Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Copper Mountain was a regular public high school. That was new for me. My old high school had been a private school for entitled rich kids. Copper Mountain sort of had the same feel as my old school, and I had no doubt the students would be the same, too, with their cliques and crap.
I should have been attending college right now—been done with all the drama high school entailed. However, the universe had chosen a different road for me to take. A longer, harder road, where most days I found it paved with broken glass and I was forced to walk it without shoes.
I pulled into the student parking lot. I was a little early, so the lot was pretty empty. Right away, I noticed Colt standing by his navy blue Dodge Charger. Last night, he had texted me that he’d be waiting for me by it. He gave me a little wave and I parked a few spots over from him. Grabbing my backpack, I hopped out. Colt walked over and his eyes widened as I came out from between the cars.
“Uh… hi,” I said shyly. Did my outfit look terrible?
“You’re really beautiful,” he blurted and rubbed the back of his neck as if embarrassed.
My cheeks flushed. No one other than my parents and my sister had said that to me before. I didn’t know how to handle it. My first instinct was to shy away by looking down. I resisted the urge. Be cool. Compliments are supposed to be flattering, not make you uncomfortable.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
His expression became pensive, like I’d done something he found interesting or strange. The side of his mouth began to twitch but he quickly covered it up by clearing his throat. “Are you ready for the tour?” he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets of his ripped jeans.
I tried not to stare at how nicely his dark blue T-shirt hugged his broad chest and muscled arms. I wondered if he played sports to be that fit. It took effort but I was able to avert my gaze before I got caught and gave the wrong impression. Colt was being a nice neighbor by showing me around and I was only looking for friendship. I nodded, then dug through my bag for my schedule and held it out to him. “Can you show me where my classes are, please?”
He took my schedule to look it over and we made our way out of the parking lot toward the school’s entrance. “We have a few classes together. AP English, calculus, and gym. Creed shares a few classes with us too and he’s in your art class.”
“I’m guessing Creed is your walking, talking carbon copy?”
That made him chuckle. “Yeah, he’s my twin.”
Hearing him say the word twin had me reaching for Shayla’s cuff. One day, when I came across moments like this that reminded me of her, it wouldn’t hurt so much. I hoped that day came soon. Until then I needed to keep moving forward.
Colt showed me where all my classes were and where my locker was. The halls were quickly filling up with other students. Walking through them, I noticed quite a bit of students staring. A lot of girls smiled at Colt. Not that I could blame them. And I received a few curious glances.
“Colt!” someone yelled, catching our attention. Colt and I paused in the hall and turned. A guy with raven, slicked-back hair and light green eyes was heading toward us. The guy had football player written all over him and it wasn’t just the letterman’s jacket that gave him away. This guy was tall and definitely drank the Kool-Aid at the gym. “There you are. What’s up, man?” he said to Colt. They greeted each other by doing that handshake hug thing guys do. “I saw Creed outside. He said you ditched him for some chi—” He stopped talking when his stare moved to me and his green eyes did a slow perusal from my head to my toes before he plastered on a charming smile I was sure he used on all the girls. “Well, hello, gorgeous. You must be new?”
Oh, jeez.
I tilted my head slightly and smirked. “What was your first clue?”
The jock’s brows shot up in surprise and Colt laughed. “Shiloh’s immune to your charm, dude. Just be nice and introduce yourself or she’ll chew you up and spit you out before you even know what’s happening.”
I folded my arms under my breasts. “I’m not that bad,” I mumbled, making Colt laugh some more.
The jock looked back and forth between us before he plastered on that charming smile again. “I’m Ethan. Football god, who not only scores touchdowns on the field but also in the bedroom,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Colt groaned, shaking his head at his friend’s antics.
At first all I could do was blink at Ethan. Then my head fell back, laughing. He was too much. “Nice to meet you, Football God. I’m Shiloh.”
After our unforgettable introduction, the three of us fell into friendly conversation, which mostly consisted of them asking me questions. I told them I was from Alaska, even though I was really from Maryland. They asked me why I had moved here, and I came up with a lame excuse that I wanted to escape the cold when really, I’d closed my eyes and pointed at a map of the U.S. and my finger had just happened to land on Arizona.
“Do you like football?” Ethan asked.
As I was about to answer, a group of students approached, made up of a few of Ethan’s fellow letterman jacket-wearing jocks, a couple of pretty girls clinging to their arms, and Colt’s twin, Creed. My eyes immediately locked with Creed’s. Him and Colt were mirror images of each other apart from a few subtle differences. Creed’s pale blond hair was shorter than Colt’s and styled into a faux hawk. Creed’s demeanor was guarded, stone-like, where Colt seemed softer, friendly. I looked back and forth between the two of them and began to feel that overwhelming sadness again.
Shayla.
