by Elle Thorpe
Someone rammed into me, catching me off guard. I stumbled sideways a few steps, dropping my phone in the process. It clattered to the ground. I glanced over my shoulder, annoyed.
The cute little blonde was a whole lot less cute when she was scowling.
“What are you doing, standing in the middle of the path like you own it?” she snarled. Her ice-blue gaze rolled down my body, taking in my skirt and cardigan set. “You’re in everyone’s way.”
She was probably right, but she didn’t need to be a bitch about it. There was plenty of room to walk around me.
Ignoring her, I knelt to grab my phone from the ground, only to find it sticking out from beneath a scuffed black shitkicker. The laces were so loose I wasn’t sure how the owner walked in them. I lifted my head, taking in black jeans and a white T-shirt. Broad shoulders were barely contained by the tight fabric. From across the quad, I hadn’t really noticed his face. But up close, holy shit. He was beautiful. His jaw strong and clean-shaven, his cheekbones high. He did a double take as our gazes clashed.
I fought not to drown in eyes so dark I could barely see where the pupils began. They drew me in, holding me in place, refusing to release me from their grip. He was vaguely familiar. Like I’d seen him on a movie. Or as if he looked like somebody I knew. We hadn’t met before. I was sure of that. There was no forgetting someone who left you without the ability to speak.
The girl laughed, the sound cruel. “I think the princess is checking you out, Colt.”
His expression changed in an instant. His eyes narrowed, turning hard and cold. The corner of his mouth tipped up as if he were amused, but his eyes held no warmth. There was no sign of laughter in those dark-brown depths, despite what his mouth might have been doing. A shiver ran down my spine. I wasn’t sure if I found him insanely attractive. Or if I was terrified just by looking at him. Probably both.
His gaze swept over me, and despite the impenetrable expression of his eyes, heat rushed through me. Okay, so yeah. Maybe more attraction than fear.
“Actually,” I spoke up, irritation rising at being called a princess when this girl had no idea who I was, or where I was from. “I’m just waiting for him to move so I can get my phone back.” My knee twinged with pain from kneeling on the concrete path. Well, that was something at least. I’d regained feeling since I’d stopped staring at him.
He squatted so we were eye height, then leaned so far in I caught a whiff of something delicious-smelling. Cologne? Deodorant? Soap? I had no idea, but it was intoxicating. I fought to keep from him like he was a pie I’d like to take a bite out of.
Colt’s gaze pinned me in place. And then he opened his mouth.
“If I’d known it would be so easy to get the new girl on her knees, maybe I wouldn’t have fucked Gillian in the parking lot just now.”
I blinked.
The girl, Gillian, laughed, but it didn’t meet her eyes. She ran her hand through his hair. It might have appeared affectionate to anyone watching from a distance, but there was no mistaking the possessiveness in the action.
“Yeah, you would have,” Gillian said. “You know how those preppy rich kids are, baby. She’s probably saving it for marriage. That right, princess? You forbidden fruit?”
I ignored her and focused on Colt. “Get off my phone.”
He didn’t take his eyes off me for a second. Just slowly moved his foot. I grabbed my phone and straightened. He stood slowly, his gaze raking over my legs, my belly, my breasts, before he stood to full height. I felt every inch of his gaze as it rolled up me.
“You don’t belong here,” he said.
Gillian pressed herself against Colt’s side. “No, she definitely doesn’t. I’m bored. Let’s go find the others. She won’t last a day.”
She dragged Colt away. He walked backward for a few steps, watching me then turned around and slung his arm over Gillian’s shoulders. She glanced back at me, throwing me a triumphant glare as if she’d won some battle I wasn’t even aware of.
