No fighting.
Fighting led to detention and eventually suspension. Neither would look good on my school résumé for colleges.
And I’d be damned if I get stuck in this town.
Sweat broke out along the back of my neck and my nerves mounted when I looked out over a sea of unfamiliar faces. They all knew each other, grew up together, shared lollipops in kindergarten. They were all cut from the same cloth.
I’m not designed for this shit.
Picking a line, I grabbed a water and a veggie wrap from one of the vendors and swiped my student ID. I decided to eat outside because I needed the fresh air—or that was what I told myself. Truth, I didn’t want to deal with finding a table to sit at.
As I made my way around the cluster of tables to head outside, someone more or less shoulder-checked me. I didn’t know if it was on purpose or if the girl just wasn’t looking where she was going when she ran into me, but the result was the same.
I faltered a step or two, my ass bumping into a table, which then had me falling into someone’s lap. Before I got the chance to apologize, collect my food, and rush out of the cafeteria, a pair of hands clasped my waist, steadying me. I glanced up, blowing a strand of hair out of my mouth. Four sets of eyes were on me, pinning me with equal glares of amusement.
The Elite.
What were the chances that I would end up looking a fool in front of them?
“God, I love it when hot girls fall into my lap,” Micah said, grinning. I recognized him from the party. He had a dazzling smile that just edged on evil.
Brock’s captivating glance caught mine, and I told myself not to squirm under those icy eyes, but his unwelcoming frown was unnerving, along with the rest of them.
They were all stunning in their own way. The school uniforms fit perfectly to their frames, each varying in degrees of muscle mass and probably correlated to what position they held on the football team. I tried not to gawk in appreciation. It was nearly impossible. Particularly since I was sitting on top of one of them.
The full effect of the Elite in such close proximity sent goose bumps over my skin. And yet, I couldn’t gauge if it was fear or something else I was feeling. Desire?
Talk about being messed up in the head. A shrink would have a field day with me. Perhaps it was time I scheduled that appointment.
The other two were Grayson and Fynn, but I wasn’t sure which was which. Not that it mattered. I wasn’t sticking around to find out.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, trying to shove off Micah’s lap, but his firm hands were holding me in place. I ground my teeth and angled my head to glare at the asshole holding me captive.
His light blue eyes sparkled with devilment.
“Let her go,” Brock said disinterestedly, as if I was annoying him.
Prick.
“We need to work on your sharing skills,” Micah said to Brock, grinning, but his fingers released my waist.
Brock shook his head.
I stood up and got caught off guard by the hostility I noticed in Grayson’s or Fynn’s cognac eyes. It cut through me like a knife. I don’t know what I had ever done to him, but he looked as if he wanted to slice my head off with a machete. Arms crossed defensively over his chest, he said not a word to me, just watched with narrowed eyes as I gathered my shit and left.
No sooner had I rounded the corner toward the exit than I heard a voice pipe up from the flight of stairs above me. “That was quite impressive back there. Day one and you already managed to do what every girl in this school has tried to accomplish since first grade. They all hate you now.”
My eyes lifted, and I studied the girl walking down the steps toward me. She had beautiful olive skin, and her brown hair was streaked with honey highlights that framed a heart-shaped face. Her full lips twisted into a smile, but despite the amusement, something like respect shone in her gray eyes.
“And does that include you?” I asked, raising a brow. As far as I knew, this girl could be just like the rest of them. Out for blood, territorial, crazy bitches.
She snorted, her hand trailing along the wooden banister. “Douchebags aren’t my type,” she said as her feet reached the base of the stairs.
They must be my type, because holy shit, my body was still reeling from my little interlude with the Elite. I felt as if I’d had a brush with death, like jumping out of a plane and my parachute not opening until I almost hit the ground. That was how being scrutinized by them made me feel. Breathless. Dangerous. Impulsive. Foolish.
“Yeah, well, I seem to attract them like flies on shit,” I said.
Up close, I could see the cute little freckles that dotted over her nose. “I like you, new girl. I’m Maddy Clarke, but everyone calls me Mads.” She had the ends of her button-up shirt tied in a knot that showed a bit of midriff.