked, until I heard different music erupting from the hallway competing with the Top 100 playing in the distance.
Alternative music swelled as I inched closer, wondering why someone would be all the way down here, by themselves, during a party.
Curiosity was piqued.
Slinking up to the doorway, I scoped out the room, but I could hear their voices over the music. I took my chances, pressing my spine against the door frame and sipping my beer like I was completely unaware of anyone but the music.
I heard someone shout as the music stopped. “This room is private!”
I lazily turned onto my shoulder, facing the contents of the room and rolling my eyes. It wasn't until my dramatic, yet childish, move that I noticed the three boys lounging in their own private party.
I snipped in Bolton’s direction, sure he was the one who shouted, “Public property.”
He sat up, no longer relaxed, but strained, as his forearms ground into his thighs. “Actually, you’re trespassing. This building is closed and off limits.”
He pushed me into the wicked parts of me, as I did him. We were so far equally matched.
“And? You’re too cool to smoke and drink with anyone else?”
He got up, slowly making his way to the doorway I was in, and every nerve inside of me was frying under the pressure of his unknown.
“Did this act work at every other school you've been to? It doesn't work here. Wash the purple out, and lose the attitude. It's not having the effect you want.”
His shoulder checking skills ran over me expertly. I was knocked right into the door frame as the boys followed behind him, but not before smirking at his burn.
I smirked at the flames of his burn too.
He challenged me in a way no one else even tried to. Thirteen schools before Arcadia, and I finally found my match in Bolton Hayes.
The one I hadn't met, Jasper, stopped only when he was in the doorway across from me, leaving him in my personal space. “Guessing you’re New Girl.”
“Well, we don't get to pick our names. Birth names or otherwise.”
We exchanged our birth-given names, and he seemed more personable than the others—dare I say normal.
“He's not warm and cuddly. Don't pay attention to him. Coming to the party?”
As soon as the boys entered the party bubble contained to the front half of the building, it seemed like time stopped. Every pair of eyes were now in our direction, and the scrutiny of why I was trailing behind them was burdensome.
I took the first opportunity I could, to break away and make a shortcut to the beer, which I hadn't had since the last time I was in trouble.
Every time I got in real trouble I would lay low, be the person everyone wanted me to be for a while. That meant no fun, no alcohol, no pot, and no boys. At this point, I was famished for all four.
I didn't search Luna out again after filling my cup with the room temperature beer, even though I should have. I came with her, and now I was ditching her in search of what she couldn't provide with her hugs and sweaters.
I ended up on the porch outside the party looking up at the stars. My mom was really into astrology, the signs, crystals, and sometimes magic. Now that she was gone, it was like she left the stars in the sky for me.
That's how I really started getting in trouble—sneaking out to be under the stars. I'd point out the constellations she taught me, and I could hear her stories resurrected in my mind—her soft voice, the smell of her shampoo, and the purple stone that was cold against my skin when she hugged me.
My good memory was ripped from me with footsteps I wasn't paying attention to.
Jasper stood tall behind me, lighting the end of his joint and mumbling around it hanging from his lips. “You know the party is inside, right?”
My face contorted into annoyance at his obvious remark. It didn't need a reply, and I wasn't giving out ones that wasted my time. I turned towards him, pushed my ass on the banister of the porch, and faced him, wordlessly.
He didn't step closer like I thought he would. He let the porch between us swallow the words before reaching each other.
He took an exasperated inhale from the joint that looked small between his fingers. He was all muscle and perfection, leaving no room for flaws. He had cut the arms off his t-shirt, unevenly displaying his toned arms, clearly from the discipline of football.
I tried not to bite my lip in front of him; I wasn't giving this gorgeous man an upper hand on me.
He moved forward slowly, not to catch me off guard, erasing the space between us with each step. His pinched fingers gestured towards me offering me what was his. I didn't take it from him, instead I leaned forward and pushed my lips up to his fingers still holding the joint. I inhaled the bud I hadn’t tasted in months.
I wasn’t prejudiced against whatever fun meant here… as long as it was dangerous and got my blood circulated.
