Chapter 5 Mackenzie #2
“Well, I’m a Pisces. Pescatarian. I have two super annoying brothers, a BookTok account with ten followers, and I’m almost ninety-nine percent certain aliens walk among us.
You should see the lunch lady, she…” Jaz trailed off as she caught my confused expression.
“You’re talking about the school, aren’t you? ”
“I was.” I laughed. “But your views on extraterrestrial life sound far more interesting. What exactly makes you think the lunch lady is an alien?”
Jaz scanned the hall before lowering her voice and saying, “She never blinks, and I mean never.”
“Highly suspect,” I agreed with a smile. “And I know all about annoying siblings. I have an older brother who’s so perfect it hurts, and my two younger sisters are cute, but one of them can scream so loud I sometimes think she’s part dinosaur.”
“Oh, my older brother is the golden child too. He’s at college now. My younger brother’s a junior here. But Owen rarely screams.”
“Lucky,” I said. “Okay, what about the school? Just tell me the important stuff.”
“The important stuff?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Like, which of the cafeteria food is edible? Are there any places I should avoid? What are the other students like?” I had to hope this wasn’t a school filled with Parker Darlings.
Jaz laughed lightly. “Hmm, well, most of the cafeteria food is fine. Don’t go down the alley that runs along the east side of this building, unless you’re into weed. No judgement if you are, by the way.”
“I’m not,” I said with a laugh.
“And most of the students are good eggs.”
“And the others?”
“Some are a little scrambled,” she said, smiling. “But I’ve always liked my eggs slightly messy.”
Jaz showed me to my locker before taking me to our homeroom.
Along the way she pointed out things of interest like the library, the cafeteria, and classrooms I’d need to find later in the day.
It was impossible not to notice all the Ransom Devils posters papering the walls, too.
Most of the images were promoting the first game of the season this Friday night.
But there were also plenty of pictures showing Parker and his teammates in action.
Like I needed to see any more of his face.
As we entered homeroom, every student’s eyes darted my way.
I did my best to ignore the attention and resisted the urge to pull my sweatshirt lower.
I’d been conscious it was too long at first, but now I was wishing it would make me disappear entirely.
I kept my gaze on the teacher, trying to ignore the whispers and giggles my arrival had sparked.
“Mackenzie Foster?” he asked.
I nodded and silently prayed he wasn’t about to make me introduce myself in front of the class. Thankfully, he gestured toward some free seats near the back of the room.
“Welcome. I’m Mr. Green. It’s great to have you here; take a seat.”
I released a breath and rushed to the free chair he was gesturing to. A couple of girls were still giggling to each other as I went to sit in front of them. I preferred that to the guys whose eyes were lingering on my legs.
Jaz slumped into the seat at my side.
“I thought he was going to make me stand up front and tell everyone my life story,” I whispered.
“Oh, no, Mr. Green’s pretty cool,” Jaz replied. “He teaches art.”
He was still calling roll, and now that I looked a little closer, I noticed his fingers were covered in paint stains.
Art was my favorite subject, and my hands were also sporting a few marks from spending that morning working on a mural for my bedroom wall.
I hadn’t gotten too far with it yet, but I was eager to keep going.
“This is my friend, Isaac,” Jaz continued, leaning back so I could see the guy sitting on her other side. “Isaac, this is Kenzie.”
Isaac was hunched over a book on his desk, and as he lifted his head, he pushed his glasses up his nose. He wore a faded sci-fi tee under a zip-up hoodie, and as he met my gaze he gave me a welcoming smile. “Joining a new school midway through the semester,” he said. “Military family?”
“My dad’s the new hockey coach.”
“Ah.” He nodded.
Jaz gasped. “I should have known. We can’t believe Coach Ray’s gone, but your dad sounds like he’s a big deal. It’s all been kind of a shock though.”
“For me too,” I agreed.
“Jasmine Cleaver?” the teacher called.
“Here!” Jaz waved her hand in the air for emphasis.
Isaac laughed and shook his head before returning to his book. The thing was massive. I didn’t realize they made books that thick, and the writing looked tiny.
Jaz smirked when she caught my curious look. “It’s the Lord of the Rings trilogy,” she said. “I’ve lost count of how many times he’s read it.”
“You can’t count very high,” Isaac muttered without lifting his eyes from the book. “This is the fifth time.”
Movement at the door caught my attention and I glanced up to see someone leaning into the room. “Here, Mr. Green.”
My spine stiffened at the sight of Parker. I’d already crossed paths with him more than enough times since I got to Ransom; did we have to share the same homeroom too?
He seemed primed and ready to dart right back out the door, but his eyes flashed in my direction as if he sensed my loathing glare. His gaze dipped to my old Devils sweater and then my bare legs, and the corner of his lips twitched with amusement. Ass.
Thankfully, he quickly decided homeroom wasn’t for him and disappeared once more.
“Did you see Parker’s bruise?” I heard someone whisper behind me. “I wonder what happened.” It was one of the girls who had giggled at my outfit.
“Maybe he got in a fight,” her friend replied.
“Probably on the ice,” the first added.
The guy beside me brushed a hand through his blond hair before he leaned back to join their conversation. “Actually,” he said, “there was a fight last night, but it didn’t have anything to do with hockey.”
I couldn’t resist glancing behind me.
“What happened?” both the girls asked in unison, leaning forward in their chairs.
The blond guy lowered his voice. “Parker’s started a new fight club. You know, the sketchy underground basement kind. No gloves. No ref. No rules. Just a crowd yelling for blood.”
The girls gasped and I had to stop myself from spluttering out a laugh.
“The dude Parker was up against fought dirty, but our boy came out victorious. He might look a little rough today, but the other guy ended up much worse.”
