Chapter 7 #3
Her eyes remain wide as she bobs her head up and down. Then she flicks a dirty look at her brother. “You seriously need to be more careful when you’re driving, River. I know you like to race, but save it for the track.”
The muscle in his jaw ticks. “Okay, I’ll try.”
“Not try. Do,” she stresses firmly. With that, she turns away from him. “One of the movers delivered a box of yours to my room by mistake. Let me grab it.” She walks away and into her room.
River immediately hisses, “Why the hell did you lie to her?”
I lift my brow. “Why the hell did you lie to her? Because I was just rolling with your lie.”
His eyes darken. “You didn’t have to add the part about the car.”
“And you didn’t have to lie to her in the first place,” I quip. “So, maybe you should just tell her the truth.”
“I don’t want her knowing I was in jail,” he stresses while fiddling with his tie.
“Why?” I wonder curiously.
“Because,” is all he says. Then he shifts his weight, giving me a once-over. “Why are you even here, anyway?”
“Why are you here?” I throw back at him.
He stares at me for a beat. “Because my father forced me to go.”
“Well, I didn’t get forced by anyone to go here,” I tell him.
“And I’m sure you can put two and two together and figure out that I’m a scholarship student, considering I’m pretty sure you overheard my conversation on the phone with my mother about my finances.
” I know he did because he and Finn looked at me with pity in their eyes after I was done, which is daunting right now since he appears only to be annoyed with me.
“How did you get the scholarship?” he asks. “That’s not typical for here. Usually, they don’t even allow that sort of thing.”
His comment irks me, as if I shouldn’t be allowed to go here.
“Oh, you know, I did the normal thing any northside girl does to get what she wants,” I say in a sugary-sweet tone.
“I slept with a bunch of rich dudes until I could convince one to pay my tuition. It was really exhausting, let me tell you, because I had to wait around for all of that Viagra to kick in.”
He gives me a dumb sort of look that is so gratifying. Then, as an extra bonus, his sister returns then, so the conversation ends on that note.
“Here’s your box.” She presents it to him as if handing him a Christmas present.
A few items are sticking out of it. They appear to be trophies with a metal running man at the top.
Wait … Is River a runner?
Ugh, does that mean if I make the cross-country team, I’ll have to see him on a daily basis? Blah, even if he is cute. Then again, he’s my roommate’s brother, so crossing paths with him will be inevitable.
He frowns at the box. “I don’t know why Mom thinks I need to bring my trophies to school.”
“Maybe as a reminder of how awesome you are?” she suggests with a shrug.
“Doubtful,” he mutters, and I sense some tension in that statement. Shaking his head, he clears his expression and focuses on his sister. “Don’t be late for orientation.” He flicks a glance at me before leaving the room.
Lily huffs out a dramatic breath before turning to me. “Sorry about that. He can be so moody sometimes.”
“No worries.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“No. Sometimes I wish I did, though.”
“I wouldn’t wish that hard,” she informs me. “Okay, well, maybe having siblings isn’t so bad, but having three older brothers sucks big time.”
“You have three older brothers?” I ask with wide eyes.
She bobs her head up and down. “Yep. River, River’s twin, Finn, and then I have a stepbrother, Noah, who’s the same age as my brothers.”
“Seriously?” I ask, and she nods. “And you’re only a year younger than your brothers?”
She nods again and shifts her weight. “Things were kind of crazy when we were younger. I felt bad for our nanny.”
I was my own nanny growing up, but I’m not about to share that with her.
“I bet.” As the weight of my bags begins to cause my shoulder to ache, I shift my weight. “So, what’s this about an orientation?”
“It’s a thing we’re required to go to. Basically, from what I understand, it’ll be an hour of listening to the dean yammer about how amazing this academic year will be and the standards we’re supposed to uphold. She’ll also give information on clubs and sports.”
“Really?” I perk up at that.
“Are you interested in something?”
“Cross-country and track. I had a scholarship to the Royal City Community College.” I pause, debating whether to tell her I lost that, but then decide against it.
She seems nice enough and everything, but I barely know her.
And I have trust issues—I’ve known that for a while.
“But then I got the scholarship here, and this is a way better school.”
“Is it?” she mumbles then puts a smile back on her face.
“Well, you’re in luck because we have one of the best coaches in the country.
River was actually on the team last year.
He’s been running since he was a kid.” An odd look crosses her face, almost as if the memory makes her sad, but why?
“But, anyway, River’s on the cross country and track teams, and Finn is the quarterback for the football team.
Sports here are highly competitive, but maybe I could ask one of them to give you some pointers. ”
“Maybe.” I pause. “I think I should probably ask Finn, though.”
Her head angles to the side. “Have you met him?”
I nod. “And he seems nicer than River. No offense. I know he’s your brother.”
“River’s intense, I know. And I get that he can be an asshole, but he has it rough.” She pulls a whoops face, as if she didn’t mean to say that aloud. “But, if you can become his friend, he’s a ride-or-die kind of person.”
A ride-or-die kind of person, huh? Doesn’t seem like he is, but what the heck do I know? I barely have any friends.
“Okay, I’ll try to see past the assholery,” I assure, but deep down, I doubt I’ll be able to.