Whatever. I hadn’t exactly expected a warm welcome. There never was one anytime a group of kids from Providence came across a group from Saint View High. It happened from time to time, mostly on the beach. I’d hoped to blend in a little longer than five minutes, though. I’d tried to dress down. Selina and I had riffled through my wardrobe, trying to find the least expensive skirt and top I owned. I realized now, though, just by gazing around, that nothing I owned would have worked. I stuck out like a sore thumb. The kids around me rocked an array of tight ripped jeans, midriff tops, band T-shirts, baseball caps, and skirts so short underwear was on display. A far cry from the knee-length, pleated skirt and white button-down shirt I’d worn each day at Providence School for Girls. A long cry from even my weekend wardrobe. I didn’t own anything with holes in it, deliberate or otherwise. Dammit. This was not my plan. I needed to fly under the radar, not draw attention to myself.
Adding ‘shop for clothes’ to the top of my to-do list, I tucked my phone into my backpack and strode down the path toward the doors of Saint View High. A few short steps had me at the entranceway, the crowd petering into two lines in order to enter the gloomy building.
“No cutting in. Back of the line, princess,” a voice said.
I spun around but didn’t see Colt anywhere. I couldn’t work out who had spoken, but judging from the stares of the students waiting in line, I was the princess in question. Was that a thing already? How? It had to be a coincidence. I wandered to the back of the line and didn’t say anything to the people in front of me while we shuffled along. I strained to see ahead, to work out what the holdup was, but the glass doors had some sort of tint or reflective coating that made them impossible to see through.
I tapped my foot impatiently, worried I wasn’t going to get enrolled before first period started. I had severely underestimated how many kids attended this school. They continued to stream in from the road and came in droves from the carpark. Others pushed bicycles or got off the buses rolling to a stop outside the gates. They all joined the lines I was currently in.
Finally, I reached the top and followed the girl in front of me inside.
A burly man with ‘security’ printed across his tight black T-shirt stopped me. I blinked in surprise, no idea what I was being stopped for.
“Do you have any weapons on you today, miss?”
Weapons? Did the compass in my geometry set count? Jesus Christ.
I squeaked out an answer.
“Hold your arms out, please, and put your backpack on the table.”
I did as I was told because what else was I supposed to do?
The man ran a wand type instrument around my arms and legs, while another viciously went through my backpack, shoving aside folders and pens and my wallet.
“Do you think you could be a little careful with that, please?” I asked.
He snorted on a laugh as he handed it back to me. He didn’t even bother answering. I snatched the bag from his grip and clutched it to my chest feeling somehow violated. The school’s website hadn’t warned there’d be metal detectors and bag checks on the way in. I supposed I should be grateful there wasn’t a cavity search.
I shouldn’t have been surprised. The interior of Saint View High was no less prison-like than the outside. There was no grand entranceway like there’d been at Providence. Just one long hall that ran farther than I could see, hundreds of grubby white lockers lining both sides, only interrupted by doors that I assumed led to classrooms or other, similarly icky hallways.
I wandered, pushed along by the crowd who all seemed to know where they were going. They yelled greetings to each other, and every now and then I picked up a little conversation. “How amazing was that party?” and “Oh my God, I was so drunk that night.” I hovered when a familiar name caught my attention. “Fuck, did Colt get even hotter over the summer? I’m wet just looking at him.”
I wrinkled my nose in the direction of the girl who’d spoken. It wasn’t Gillian. But it didn’t surprise me
that Colt was the object of more than one woman’s desires. I’d bet Gillian had her hands full, keeping hold of that one. He could have had any girl he wanted.
Including you.
I shook my head slightly. Not including me. He might be beautiful, but with a school this large, there’d be a plethora of hot boys to choose from. If I wanted to date, that was. If the metal detectors were anything to go by, dating the boys here might not be in my best interests.
I stumbled across the administration office, and after explaining who I was and why I was there to the harried woman behind the desk, I was given a bunch of forms to fill out. I did so hastily and shoved them back across the desk. In return, the woman passed me a freshly printed piece of paper with my schedule on it.
“It’s just temporary,” she warned. She added another piece of paper to my hands—a school map. “You’ll be able to choose your elective subjects with the guidance counselor later in the week.”