What the hell was he talking about? I knew exactly how Parker got his bruise. Even if I didn’t, I never would have believed the story. The whole thing was ridiculous.
But one of the girls crooned, “Oh, poor Parker,” and the other one added, “He’s so brave.”
They both sounded well and truly under Parker’s spell. Noticing my confused expression, Jaz leaned in close and nodded to each girl as she whispered, “That’s Vanessa and Britt. They’re talking about Parker Darling.” As if that alone was enough explanation.
When my expression didn’t change, she continued. “He’s one of the Darling Devils.”
“The who?”
She looked startled for a second, as though she’d never heard the question before. But then she seemed to remember it was only my first day at this school.
“The Darling Devils,” she repeated. “The best hockey players Ransom High has ever had. Reed, Grayson, and Parker Darling.” She pursed her lips as she considered something.
“The older two graduated last year though, so I guess Parker’s just the Darling Devil now.
Anyway, that fight club story is one of the tamer rumors you’ll hear about him and his brothers. ”
The Darling Devil. Of course, Parker had a little nickname for himself, and an infamous reputation to go with it. No wonder he walked around like he owned this place. Even my punch hadn’t dented his image.
“Actually, you’re all wrong,” I said, unable to stop myself from turning to the girls and entering the gossip circle. “Parker has a black eye because he snuck up behind me in a parking lot last night and I punched him.”
The girls stared at me with equal amounts of confusion and horror.
“And you are?” one of them asked. I think it was Britt. There was a skeptical look in her eyes, like she’d already judged me and decided I wasn’t worthy.
“Mackenzie Foster,” I replied. “I’m new here.”
“Obviously,” the girl answered with a laugh. The way her eyes dipped to my loaner outfit made me feel like I’d shown up at school in a clown costume.
“Well, Mackenzie, I don’t know if you’re trying to be funny or what, but you don’t have to lie about Parker like that.
” It was Vanessa who spoke this time, and I knew immediately she was the one to watch out for.
There was a crafty intelligence in her eyes.
Combined with her dark silky hair and sultry beauty, I could easily picture her ruling over this school at Parker’s side.
I could also see she wouldn’t make a good enemy. So I simply shrugged and said, “Maybe, instead of gossiping, you should ask him what happened?”
Vanessa scoffed and turned back to her conversation with Britt. It seemed I’d been dismissed.
Jaz leaned over again. “Did you really punch Parker?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Like I said, he snuck up on me in the parking lot. It was dark. I thought he was about to mug me.”
“Oh, my God,” she laughed. “That’s hilarious. Although, I have to admit, I’m a little surprised a girl hasn’t punched him sooner.”
“Because he’s a total jerk?”
“He’s not a total jerk…”
“Because he’s a player?”
“I mean, he is, but that’s common knowledge. No one’s going to punch him when they know exactly what they’re getting into.”
“It has to be that annoying smirk of his then, right?”
She smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know how to explain it. He’s just Parker, I guess. You either want to kiss him or punch him. And most girls want to kiss him.”
“What about you?”
She laughed and shrugged. “Kiss, I suppose. But only so I could see what all the fuss is about. He’s definitely not my type.”
“What’s your type?”
I could have sworn her eyes darted toward Isaac. And I was certain his head lifted a fraction from his book.
But Jaz answered, “Fictional.”
“Fair enough,” I said with a laugh.
The bell rang and everyone jumped from their seats to file out of the room.
“Come on, I’ll show you to your first class,” Jaz said. “See you at lunch, Isaac.”
He gave us a wave, though he was still reading his book as he walked. I glanced at my schedule to find I had math next. The rocky start to my first day wasn’t getting any smoother.
As I left the room, the guy who had been spreading rumors about Parker fell in beside me.
“So, you’re the girl who punched Parker,” he said, smiling broadly. “I’m Seth.”
I was beginning to understand why Ransom had such a bad reputation. The guys here were all too good-looking and intent on causing trouble.
“You knew I punched him?”
“Oh yeah. I’ve heard a lot about you, Mackenzie.”
Seeing as the only person I knew in this town was Parker, I could only assume Seth already had a terrible opinion of me.
“You play hockey, right?” he went on. “Goaltender?”
His comment took me off guard. Parker had told him that? It was the last thing I’d expect him to know. My goalie days were over, and I never really spoke about it with anyone except Max.
“Uh, not anymore,” I muttered. “And don’t change the subject. If you knew the truth about what happened last night, why’d you tell those girls that story about the fight club?”
“Just trying to help out a friend,” Seth said. “Parker’s got a reputation to uphold. Although, it’s kind of difficult when you immediately debunk my carefully crafted rumors.”
“Parker’s reputation is not my problem.”
“It is if you don’t want the whole school to think you’re crazy.”
“I’m not crazy. He really did sneak up on me.”
“That’s not how they’ll see it,” he replied. “Parker has a very dedicated fandom.”
Perfect. I’d picked a fight with the popular playboy hockey star and was destined to be a pariah at my new school after only one morning.
“Leave her alone, Seth,” Jaz said, coming to my rescue. She tucked her arm through mine. “We’ve got to get to class.”
“Well, it was nice to officially meet you, Mackenzie. You’re welcome at the fight club anytime.” With a wink, he turned and strode away.
I sighed. “I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut.”
“Are you kidding?” Jaz laughed. “Please don’t. I haven’t had this much fun at school before the first class all year.”
“I only just got here, and I’ve already got a growing list of new enemies.”
“I always say you’re not doing life right if you don’t step on a few toes.”
“What about punching hockey players on the nose?”
She laughed. “Yeah, that might not be the smartest thing to do at Ransom High. But personally I’m fully in favor of it. Come on, let’s get you to math.”