I watched Jasper’s body stiffen as he watched me pull away with the inhale still in my lungs and burning my chest. My eyelashes fluttered involuntarily as I looked up at him.
He was slow to act, and it confused me in every way.
The King of Arcadia Prep himself shouted Jasper’s name from the doorway, and he sighed like it was enough to send this guy into a pissed off mode with just syllables alone.
I guessed steroids were another avenue of fun here.
His body twisted, facing Bolton and leaning against the banister next to me. For all intents and purposes, he looked caught.
Why did he care what Bolton thought? Who voted him the pointless king? Was he the sex police too?
Bolton stormed closer to us and demanded Jasper go inside. Jasper didn't even attempt to talk back, and I suddenly found him less attractive than I previously thought.
Jasper let his hand with the joint fall down, and he gave me a look instead of any words.
Bolton’s head cocked behind him, looking over his shoulder at Jasper and Nyx going inside and closing the door behind them quieting the music.
“What the fuck do you think you're doing?”
I felt like I was being scolded by my father, when his hands grabbed his own hips and his face looked so severe I wondered if looks really did kill. I waited for whatever nonsense he was gonna throw my way with his disgusted tone he perfected for me now.
I slid off the banister and stood up, “Seriously, isn't there some kind of rule you have to tell people you're a narc?”
I didn't bother sticking around for his jabs. I had seen so many versions of Bolton that I was pretty positive I had heard all the insults worth hearing.
Walking away stole his majesty’s right to put me in my place, but his hand grasped around my bicep as I walked away holding me in my place. Another sharp prick came with another person’s touch. Jesus… this campus either truly hated me or wanted to tell me something. Either way, I didn’t speak in electricity.
I could hear his voice in my ear so clearly that I didn’t need to grant him the pleasure of making eye contact. “He can't smoke in the season. Maybe while you’re bulldozing through our school, you can use your head.”
I jerked my arm back and turned to finally face him, as pissed off as I felt at his attempt to make me feel small.
“He's old enough to not have you baby him,” my voice shook with my immature comeback.
I wanted to affect him, shake him, but nothing did. I was pretty sure he was made of the same shit demigods were and had the attitude to match.
I was ready to storm back into the party. My hand reached for the door, just as his hands grasped my hips with such strength I felt realigned in a way only chiropractors knew how.
His head bowed down into the crook of my neck, and I felt his warm voice hit my neck. “Stay away from my boys, New Girl.”
&nbs
p; This party wasn't enough rebellion or adventure to satisfy a photojournalist in the middle of a war zone. I turned around in his grasp facing him. I made sure to make eye contact while I spoke.
So much for keeping my nose clean here. Sorry, Dad.
“And what if I don't?”
I didn't have to see my reflection in his dark eyes to know there was a twinkle of victory in mine. I finally found the chink in his armor: questions he wouldn't answer.
I was celebrating long before I should have… before he leaned down, letting his closeness pin me against the door frame in a distracting way. He was purposely making me feel off center with his body and that sultry voice that was borderline too rough and coming into my space. It was like my whole body needed the next breath to come before I became deprived of oxygen.
“Don't test me. We aren't your typical rich kids.”
His body pushed off of mine, and I felt the colder air rise between us. The air was deprived of the bickering, and it was giving us the cold shoulder.
The party was still going strong inside, and I found Luna again after realizing boys are a lost cause here.
Luna could read facial expressions like a more in-depth personality test. She saw the disappointment in my mouth without any delay.
“Don't worry… the game day is this weekend against our rivals Exeter Academy. There will be a whole new meaning to trouble soon.”
I was sure she had ever used the word in a sentence before now. She was trying very hard to comfort me with it anyways.
“Rivals? I can see why. No offense, but I might cheer for the other team.”
Kate’s snicker was like a flicker and quick fade. She didn't snap and call me New Girl when she turned to me, so I took it as progress.
“Good luck with that, really. Bolton will love that.”
“Who crowned him King of Arcadia Prep?”
Kate didn't laugh or even sneer when she looked at me for the first time since I arrived. Every other time was a glance in my direction, seemingly trying not to make direct eye contact.
“Himself, duh.”
Bolton