I nodded and studied the timetable. “Wait, all-school assembly?” It was the first thing listed under Monday mornings.
The woman peered over at my paper. “Yes, every week. In the gymnasium. You’d best hustle. Principal Simmons doesn’t appreciate latecomers.”
“No, I do not.”
I swiveled on my heel. The tall man behind me, Principal Simmons I guessed, seemed out of place with his neat navy suit pants and a button-down shirt tucked into an expensive belt. His shoes shone, and a gold watch gleamed on his wrist.
He peered past me to his secretary. “New student?”
I stuck my hand out before she could answer. “Lacey Knight.”
He took my hand, his smooth cool fingers wrapping around mine. “Ah, Lacey. I believe I was just speaking with your aunt.”
Well, that was just great. I’d kill her when I got home.
Selina had tried to convince me all morning to let her come down to enroll me, but I instinctively knew that would be a nail in my social coffin at a school like this. At Providence, and Edgely Academy, parents were often alumni and present at all events the school held. They were like mini high school reunions, and few of the parents missed an opportunity to check out who was doing what. Or doing who. Selina had been set to take me to orientation this morning, and it hadn’t bothered me the least. But I’d talked her out of driving me to Saint View, though she’d only let me get in my car after I promised to pack Mace into my bag.
Apparently, I should have been more specific with my demands. No calling the principal obviously should have been top of the list.
“She speaks very highly of you. Top of your junior year, I’m told.”
I smiled politely.
Simmons cocked his head to the side, as if trying to figure me out. He was pretty hot for an old guy. I’d bet he was buff beneath his preppy clothes. His eyes were a pale blue, set off by his dark hair. It was flecked with gray, but it was attractive in a George Clooney sort of way. My aunt’s friends probably would have thrown themselves at him if they’d seen him out around town or at the beach…until they realized he was the principal of a public school and probably made chump change.
“Come along, then. The first bell is about to go, and I don’t make a habit of being late to my own assemblies. I’ll show you to the gym.”
I nodded and trailed along, a few steps behind him, hoping the other students wouldn’t realize I was being escorted.
We exited through doors at the back of the school, briefly walking through the sunshine, and followed the swarm of students inside a huge gym, completely detached from the main building.
I wrinkled my nose. It was a cavernous space, with a high ceiling and bleacher-style seating down the long sides of the rectangle. But it had a vague musty sweat smell that hung in the air, despite the fact this was the first day of school and the building probably hadn’t been used all summer. A basketball court was painted on the floor, and each end held ratty basketball nets. They were ripped and torn and I wondered if this school was so poor that they couldn’t even afford to replace something so minor. That one little thing, so insignificant, hit me hard. This was a whole different world to where I came from, yet it was just fifteen minutes away? When we’d run into groups of Saint View kids at the beach, I’d really had no idea. I knew the area was rough. But I’d never considered what that really meant.
Principal Simmons stopped in the middle of the floor, and as if out of nowhere, a boy appeared and handed him a microphone. Simmons turned to me. “Just go sit on over there at the bottom of the bleachers. After this is done, I’ll find someone to show you around the school.”
I shook my head and held up the crappily printed map. Admittedly, I’d probably need a magnifying glass and a detective’s license to work it out, but that was fine. Better than being someone’s tagalong. “No need. I’m good.”
He shooed me away. “Nonsense. I like to make sure my new students feel welcomed.”
I somehow doubted I was the only new student. And I didn’t see him foisting his ‘help’ on anyone else. Not wanting to make a scene, I wandered to the nearest seats. Unsurprisingly, most of the top ones were full of kids talking and jostling. A few couples used the spare minutes to make out. I took the first step, not wanting to be the only one sitting close to the principal.
Simmons had either ideas. “Just there, Lacey.”