I wondered if they had the same connection she and I’d had? Like a part of your soul walking this earth alongside you. I had always been able to feel when she had been close or if she had been upset.
Locking eyes with Creed again, I fought internally to push back my turmoil. His eyes intensely bored into mine as if he could see right through me and see my pain. Feeling exposed, I looked away. I thought I heard someone say something, but the bell rang, and everyone dispersed toward their classes except for Creed, Colt, and me. They both stood there watching me.
“Shiloh?”
I glanced up at Colt. He was at least a foot taller than my five-foot, four-inch height. “Huh?”
He got that pensive look again.
“Sorry. I got lost in my thoughts. What did you say?” I asked.
“It’s alright. This is my brother, Creed,” Colt introduced.
I forced myself to look back at Creed with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Creed. I’m Shiloh, your new neighbor.”
Creed’s stare hardened. “I know. Your bedroom window is next to mine. You’ve woken me up every night since you moved in with your screaming.”
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. Logan had said he would’ve been surprised if my screaming hadn’t woken the neighbors. I hadn’t known I was screaming from my nightmares every night, though.
“I…” How did I respond to that?
Colt bristled. “Really, Creed?”
“I’ll do my best not to disturb your sleep anymore,” I said and walked away, eyes glued to the checkered laminate floor.
AP English was my first class of the day. I stepped into the classroom with a minute to spare and took a seat at an empty desk. Colt and Creed drifted in just before the final bell rang. Colt scanned the room until he spotted me and headed over, claiming the desk next to mine to my right. He gave me a small smile, which I returned with my own.
Creed slowly moved through the room, looking around for an empty desk. There was only one desk left unclaimed and it was the one directly behind mine. With a bored look, he walked past Colt and me and sat down behind me. Sitting ramrod straight, I battled the temptation to glance over my shoulder.
Our teacher started handing out stacks of papers with the class syllabus on them to everyone in the front row. I took one and turned in my seat to hand the rest to Creed. His fingers brushed mine as he went to take them, making my eyes jump to his. He was already staring at me. His gaze didn’t waver from mine as he took a syllabus and held the rest over his shoulder. Unable to look away, I felt like a fly caught in a spider’s web.
Saving me from making a fool of myself, the teacher pulled our attention by asking the class, “Who would like to read the first paragraph of the syllabus?”
With burning cheeks, I turned forward in my seat. Staring down at my syllabus, I read along without comprehending a single word. I felt strange. My heart was racing, and I was anxious but in an exciting way. I couldn’t tell if I liked it.
I took a deep breath, an attempt to calm myself.
Colt leaned close. “You okay?” he whispered.
I nodded. My nerves had settled a little and I did my best to focus on the rest of class. I was hyper-aware of Creed sitting behind me and Colt sitting next to me, too. Suffice to say, my body was incredibly stiff by the end of class. When the bell rang, I bolted to my feet and almost groaned at the pleasure of being able to move.
The twins followed me out of class. Once out in the hall, Creed went to the left and Colt and I went right. Colt was sweet enough to walk with me to my next class before heading to his own. Ethan the Football God was in my next class, biology, and insisted I sit by him. I did and for most of the class he talked to me any chance he got. Despite being an unapologetic flirt, he was actually a nice guy. He made me laugh, which was something I hadn’t done in a long time.
Lunch time rolled around, and I looked for Colt in the cafeteria. In calculus, he’d asked me to sit with him and his friends. I scanned the huge cafeteria. Students were already congregating at the tables and getting in line for food. I usually brought my own lunch. I’d been so nervous this morning, I’d completely forgotten it in my fridge.
I pulled my phone out from the pocket of my dress, getting ready to text Colt. A hand came down on my shoulder. Startled, I jumped, then turned, finding Colt and Creed standing behind me.
Colt gave me a sheepish smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I stuffed my phone back in my pocket. “It’s alright. I was getting ready to text you.”
He pointed his thumb at Creed. “This one likes to take his time.”
Creed rolled his eyes and walked away toward the lunch line.
We followed him. “Ignore him,” Colt said, tilting his head at his brother. “He’s an asshole to everyone until he deems them worthy. He takes after our brother Knox in that regard, except Knox never finds anyone worthy.”
“I can hear you,” Creed said over his shoulder.
Colt looked at his brother. “And?”
Creed didn’t respond.
“Knox is your oldest brother, right?” I asked.
Colt nodded.
“I’ve met him. He didn’t seem as bad as…” I snapped my mouth shut before I could say more.
Colt snorted and Creed turned around with an ominous smirk. “Bad as what? Me?”
Getting a little tired of his attitude, I squared my shoulders. “Yes.”
He appeared surprised yet delighted by my honesty. “How long did you interact with Knox?”
“Briefly,” I answered. “And during those brief interactions it didn’t escape my notice that he had a prickly personality. But at least he wasn’t an outright jerk.”
