Ch. 3 New Enemies and Old Saviors
The electric blue eyes stay with me long after I've left them. I sit behind a copse of trees, waiting for Christopher and the blue-eyed boy to disappear inside the building.
I don't need Christopher all up in my business.
I'm not hiding. I'm recalibrating.
I slowly walk up the path again. The wool of the school jacket itches, and the skirt is shorter than I expected.
The tie feels like a noose I can't escape, and the day hasn't even begun.
Jonathan Lowell's modus operandi is clearly throwing money at his problems.
Getting ready for the semester in one day was hard enough. Having Christopher as my guide—it wasn't bad, and that has my radar pinging at full volume.
I mull over Christopher. He's... unexpected. He doesn't lose his calm, no matter how much I provoke him.
He drove me to the uniform shop. Waited patiently while they measured my size. Didn't even comment when I cursed at the exorbitant prices. Just pulled out a card and paid in silence.
He even paid for lunch—actually sat with me—and then bought me my coursework books as well.
He was—kind.
I'll have to watch out for this kid. Maybe he's someone I can get stuff out of.
"Look what the cat dragged in..." I can hear the smirk before I've even turned around.
A posse of girls enter my vision, but the lead girl gives me pause. She's nothing short of gorgeous.
What the hell.
Her thick blond hair is styled in waves, her round hazel eyes lined perfectly. Her lips are full, and her complexion is cream and strawberries.
Looking this good has to be illegal.
My eyebrows shoot up. "What do you want?"
"Ooooh... fierce. I like her..." She takes a few steps forward until she's right up in my personal space.
Joke's on her, 'cause I'm a head and shoulders taller. I smirk.
Her eyes spit fire, though her expression remains pleasant. "New girl. I'm Madison Kent. You should know not to pick a fight you can't win."
I take a step closer. "Is that a challenge?"
She glares at me. "No, a warning. What I wanted to know was how you know Marcus Holden."
"Who?"
She studies my face. "The boy you were just talking to. With Christopher."
I just shrug. I don't owe her a thing.
Her mouth twists in frustration.
"Christopher's half-sister—don't go making enemies you don't need."
I don't really care that she knows. If she thinks that'll scare me, she has another thing coming.
"Maybe you should take your own advice."
Her lips twist in disgust before she stomps away with her posse.
I follow them inside and pull out a map, heading towards my first class.
So his name is Marcus.
In the corner, Marcus is surrounded by Christopher and his friends, and Madison has already joined them.
I see the moment he develops a crush on her. His face grows hot and he's scratching his neck.
The passage suddenly feels too narrow, and the class is way too far.
Madison touches his arm and leans into him. His blush deepens.
My stomach twists. I feel sick.
I hurry along. I pass behind them, but Marcus doesn't so much as twitch.
I didn't consider just how much danger I was heading into.
—-------------
The pressure of Christopher's arm on my shoulders does nothing to lessen my awe.
The building is a beautiful brown stone. The passageways are wide, and the ceilings tall. Light pours in from huge windows casting a glow on everything.
The air inside is cooler, and scented with fresh flowers lining the passage in intricate vases.
It feels like I've stepped back in time, to a different era.
Christopher leads me to a group of people milling about.
"Guys! Look who I brought! This is Marcus Holden!" He wiggles his eyebrows at them suggestively, and they laugh.
I smile and wave. "Marcus, this is Janice—captain of the girl's basketball team, Rachel—she's on the prom committee, Nolan and Courtland—basketball team... and—"
"I'm Madison." A soft, sweet voice finishes for him from beside me.
I don't remember seeing a girl this stunning in my hometown—or ever.
She's petite. She has a sweet smile on lips so kissable my heart thumps in my chest—loudly.
Her lips lift shyly, and a blush creeps up my neck and face.
Get a hold of yourself!
"Hi." I smile at her, and she blushes too.
"Congratulations on your CTF win. I heard you did it without formal training." Her voice is soft.
I can't take my eyes off of her.
I scratch my neck. My blush deepens. "Thanks. I didn't think anyone knew."
"Marcus, you're famous. Anyway, what's your first class?"
"Advanced English. Yours?"
"Same! Let's go together." She takes my arm and leads me towards class. I wave at Christopher and others.
The fighter girl is a few paces in front of us. She turns left into a classroom.
Our classroom. What are the chances?
Madison calls out a greeting to the teacher and leads us to a row in the middle benches.
She keeps my arm in her hands right till we reach our seats.
Her hands are so soft.
I can't believe how my day is shaping up.
I can see a head with dark hair floating above a seat in the corner a few rows ahead, where she's slouching.
A smirk forms while I shake my head.
"What are you looking at?" Madison asks, glancing at me.
I turn to answer but the teacher calls the class to attention.
"Good morning everyone, and welcome to the start of a new semester. For those of you who don't know, I'm Mr. Winston. While most of you are familiar faces, we have two new joinees."
He nods at me and the fighter girl. "Please, introduce yourselves." He nods at me to go first.
I stand up in place and wave at everyone.
"Hi guys. I'm Marcus Holden. I love playing basketball and CTF. I hope to get to know you soon!"
I take my seat and Mr. Winston gestures to the other transfer.
She gets up slowly, a defiant set to her shoulders.
"Hi. I'm Celeste Shaw. Let's study hard."
I snort as she sits down. It sounds more like a challenge than an introduction.
Madison frowns beside me.
Mr. Winston begins class and time flies. He's fun and insightful, and Madison is amusing and engaging.
Madison and I share all our classes except Advanced Math. We cycle through the morning classes together and it's lunch time now.
Madison leads me to their group, and soon I'm engaged in conversation.
They're especially interested in CTF and Nolan and Court want to know if I'll be joining the basketball team.
"The tryouts start this evening, post class. Coach Wells is pretty good. Our team reached the state semis last year. You planning to join us?"
"Semis? That's awesome! I will try out today. Let's see... Hopefully I make the cut."
Court slaps me on the back. "We'll help you man. Don't worry. And you'll get to see Maddy in all her glory. She's the cheer captain."
He grins at Madison, who rolls her eyes, but doesn't deny it. I'm starting to see that it's an impressive group—high achievers.
The banter continues, and slowly, I start feeling like a part of their gang.
Between my father, the practice for CTF, my part time jobs, and the size of our town, I never really had any friends.
This is... nice.
The sounds of conversation fill the cafeteria. Most of them seem to know each other well.
We get up to bus our trays. Madison has political science, while I have Advanced Math. She waves bye and exits with Nolan, while others leave for their classes.
I glance around. Everyone seems to have their own groups except—
A girl sits alone on a corner table. Celeste.
She's looking right at me, and doesn't turn away when I spot her.
There's a kind of thoughtful acknowledgement on her face that gives me pause.
I raise a hand in greeting.
I'm expecting a brush off like this morning but she blinks, like she wasn't expecting that. Then slowly her lips lift in a small smile and she nods in greeting.
I'm surprised. It feels like... a win? I didn't even know I was competing.
If I had known it would be the beginning of a freaking catastrophe, I would have just walked away.