I went to her profile and clicked on her latest upload. It was a video she’d created with some stupid ‘magic glow’ filter to make her and her best friend’s skin sparkle as they twirled around a busy room together. In the background, a banner was visible. It read ‘Goodbye Kinsey!’ in huge purple letters.
The comments section was predictable—at least fifty people saying they’d miss Kinsey with sad emojis, others saying they had a great time at her going away party, and several thirsty guys talking about how hot she looked in her silver dress.
I had to grudgingly agree with the thirsty guys. Kinsey was currently the bane of my existence, even though we’d never met, but I couldn’t deny her attractiveness. She had delicate features, green eyes that sparkled with obvious wit, shiny dark hair, and a body that made my fingers itch to reach out and grab it.
That didn’t matter, though. Hot girls were a dime a dozen in Crown Point, because money could easily buy looks and there was certainly no shortage of cash in this town. That meant I was used to seeing beauty everywhere, so Kinsey wouldn’t be able to charm her way into my good books with her pretty face and perky tits. She could fuck right off with that bullshit before she even tried it.
In fact, she could fuck right off in general. She wasn’t welcome here and never would be. I knew exactly what she was up to; could feel it deep in my bones. I was going to make her regret trying it, and I was going to enjoy the hell out of doing it.
By the time I was done with her, she’d wish she never set foot in my town.
3
Kinsey
Bitch,I can’t believe you actually left!
I smiled down at the text from my best friend Jess and quickly tapped out a response.I didn’t exactly have a choice,I wrote. I added a smiley face with its tongue sticking out and some heart emojis.
Jess:I know. I was just hoping your mom would magically change her mind at the last minute. Can’t believe you’re actually gone :(
Me:I was hoping she’d do the same but unfortunately not so I’m gonna be stuck in Crown Point for the next year :(
Jess:Ugghhh. You better not forget about me!!
Me:Haha how could I possibly do that when I’ll be Facetiming you every single day?
Jess:True. Anyway I know you’re probably busy with all the moving stuff so I’ll let you go for now. Miss you already and talk to you soon! And remember – don’t trust anyone in Crown Point. Ever!
Me:How come? That sounds very ominous lol, what am I missing?
Jess:I just mean that basically everyone who lives there is a gazillionaire. People like that always stick together and protect their own. ALWAYS. They don’t think of people like us as being on the same level as them, so even if you think they’re your friends, they’ll throw you under the bus the second it suits them. So just be careful ok? Don’t want you getting hurt by anyone
Me:Oh I get what you mean now. But don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine :) Love you and talk soon! Xox
“Is that Jess?” Mom asked, glancing at me from the driver’s seat.
I nodded and slid my phone into my pocket. “Yeah, she was just saying goodbye again.” I paused and let out a groan. “God, I’m going to miss her.”
Mom gave me a tight smile. “I know. But you’ll still be able to talk to her every day, and she promised to come and visit the weekend after next, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, she did.”
She turned back to face the road. “I’m glad she finally got her license. It’ll be nice to have her come down and check out our new home.”
Home.
It was funny to think of Crown Point in that way when I’d never even been to the place. It would be cool to finally see it, though. My dad grew up there, and while he never had many nice things to say about it, I knew there had to be a few good spots along with a few good people. It couldn’tallbe mega-mansions and snobby sons of billionaires.
Taking a deep breath, I leaned back in my seat and looked out the window at the towering pines on the edge of the road. We were twenty minutes away from Crown Point now, and I was trying to ignore and hide my nerves as much as possible.
A few minutes later, Mom steered around a bend and headed onto a hulking stone bridge that crossed a yawning gully. The trees were few and far between now, replaced by a stunning view of the Pacific.
“We’re almost in Woodsen’s Bay,” Mom said, glancing at the GPS.
“Cool,” I mumbled, still checking out the view. Woodsen’s Bay was the closest city to Crown Point. It was probably a nice place to live, considering the surrounding nature reserves and gorgeous seaside views, but it had a much lower average income than Crown Point, so I had a feeling that citizens from the two cities didn’t mix much. Like Jess said earlier, most mega-rich people existed in their own world and viewed everyone else—like me—as a different breed of human. Lesser people who could be played with and disposed of when necessary.
We passed a sign reading ‘Welcome to Woodsen’s Bay’, and the road grew flatter and wider as it opened up to suburbia. We drove straight through the small city and exited on the other side five minutes later. Another sign flashed by, letting us know that Crown Point was two miles down the road.