Chapter 42
“Hales! Come on or we’re going to be late!” I yell down the hall for the third time.
We have to leave twenty minutes earlier than usual in order to arrive at Highland High on time.
Daniel tried to be cute by packing us paper bag lunches this morning and leaving little sticky notes on each one: Have fun at school today.
Love you, Daniel. He had a meeting with Mr. Montgomery at seven, so was gone by the time I finished getting dressed.
Shuffling noises come down the hall and Hailey finally appears, looking grumpy. But I expected that. Neither one of us is excited about being new students at Highland.
“You look nice,” I tell her, and she snorts at me.
She’s wearing black skinny jeans, ankle boots, and a dark pink, long-sleeved off the shoulder sweater with a black tank top underneath.
She recently cut her hair in a long, angled bob that brushes her shoulders, and I am proud to say that she dyed the tips of her hair purple, similar to the way I have mine tinted pink. I absolutely love it.
“This really, truly, absolutely sucks,” she grumbles as she makes herself a coffee.
“I know it does.”
I heft by school bag up onto my shoulder and wonder why it feels so light before I remember that I’ll be getting new textbooks today. At least Highland has the same classes I was taking at Fallen Brook, so it won’t be that much of a change with the exception of having new teachers.
Hailey snorts again. “Seriously?” she says, seeing the packed lunches sitting on the counter. She reads the note Daniel left her and smiles.
“He’s trying, Hales.” We’ve talked about Daniel’s sudden decision to transfer us to Highland ad nauseum for the past two days.
“I know.” She grabs two cinnamon bagels, holding one between her teeth, and motions at me that she’s ready to go.
As soon as we walk out onto the front porch, we both stop. Hailey almost drops the bagel from her mouth, but I’m all goofy smiles when I see Jayson, Julien, Meredith, and Trevor standing on our front walkway. My friends are the best.
“Couldn’t let you leave for Highland without a proper send-off,” Meredith says.
“S’up, Wildcat,” Trevor says to Hailey, and she blushes like mad, taking the bagel out of her mouth.
“Hey, Trevor,” she quietly replies.
Trevor loves giving people nicknames. He calls me Ace. He started calling Hailey Wildcat a couple of weeks ago since she likes to wear her favorite CU Wildcat fleece hoodie instead of a jacket when it’s chilly outside.
I lock the front door, and Hailey and I join everybody on the front lawn. Hugs and fist bumps are given. From everyone’s red noses, they must have been standing out here for a while waiting for us.
Meredith shoves something small and cylindrical into my hand. “This is for you.”
Looking at it with a confused expression, I start laughing. “Pepper spray?”
“No. It’s Marshall repellant. See?” That has me laughing even harder. She has glued a picture of Marshall’s face with a big red X through it onto the bottle. Meredith hands one to Hailey.
Jayson and Julien sandwich me between them in a twin hug. “Anything happens, you text us and Fallon,” Jayson tells me. I nod.
“We mean it,” Julien adds.
It’s then I realize Elijah isn’t here. “Where’s E?”
“He’s going to meet you in the student lot and walk you both in.”
As Hailey and I get into my Hellcat to leave, Jayson pops over to the open driver’s side door and bends over so we are eye to eye. “You good this morning?”
“Baby gummy and I are just fine. I didn’t throw up this morning, so yay.” I do jazz hands in celebration.
“Jules and I will drop by after our practices end this afternoon. But make sure to text me at lunch,” he says and points to Hailey. “Be good, squirt.” She gives him a comical expression and sticks her tongue out at him.
We wave bye to everyone as we back out of the driveway, but I notice that Jayson and Julien follow us most of the way in the truck. Everybody is going a wee bit overboard this morning. That thought is reenforced when I pull into the Highland High senior lot.
“I swear, you and your boy harem,” Hailey says when she sees Fallon with Elijah
I pull into a space at the very end of the lot away from all the other cars. “Would you stop calling them that,” I tell her.
“If they walk like ducks and talk like ducks, it’s a boy harem.”
She giggles when I smack her arm. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
My door opens before I can do it, and Fallon reaches for my hand. I give him a generous eye roll but accept the chivalrous gesture.
“That just proves my point,” Hailey singsongs as she gets out before I can clap back. Elijah jogs over and takes Hailey’s backpack, intent on carrying it for her. They argue over that for a second before she gives in.
“Why am I not surprised to see you here this morning?” I say to Fallon, then look over the top of my car at Elijah and wave. “Hey, E.”
“Hey, Liz. I’m going to walk Hailey in and get her checked in at the front office. You’ll need to do the same.”
I give him a thumbs up and blow a kiss to Hailey. “Send me a screenshot of your class schedule when you get it,” I remind her.
Turning back to Fallon, I notice he’s dressed again in what I call his work attire: dark-colored dress pants and a light blue dress shirt with a dark blue tie that coordinates nicely. The man seems to defy the cold because I never see him wear a winter jacket.
Fallon closely inspects me, and I know exactly what he’s looking for. Seeing Ryder yesterday was brutal in a way that felt like someone had reached inside my chest and yanked out my still-beating heart.
The guys left me alone for the day, knowing I would need some down time. Shocked the heck out of me that they were all able to do that. I did get a round of texts saying good night, and Julien sent me a funny video of him and Elijah doing some TikTok dance challenge
“I’m good,” I reply. “I read to him. It felt bizarrely familiar.”
Fallon shifts so he’s standing in front of me. “How so?” he asks, brushing back my hair behind my shoulder. He’s been touching me in little ways like that recently. Ever since the New Year’s Eve kiss.
“Ryder and I used to read to each other. We haven’t done that in a long time.
It just had me reminiscing about how things used to be before it all got screwed up.
Sometimes I wish I never crossed that line from friendship to more with Jayson and Ryder.
It just messed everything up between the three of us.
Does that sound bad?” I ask him, looking up.
Because thinking it makes me feel bad. I love those boys with everything I have in me.
I would never change one single thing about the time we’ve shared together.
All my firsts with Jayson, and then with Ryder.
I reach down and rub my stomach. If those events hadn’t happened, this baby wouldn’t exist. But if I was being completely honest, I do miss the close friendship we used to share as a group.
Simpler, happier times when it was just me, Jayson, Ryder, and Julien—the best-est of friends.
Fallon’s only response to my question is a sad half-smile of understanding.
Not ready to go into the school building yet, I rest back against my SRT and watch as several cars arrive and park.
It’s amazing to see the difference between Highland and Fallen Brook.
Highland students are from more upper middle class and wealthy families, whereas Fallen Brook has a majority of more working-class families.
Beemers and Mercedes are a rarity to see parked in the Fallen Brook High student lots.
As I people-watch, I notice how nicely dressed everyone is.
I look down at my stressed jeans, boots, and wool coat.
It’s nothing fancy, more comfortable than anything.
I also don’t see any other girls who have colorfully dyed hair.
I’m going to stick out like a pink neon sign that says: I don’t belong here.
And who’s to say that I won’t receive the same bullying and pranks once everyone finds out that I’m pregnant?
Fallon being here is already garnering attention.
I swear, even though he doesn’t go to school here anymore, it seems like everyone knows who he is.
I’ve already caught several girls staring dreamily at him from afar, and a few guys have elbowed each other as they’ve said his name.
Speaking of bullies, I groan internally when I see Marshall’s Camaro pull in. He and a younger version of himself get out of the car.
“Who’s that?” I ask Fallon.
“Marshall’s younger brother, Austin.”
Great, there are two of them now. I’ve never seen Austin before at the Fields with Marshall, so I had no clue that he had a brother.
Austin takes off at a jog toward the school, but Marshall stops when some guy comes over and talks to him.
He points in our direction and Marshall’s eyes turn our way.
Awesome. Just what I need this morning. I go ramrod rigid when he heads our way. Fallon reaches down and takes my hand.
“Fallon,” Marshall greets him warily, then gazes at me quizzically, more than likely wondering why I’m here. And now it’s become an awkward stare-off between me, Fallon, and Marshall
“I don’t know why you’re here,” he tells me. “But I’m kind of glad that you are. I wanted to apologize.”
Say what now? I think my jaw hits the gravel parking lot. First Jacinda, and now Marshall?
“She goes here now,” Fallon states, and I can hear the silent warning he gives Marshall.
The last time I saw Marshall was at the Fields. Fallon beat the mess out of him after he attacked Ryder and accidentally rammed into me, which resulted in an ER visit and my secret being exposed to Ryder.
Marshall rubs the back of his neck, looking down at his feet, before he asks me, “You okay? Jacinda said you were.
“I thought you were back with Maria.”
His eyes widen and his face screws up in disgust. “Hell no. I may act like a dumb idiot but I’m not that stupid. I figured out too late what she was up to. I, uh…” He looks away again. “I went by to see Ryder at the hospital the other day.”
Now I’ve lost all brain function. Who is this person? Because it’s definitely not the Marshall I know. The troublemaker who thrives on chaos. They guy who threatened to punch me in the face last year. The person who hurt Julien on purpose during a soccer game.
Marshall looks as uncomfortable as I feel as he stumbles on what to say to me. Fallon’s death glare at him isn’t making things easier, and I can clearly see the sweat beading on Marshall’s forehead.
“Look, I just wanted to say sorry,” he says.
I’m not going to tell him thank you, or that we’re all good now. Those would be complete lies.
“If I hear that anything, and I mean anything, happens to her while she’s here, I’m holding you personally responsible,” Fallon threatens him. “And I guaran-damn-tee you that what I do next will be far worse than me kicking your ass. Got me?”
This is Fallon’s dark side coming out. But it’s a part of him that I’ve come to appreciate.
“Understood,” Marshall replies and looks at me one last time before he turns around and walks off.
Fallon straightens up, still gripping my fingers in one hand and carrying my bag in the other. “Let’s get you to class, kitten.”