I walk the corridors of the school, saying ‘hey’ to all the guys on the team who want to stop me and tell me all about the killer party we attended last night after winning yet another game, but dealing with Kaylah has a mood settling over me. I wish I could make things right with her. She’s my sister and although I royally screwed things up, she has to forgive me at some point…right?
I throw my things in my locker and try to prepare for my day. If I’m going to turn things around, then I need to start by mending bridges and what better way than to start with one that I’ve well and truly burned.
Being at Broken Hill High, I’ve quickly realized that there is never a shortage of drama, and without the football team to keep me grounded, I sure as hell would have found myself in worse trouble.
One thing’s for sure though, there’s one chick around here who can’t seem to keep herself away from trouble. Tora Fucking Roberts. She’s Nate girlfriend and because of that, she’s become an interest of mine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not interested in stealing her away from Nate, but I’ve certainly been enjoying messing with her to get under his skin. Maybe it’s time for that to end.
All things considered; Tora is a cool chick. She’s strong, loyal, and protective and she would stop at nothing to make sure her friends and family are safe.
I feel for Tora though, firstly, she has a boyfriend like Nate. He’s an A-class douche. At least, to me he is. Everyone else around here looks at him as though he’s some kind of king. He’s the hero of Broken Hill High and I just can’t get on board with that, but secondly, I feel for her because she was involved in one hell of a terrifying fire. In fact, it’s her first day back.
There was a party at Broken Hill Lake and after Tora managed to weasel her way under Nate’s skin, they had it out in the boat shed. They’d been gone for all of two seconds before the place went up in flames.
It all happened so quickly. One minute, I was helping myself to a beer, the next, bright orange flames were taking over the boat shed. Everyone ran. All differences were put aside as we quickly realized the door had been locked and the windows were unbreakable. We tore that fucker to pieces and eventually got them free.
Despite how I may feel about Nate, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. It was easily one of the most terrifying moments of my life which only speaks volumes about how they would have been feeling at that moment.
Knowing she’s due back today, I peer down the hall and find Tora standing by her locker, busily trashing all the flowers, bears, and RIP signs that have been left in her honor. I don’t know who was dumber; the person who came up with the rumor that she was dead or the person who believed it and spread it around the school. It was ridiculous. I caught Jesse hundreds of times trying to explain to people that they were fine, but no matter what, people are going to believe what they want to believe.
Tora hands the bag of trash off to one of the teachers who I haven’t bothered to learn the name of and I find myself smirking as I walk towards her. I drop my shoulder into a locker and grin down at her, making it impossible for her to ignore me.
Here goes. Day one of operation ‘mending bridges.’
Tora groans as she realizes who’s standing before her, but I don’t let that stop me. “Well, you don’t look dead,” I tell her, gracing her with a smile that I’m sure looks more like a smirk, but hey; old habits die hard.
Tora lets out a frustrated huff before pretending to make herself busy so she doesn’t have to look up at me. “What do you want, Jackson?” she grumbles, trying to sound annoyed, but it comes out as more of a friend talking to another.
“I’m just checking you’re okay,” I question. “I saw the fire from the party.”
Tora huffs before turning and looking up at me through narrowed eyes. “Really? Lost any jackets lately?” she questions.
What the fuck is she talking about?
I scrunch my face in confusion. “What?” I grunt though it takes me only a moment to realize that she’s accusing me of something and a brief flash of anger sails through me. If she thinks I had anything to do with that fire then I’m going to be pissed. I handle my problems with my fists, not bullshit like endangering people’s lives. Some may question me, but truth be told, even I have limits that I won’t cross.