She smiles. “Awesome … If you want to get ready for orientation, we can walk there together, if you want.”
“Sounds good.” I make my way over to the door that leads to my bedroom, half my mind on the idea of asking River for help and the other half stuck on what I overheard about the attire requirement for this orientation thing. Should I change? Do I even own anything nice?
My thoughts laugh at me. What am I going to wear? My nice pair of jeans?
“Holy crap,” I whisper at the sight of probably the nicest room I’ve ever stepped foot in.
As soon as my foot steps into my new room, all my attention gets locked in on the space before me—purple and black wallpaper, a crystal chandelier, a four-poster bed decorated with an amount of velvety pillows no one in the world would ever need.
The floor is partially covered with a rug, a dresser in the corner, and a fireplace is on the farthest wall. It also has a closet and bathroom.
I let my bags fall to the floor with a thump as I enter further and turn in a circle, taking everything in—the photos on the wall, the crown painted on the arched ceiling, and the window with a view of the land, forest, paths, and statues, along with a massive, shiny domed stadium where the track is slightly visible.
I exhale a breath as I stare out at it. I always dreamed of running on the track team in college. I just need to make the team. I’ll admit I looked up PR times for last year, and I have my work cut out of me.
I might end up getting desperate enough to ask for River’s help. Whether he will or not is an entirely different story. Plus, could he even help me that much? He did have trophies in that box, but still …
I dig out my phone and pull up the PR list online. Then I search for his name, and my jaw nearly bitch-slaps the floor.
Yep, he could help me. At least he’s fast enough that he probably has some pointers.
“Good God, that’s fast.” I stare at his records for a while before pocketing my phone. Then I head to my bags so I can unpack.
Ten minutes later, I have everything put away, and it’s clear the closet has too much space for my stuff.
Still, I feel this weird sensation in my chest, almost as if I could be happy, maybe, just maybe.
Then my phone buzzes, and I’m reminded that while I might have temporarily left northside, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been part of me for my entire life.
Hannah: Hey, babe. I’m still on the road trip, but Will heard a rumor that Drew is looking for you and that there’s a whisper put out on you. Please tell me you’re okay.
I grit my teeth as I read the text. A whisper is a discreet word northside uses to let everyone know a bounty has been put on someone.
It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to kill me, but it won’t be pretty if they catch me.
In fact, I know what they will do—they’ll beat me up then probably make me either sell drugs or whore myself out to pay for what my father’s done.
Suddenly, I’m even more grateful to be at the academy because, besides the people involved in my scholarship, no one else knows where I am.
I chew on my thumbnail as worry stirs inside me. What if someone does find out? I don’t see how they would, but it could happen.
Just take a deep breath, Maddy. If you can get through your childhood, you can get through this.
I send Hannah a reply.
Me: I’m good. Just hiding out for a while. I’ll keep you posted.
Hannah: I’m so glad. I was so worried. If you need anything, please ask. I know it’s not your style, but I want to help.
I won’t ask her for help because it’s not my style, and it’s not her style either.
Hannah is wild as hell, and I’m not. To be honest, I think part of the reason we still talk to each other is because we’ve been friends since we were kids.
We’re not close anymore, haven’t been since she started dating Will, who’s a total wanna-be badass. It’s so annoying.
“Hey.” Lily pokes her head into her room, startling me.
“I don’t want to interrupt your unpacking or anything, but I wanted to see if maybe you needed help picking out something to wear.
” She crosses her arms. “I mean, you can totally wear what you have on, but I’d feel like the worst roommate ever if I didn’t let you in on the unsaid dress code for these types of things.
It’s never required to dress a specific way to events.
However, we’ll be judged—we’re always judged. ”
“Thanks for the tip.” I stand up and toss my phone onto my bed. “I’m not a nice outfit sort of girl, so I don’t know if I have anything, but I’ll see what I can find.”
I step into the closet and start sifting through the clothes that I hung up. “I have a dress,” I call out. “But that’s about it.”
“Can I see it?”
“Sure.” I exit the closet with the plaid, thin-strapped dress in my hands. It reaches just above my knees, but the top shows a lot of skin. “I’m not sure if it’ll work or not.”
“It’s super cute, but …” She taps her finger against her lip. “Maybe if you wore a fitted T-shirt underneath it? Do you have one?”
“I have a black one.”
“That’ll look so cute.”
“Am I trying to look cute?”
“Cute and classy.”
Her outfit does fit into those categories.
“What about tights?” she asks, assessing the dress as if she’s visualizing the finished outfit.
I shake my head. “Nah, I don’t own any. Never have.”
“Really?” Her eyes widen as I shake my head again. She considers this then asks, “Do you want to borrow a pair of mine?”
Tights sound like an awful, itchy thing to wear, but again, I want to attempt to do well here, so I nod and tell her, “Sure. Thanks.”
Her smile widens, and then she exits the room. A moment later, she returns with a pair of knee-high tights. Then she leaves so I can change.
The outfit is cute, but I feel odd, like I’m playing dress-up. So, I decide to slip my leather jacket on. While I want to fit in, I don’t want to lose my identity.
I am who I am, and it’s something I’ve always lived by.
I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass.