Chapter 2
two
Dylan
I approach Banton High’s welcoming brick facade with a wide grin and a spring in my step. I’m probably the only kid my age excited for the first day of school.
Not so much because of classes, though I don’t dread them the way Cat does. The end of summer also means an end to my soul-sucking schedule at the Red Rocket. I don’t know how Mom can stay sane after eight hours or more of bending over backward to appease unreasonable diners.
As if you’ve left her much of a choice.
My steps falter, my gut churning. So much for my good mood.
A familiar voice calls out to me, and I shove down my guilt, plastering on a smile as I turn to face my three best friends. “Hey guys! What’s up?”
“The sky,” Alexis replies cheerfully. She’s wearing her usual knee-length navy skirt along with a long-sleeved white blouse.
The conservative outfit probably would’ve looked uptight if not for her serene smile and colorful beret.
“Also, heaven,” she adds with a wince and a significant glance upward.
She makes the sign of the cross. “Sorry, God. Didn’t mean to forget about You. ”
“I’m sure He’ll forgive you, Lex,” Cat says, rolling her eyes. “Isn’t that what He’s all about—forgiveness and shit?”
Cat’s almost the complete opposite of Alexis.
She wears a black shirt with the name of some metal band I’ve never heard of emblazoned across the front.
No doubt she’d try to force me to listen to them if I gave her the chance, but I’ve spent enough lunchtimes cringing through roaring guitars and screaming singers to know better.
“Of course,” Alexis replies. “But it’s the thought that counts.”
Cat snorts and flicks her gaze skyward as Robbie steps up silently beside her. “Well, in that case, I really hope the big guy doesn’t judge me too harshly for some of my more sinful thoughts.”
The corners of Alexis’ lips quirk. “If I were you, I’d be less worried about what those thoughts will mean to ‘the big guy’ and more about what they say about you.”
Cat gives Alexis a fond grin. “Touché.” Her grin morphs to a scowl as she turns to me. “Where the hell have you been all summer? I feel like we’ve barely seen you. Living the high life without us?”
“I wish,” I sigh, falling into step beside them. “I’ve been elbow-deep in frying grease and soap suds at the Red Rocket.”
She winces. “Sorry, dude. You should have mentioned it. We’d have stopped by to keep you company.”
Which is exactly why I hadn’t mentioned it. No reason for them to have to suffer alongside me. This is my mess—I’d rather clean it up myself.
“It wasn’t a big deal. Plus, my mom was right there with me.
I got through it.” I squirm beneath Cat and Alexis’ sympathetic looks, eager to change the subject.
“What about you guys? What did you get up to?” I’d read their string of texts in our group chat, of course, but I felt like I’d still missed so much.
“Life, the universe, and pie,” Robbie says.
I blink, unsure what to make of his comment. That’s usually how it goes with Robbie. He’ll keep quiet most of the time, content to watch and listen, and then when he finally speaks, it’s hard to tell if it’s a joke, random nonsense, or a profound statement on the human condition.
“Was the pie tasty?” I ask, deciding to take his comment literally.
“It was circular,” Robbie replies.
I…have no idea what to do with that.
Cat wraps an arm around Robbie’s waist and tugs him against her side, her dark skin a sharp contrast to his freckled paleness.
She gives him a fond look. “What he means is, we spent a shitload of time doing a whole lot of nothing. It was boring as hell. Almost makes me glad to return to this purgatory of learning.”
She glares at the school building looming nearby. A few other students straggle past, ignoring us.
Boring as hell. The thought of lounging around with my friends all day doing nothing sounds like heaven.
Instead, I’d spent every waking moment either picking up shifts at the diner or watching my little brother Patrick and keeping the house in order. My summer had been many things, but boring wasn’t one of them.
Alexis clears her throat. “There was at least one new development.” She looks pointedly at the arm Cat still has looped around Robbie’s waist, and my eyes widen.
“Holy shit!” I say, earning a disapproving look from Alexis. Cat might get a free pass, but I guess she holds me to a higher standard. “Sorry. But…” My gaze flits between Cat and Robbie. “When did this happen?”
“While you were ditching us to get your grease on,” Cat replies. “We were supposed to all hang out at Robbie’s, but you and Alexis abandoned us.”
“I did not abandon you!” Alexis protests. “There was a church fundraiser, and I volunteered to—”
“Whatever,” Cat says with a wave of her hand. “The point is, you both bailed, so Robbie and I made the best of the night on our own.”
I smirk. “So, you’re saying this is our fault for leaving you unsupervised?”
Cat grins. “Yup. Pretty much.” She tugs on Robbie’s arm, and he obediently leans down so she can kiss him. Alexis makes an aw sound while I mock gag.
I’m happy for them I guess, even if I’m surprised. I’d never really seen the two of them together like that. Though, I can’t pretend I’m also not a bit jealous. What I wouldn’t give to find my own other half—not that I have enough free time for a relationship, anyway.
The four of us move to the steps leading to the school’s front entrance and claim a section, chatting while we wait for the inevitable bell to ring.
Unsurprisingly, Alexis spent most of break volunteering at her church. She’d long since given up on convincing us to attend services, but it sounds like she still wrangled Cat and Robbie into helping at a few charity events.
Cat, for her part, went to a frankly ridiculous number of concerts based on how she gushes about all the new music I have to listen to and how she’ll put together a playlist for me.
And Robbie…well, I have no idea what he spent his time doing, other than apparently starting a relationship with Cat, which I’m still trying to wrap my head around.
I love my friends—I really do. We’re all so different, but somehow we’d made it work Freshman year, and I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world.
Yet, sitting here listening to them talk about all the cool things they did both separately and together, I can’t help but feel like an outcast. Cat and Robbie are just one of the many things I apparently missed out on.
I do my best to hide my melancholy, but apparently it’s not good enough since Cat eventually levels me with a glare. “All right, spill. What the hell is up with you? You look like someone gave you a puppy and then murdered it right in front of you.”
“Cat!” Alexis gasps.
“Sorry,” Cat says, not sounding the least bit repentant. “All I’m saying is, Dylan’s mood has plummeted like 30 degrees since we sat down. You sick of us already?”
“Of course not!” I protest.
Her gaze narrows. “Is it Tommy? What did that asshat of a big brother do now?”
“Nothing! Well, okay,” I amend when Cat raises an eyebrow. “I mean, yeah, he’s been a dick. But no more than usual.”
“You like dicks,” Robbie replies out of nowhere.
Cat shoves his shoulder playfully. “Yeah, so do I. So does Alexis. But not that kind of dick.” Robbie nods as though he’d just received a sage bit of wisdom while Alexis’ face darkens to a fierce shade of crimson. Cat turns back to me. “So, if not Tommy, then what? Something with your mom?”
I shake my head quickly. “No, my mom’s great as ever. It’s just…” I let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through my messy brown hair. “I wish things were easier, you know? That my mom didn’t have to work so much. That Tommy and I got along better. That my dad hadn’t split. That I hadn’t…”
That I hadn’t torn my family apart.
I trail off, embarrassed. I hadn’t meant to share so much. Besides, what right do I have to complain? Everyone’s got crap to deal with. All you can do is put on a smile and try your best to hold everything together.
“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, Dylan,” Alexis says, her voice firm. “We all do. Life can be a lot sometimes. But I believe God has a plan for you, even if you don’t. Things will get better—I promise.”
Only Alexis can lecture me about God’s plan and come across as sincere rather than condescending.
I clear my throat and muster a grin I don’t feel.
“Yeah, yeah. At least, I made a good chunk of money at the diner. And now that school’s back in session, I get to swap over to a job I’ll actually like. ”
Cat perks up. “You mean you convinced that vet to give you a chance?”
I nod, my grin growing more genuine. “A couple hours a week doing whatever odd tasks they need—catching up on filing, managing their social media, that kind of stuff. But I’m hoping Dr. Jenkins will give me some pointers, maybe even let me interact with the friendlier animals.”
“That’s great, Dylan!” Alexis beams at me. “See? Things are looking up for you already. It’s all about positive manifestation.”
Cat rolls her eyes. “More like exploitative labor. They get to pretend they’re doing you some huge favor letting you earn experience when really, they want someone they can boss around and pay a fraction of what they’d have to pay a full employee.”
“Maybe,” I admit. “But it really will be good experience. Plus, getting paid to stare at cute animals definitely beats staring at burgers and fries.”
“Less tasty, though,” Robbie remarks.
Cat grunts, “Fair,” though I’m not sure if it’s directed at me, Robbie, or both of us.
“Well, I for one think it’s great!” Alexis proclaims.
“Pics or it didn’t happen,” Robbie says.
Seeing my confused expression, Cat translates. “He means, we expect to see plenty of adorable pictures. You might as well take full advantage of the perks.”
“I’ll have to ask Dr. Jenkins, but assuming he’s fine with it, sure. Though…aren’t there already more than enough pictures of cats online?”
All three of them stare at me like I’m insane, and I hold up my hands, chuckling. “Point taken. An overabundance of cute cat pics, coming right up.”
“The iceman cometh,” Robbie says solemnly.
The what? Even Cat seems at a loss to explain Robbie’s latest non sequitur until he points down the steps. We all turn to follow his finger.
By now, there’s a steady tide of students streaming past us up the steps.
I recognize pretty much all of them, at least in passing.
We might not be friends, but we’ve been going to the same high school for three years now, and Banton’s not that big of a place.
The kid Robbie pointed at, though, is entirely unfamiliar to me.
He’s tall and lanky, with styled black hair, angular good looks, and green eyes so bright that they almost seem to glow. Dressed all in black, with his hands shoved in the pockets of his leather jacket and his back hunched, an obvious air of broodiness rolls off him in waves.
There’s no denying he’s attractive, but that’s not what quickens my pulse or keeps my gaze glued to him. Maybe it’s a consequence of my current mood, but I get the uncanny sense that he knows what it means to hurt—that life’s been just as hard on him as it has on me, if not worse.
“Who’s the new guy?” Cat asks, her eyes tracking him as he approaches.
“No idea,” Alexis replies. “This is the first I’ve seen of him.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it at church,” Cat says. “Those people love to gossip.”
“Only because they care about the community,” Alexis huffs.
I tune them both out, my attention entirely focused on the new guy. Just as he reaches the bottom step of the stairs, he looks up, his eyes locking onto mine.
I forget to breathe as we stare at each other for a long, stretched-out moment. Then, he scowls and looks away, breaking the spell. He quickens his pace, taking the steps two at a time.
Alexis stands as he passes by where we’re sitting, smiling and holding out her hand. “Hi. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m…” She trails off as he brushes past her without a word.
Cat glares after his retreating back as he vanishes through the doors into the school. “Wow, what an ass. Guess God used up all that guy’s points on hotness and ran out before He got to personality.”
“God made all of us exactly as He intended,” Alexis says by rote, blinking after the new guy. “Though, that doesn’t mean it’s not still on us to make the most of what He’s given us.”
Cat snorts. “I think that’s about the harshest thing I’ve ever heard you say about someone, Lex. Careful, or you’ll need to ask for forgiveness.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to keep the shadows at bay,” Robbie says.
I glance at him, but his expression is inscrutable as ever.
Still, I don’t think he was talking about Alexis.
He must’ve seen the same darkness in the new guy I did—the same hurt.
It’s only when Cat waves a hand in front of my face that I realize I’ve been staring at the school doors for entirely too long.
Cat quirks an amused brow. “Are you suddenly interested in the rest of the student body, or did one in particular catch your eye? I didn’t know broody assholes were your type.”
I fight down a blush. “They’re not. I just…um…can’t believe he ignored Alexis like that. What a jerk.”
“Bet he could smell the loser on us,” Cat says. The warning bell buzzes, and she stands, stretching and grabbing her bag. The rest of us follow suit.
“You need to be kinder to yourself,” Alexis says. “Besides, I bet he’s just having a rough day. We shouldn’t be too quick to judge others, just like we shouldn’t be too quick to judge ourselves.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Broody,” Cat huffs.
As we join the throng of students breaking off toward their first period classes, I try to force thoughts of the new guy out of my head.
Cat’s right—he might be handsome, but I have enough on my plate as it is.
The last thing I need is to pile on more, and if there’s one thing I can be certain of after watching his entrance, that new guy is definitely trouble.