“Ah, you think I don’t like you,” Creed said with a look of understanding. “Why, because I said you keep me up at night?” He moved up in the line where the trays to collect your lunch were. He grabbed one and held it out to me. “I don’t know you enough to dislike you, but I don’t know you well enough to like you either. As for this morning, I was tired and I’m not nice to anyone when I’m tired.”
Half of me felt guilty and the other half wanted to snap at him for making assumptions about me. At odds over what to do, I said nothing, and I took the tray from him.
He looked at Colt, who had been quiet during mine and Creed’s exchange. “Happy? I made up with our hot screaming neighbor.”
Colt sighed as Creed turned to grab a tray for himself. “I was until you ruined it by putting your foot back into your mouth.”
I snorted. They were polar opposites. Like Shayla and me. The thought sobered me, and I chastised myself for constantly comparing us to them. I had to stop doing that. Colt was sort of becoming my friend. I wouldn’t be able to be his friend if every time I looked at him and Creed, I became overwhelmed with sadness. So no more.
The food here was set up kind of like a buffet. I pointed at what I wanted from the different selections laid out under the glass cover and the cafeteria lady piled it onto a plate. I chose a pre-made sandwich, a bag of carrots, and a water bottle.
“Thank you so much for sticking with me today,” I said to Colt. “I’ve never had to start somewhere new and alone before.”
“No problem. How are you liking it so far?” Colt asked.
“So far it’s been alright.” I’m not looking forward to gym.
“Why? Don’t you go running every morning?” Colt asked, making me realize I had said my thoughts out loud.
I bit my bottom lip nervously. I didn’t want to lie but I didn’t want to tell him the truth either. “Uh… stupid reasons.”
Thankfully, he let it go. We paid for our food and I followed them over to a table Ethan and a few others were already sitting at.
“Shiloh!” Ethan shouted my name when he saw me walking toward their table.
Startled, I jumped, almost flinging everything on my tray in the air. My cheeks burned. Pretty much everyone in the entire cafeteria looked my way. I had the urge to hide and I inadvertently ducked partly behind Creed, who happened to be closest. He peered over his shoulder at me as I fixated on the sleeve of his black T-shirt while trying to reel in my embarrassment. I didn’t like having this much attention. Shayla had been a magnet for it. I’d always liked to fly under the radar.
“Ethan, cool it, man,” Colt said.
Ethan looked from Colt to me. He took in my flushed appearance and chuckled.
I was determined to put myself out there a little more to make friendships. In order to do that, I’d need to get past my insecurities. I exhaled before squaring my shoulders and walking out from behind Creed to set my tray down on the table across from where Ethan sat.
“You don’t like to be the center of attention, do you, Shiloh?” he teased as I sat down. Colt took a seat on my left and surprisingly, Creed sat in the seat on my right.
“No,” I answered honestly.
“I think I need to move to Alaska,” Ethan said.
One of his jock friends snorted and asked him why.
“Because I think that’s where the rest of the girls as adorable as Shiloh are hiding.”
“Not everyone likes to be the center of attention,” I said as I opened my sandwich.
All of them either snorted or snickered while shaking their heads.
“You clearly haven’t met any of the girls here,” Creed grumbled next to me before he took a bite of his own sandwich.
“Nothing but a bunch of shallow, self-absorbed bitches, but at least they’re hot,” said one of Ethan’s jock buddies.
“You better not be talking about us.”
Everyone’s attention snapped to a girl standing at the end of the table with two other girls flanking her. It only took a quick glance to know which clique these girls belonged to. It was the aura they gave off and the fact that they were pretty, confident, and instantly looking down their noses at me. They of course dressed to look sexy with their midriffs showing, low cut shirts, and shorts so short they should have been sent to the principal’s office for dress code violations.
Even though they weren’t giving me friendly looks, I tried to remind myself not to judge. Kill with kindness. It would be nice to have a friend who was a girl.
“Why? Were your ears ringing, Cassy?” Creed asked, his voice sounding cold.
The brunette, Queen B front and center, who I assumed was Cassy, glared at Creed. “You didn’t think that way when we were together this summer. Why the change of heart?” she asked. Her eyes shifted to me. “Who’s your little friend, Creed? She’s not exactly your type, or yours for that matter, Colt. A little too innocent looking for the Stone brothers.”
“Shut up, Cassy,” Colt snapped, sounding beyond annoyed.
“She’s not my friend,” Creed corrected in a bored tone that drew everyone’s attention. He scooped up his bottle of water and without even bothering to look in Cassy’s direction he said, “As for my type, an easy lay over the summer isn’t either,” and then took a drink.
Ethan whistled. “Ouch.”
Cassy’s face molded into a scowl before she stormed away.
Creed’s aquamarine’s eyes met mine. “That’s what it looks like when I don’t like someone.”
“Noted,” I said.