I flashed him a forced smile, ignoring the titters of laughter from the upper levels. Great. Nothing like a little awkward embarrassment on your first day. I perched on the lowest seat of the bleachers, all alone. But then the bell rang, and students poured through the multiple open doorways that led in from outside. It was like a tidal wave of human bodies. Within two minutes, the bleachers were full, and I no longer felt so on display. I found myself wedged between a tall blond boy with glasses and a severe case of acne. And a short red-haired girl who chatted animatedly with someone on the other side of her. Neither seemed interested in the new girl. Suited me. I wasn’t here to make friends. Just to find out information. Then I could get the hell out of here and back to school with Meredith and my other friends.
Principal Simmons started the assembly with the usual beginning-of-the-year speech all principals seemed to make. I trust you had a great summer. This year will be the best ever. Yadda yadda. I tuned out and let my gaze wander over the crowd across from me, searching for guys who fit the profile of the one who’d carried me out of the fire. I’d scanned the back three rows, left to right before I caught on that I was perhaps actually looking for someone in particular, rather than just casually observing. The memory of Colt’s dark eyes was hard to forget so quickly.
“…new student, Lacey Knight. Come up here, please, Lacey.”
I snapped my attention to the center of the room and Principal Simmons who was smiling broadly, and gesturing for me to join him in the center of the gym.
My stomach sank. For fuck’s sake. Why was he trying to torture me?
I pushed to my feet, trying to ignore the stares of what had to be six hundred students. The room fell into a hushed silence as I slunk my way to the principal’s side.
“I’m sure you all heard about the recent fire at Providence School for Girls. Lacey was the top of her class junior year, and we’re incredibly pleased to have her continuing her education at Saint View. I’m sure all of you in the senior class especially put your best foot forward and endeavor to show Miss Knight that Saint View is the same high-quality school she’s used to.”
Kill. Me. Now. Simmons beamed at me, like his words weren’t currently painting a bull’s-eye on my back. What fresh hell was this? Some sort of passive-aggressive bullshit? He was deluded if he thought Saint View offered the same sort of education Providence did. Hell, I’d had to promise Selina I’d do extension work with a private tutor before she’d even considered allowing me to enroll here. Providence had brought in teachers from all over the world, paying astronomically high wages in order to attract and retain the best. A teaching position at Providence set a person up for life. Th
ere was nothing higher than that for educators. Except, of course, for the principal’s position, but my uncle had held that for longer than most could remember. His job had kept my aunt in the lavish lifestyle she’d grown up in.
I didn’t have to see the faces of my fellow classmates to know each and every one of them were right now hating my guts. I couldn’t blame them. I was completely out of place in Jimmy Choo sandals that probably cost the same as some of their cars.
But I wasn’t going to stand here, shriveling like a wallflower either. I wouldn’t give anyone that sort of power over me. So I kept my head held high and my shoulders pushed back. I looked around the room while Simmons droned on, digging my social grave even deeper, meeting the gazes of those who tried to stare me down.
My gaze caught on Colt’s dead black stare. His mouth lifted in the corners, like this entire situation amused him. I didn’t see how. Gillian sat next to him, her piercing eyes forcing me to take a little internal step backward. What was her problem? She hadn’t seemed like she’d cared about what Colt had said earlier. About not fucking her if he’d known…well. Yeah. I would have been pissed off if I’d been her. He’d been an asshole. But she’d acted like he couldn’t have possibly been serious and hadn’t given the comment any weight at all. But the hate shining in her eyes right now told a different story. It was enough to wilt even the strongest of characters, and it made me want to curl into a ball. I wouldn’t show it externally, but I’d obviously somehow managed to make an enemy before I even got to first period. Great.
There were two more boys on the other side of Colt, facing each other in conversation. One had dark hair, shorter than the other and artfully tousled. Black-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. He was cute from what I could tell. The glasses suited him. The other boy…I frowned at his profile. Blond flop of hair. Tanned skin. Beaded wood necklace around his neck and a surfer logo on his T-shirt. He turned to face the front again, and recognition jolted through me as our gazes met.
My mouth dropped open.
