“They’ll take care of you there,” he says, then drops his voice an octave. “Unless you want me to take care of you.”
That gets me going. Sure, he’s hot. But he’s also clearly full of himself. Of course he doesn’t remember me. And even if he did, what did I expect him to say?
“Oh, hey, aren’t you that stranger who let me finger her at a party without even exchanging names?”
“No,” I say, a little louder than I meant. Okay, I practically bark the word at him. I push past him and hurry to the office, my face on fire. I hear him laughing, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of looking back. I march straight into the office, where the tiniest, skinniest girl I’ve ever seen jumps up to greet me.
“Was Chase bothering you?” she asks in a chipper, refined Southern accent similar to the one belonging to the boy who I will not think about.
“Who?” I ask, then shake my head. “No. I’m here for my schedule.”
“You must be Sky Eden. I’m supposed to show you to your classes. I’m sophomore class president, ambassador, student council secretary, and—well, you don’t need a list of my credentials,” she says, laughing a soft, breathy little laugh and waving a dismissive hand.
“Yep, that’s me,” I say. “I’m Sky, anyway. Not all that other stuff.”
“I’m Lindsey Darling.” She waits expectantly, as if I should gasp or something. “From the Darling family,” she adds when I don’t respond.
“Cool.”
Her face falls when she spots my backpack. “You’ll have to leave your bag in the office for the day,” she says. “You can pick it up after school, though. Faulkner High doesn’t allow backpacks.” She drops her voice to a whisper and leans in. “You know.The gangs.”
“Oh—shit,” I blurt, then dart my eyes toward the secretary, cringing.
Lindsey looks scandalized, grabbing my arm and pulling me out into the hallway. Then she bursts into giggles. “You’re lucky she’s half deaf,” she says, composing herself.
From the things she said in the office, I’d expect a goody-goody nerd, but Lindsey’s dressed like… I’m not sure what kind of person wears a pleated jean skirt and black patent leather heels to school with a fitted FHS T-shirt with bedazzled letters. I can’t tell if she’s popular or a try-hard. I just know I feel underdressed in my jeans, Converse, and Sublime T-shirt.
Lindsey quickly walks me through the school, and I note my classes in each hallway. I want to ask her for survival tips, but before I can, the bell rings. She wishes me luck and disappears into the throng in the hallway. Taking a deep breath, I turn back toward my first period class. I’m on my own now.
I duck into first period and sink into a seat, not caring that I look eager by being the first person to class while everyone lingers, prolonging their last moments with their friends before school officially starts. After pushing my earbuds in and turning on my iPod, I close my eyes, letting Kurt Cobain’s angsty growl soothe my frayed nerves. Who cares if I look like a nerd? I have no one to impress. No one here knows me. I’ll be as invisible at Faulkner High as I was back home.
two
Now Playing:
“Cumbersome”—Seven Mary Three
“The guy goes to my school.”
“What guy?”
“You know,” I say to Meghan that afternoon as we sit on the dock in our usual spot. “Theguy.”
“Okay, Sky, I know you’re like, the world’s most naïve fifteen-year-old, but there is, in fact, more than one guy on this earth. Can you be more specific?”
“The guy from the party,” I say, rolling my eyes. She knows who I’m talking about. “Apparently, he’s this big shot football player. And, he’s in two of my classes.”
“Niiice,” Meghan says, tapping a cigarette out of her pack.
“No, not nice,” I say. “Humiliating. I’m going to transfer. I have to. I can’t be in a class with him. I can’t be in a school with him.”
She gives me a funny look. “Why?”
“Meghan, I made out with him without even knowing his name. I let him, you know.Do stuffto me.”
She laughs. “Let me get this straight. You’re freaking out because…? He might think you want to ‘do stuff’ again? And good little girls from Connecticut don’t go around getting fingerbanged at parties on the lake?”
“Yes!” I say, throwing my hands up. “Exactly.”