“Okay,” I replied before disappearing into my room. I quickly dumped out my old backpack with patches on the fabric and stains on the straps, wondering how I went from being the girl with all she owned on her back to being this.
Decker compromised by dropping me off a block away from MAMS, smirking at my heels as he pulled away. Little did he know, I preferred the stilts. I was my mother’s daughter, after all. I had every intention of winning this bet. I had to keep my truths close if I wanted to keep the boundary between us clear.
I walked up to the front steps of the large school as students loitered around the front lawn, catching up and laughing with one another. Everyone seemed sectioned off in groups and oblivious to me. The coiled venom in my chest relaxed a bit when I realized no one was paying the new girl any attention.
Yes. Just how I liked it.
Maybe my past, coupled with every television show or book I’d ever read, had conditioned me to believe that the new girl at a new high school would be the center of attention, but I was surprised that not a single soul noticed me.
The only person to even recognize that I was there was the front desk secretary who handed me my schedule. “Oh, you’re the one Mr. Harris kept telling us about,” she said with a sad expression while picking through pieces of paper on her desk. “I have your schedule right here, and everyone has high hopes for you.”
Something about her statement felt off. Maybe it was the sad look in her eyes or the way she gave me a sympathetic smile. Something told me that she knew more about my life than I wanted her to, and that pissed me off. Determined not to let it ruin my day, I took my schedule with a polite smile and went into the hallway.
I liked that they didn’t offer to show me around, nor did they assign a student to teach me the ropes. I guess they operated under the assumption that everyone was smart enough to figure out a map, and I liked it. Decker said that MAMS was more of a college preparatory than anything else, and he was right. In the halls, students looked over their brand new textbooks excitedly while comparing schedules. There was an eagerness in everyone’s energy, almost as if they were just as excited to start class as I was.
Even though I joked with Lance about mourning the loss of summer, I was happy to be here. And with each tick of the clock, my new school jitters disappeared. I could do this. I was going to blend in and get my shit done.
My confident stride, bolstered by the invisible shield wrapped around me by the other students’ self-absorbtion felt good. My feet burned in a way that made me smile as I found my locker.
Spinning the lock combination, I set my things inside before slamming the door shut. Pulling out my schedule, I checked where my first class was while walking down the hall, feeling invigorated and excited.
But then I had to fuck it up.
In a cliche move, I bumped into a tall hunk of muscle, making the heel of my boot slip on the tile. Strong hands wrapped around my wrists, steadying me before I could fall, and I looked up into the grayest eyes I’d ever seen, coupled with a smirk that could give even Decker a run for his money.
“Whoa, you okay?” his honey-like voice asked, and I feigned disorientation to get a good look at him. He had sweeping chestnut hair and high cheekbones, with a dimpled chin. This guy was classically handsome.
“I-I’m okay, but this has to be a secret,” I teased before looking around. A few students were staring, but most of the students were too absorbed in their phones to care.
“A secret, huh? Why’s that?” His voice was teasing. I saw the interest brimming in his gray eyes. It wasn’t predatory, the way he swept across my appearance like a visual caress, but it made my skin hum all the same.
“I made a bet with someone that I could walk in heels all day. If he finds out I nearly fell on my ass, then I’ll lose the bet.” Was I flirting? Yes. Yes, I was. Why? I had no idea.
The last year had been spent taking care of Mama and picking up extra shifts, and I hadn’t had the time to see farther than the fucked up shit going on in my life. Decker was honestly the first person I’d kissed in months, and I was wondering if this guy could be my second.
“Oh, we definitely can’t let him know,” the stranger said with a grin. “How about I walk you to class so we can make sure you don’t run into any other innocent pedestrians again?” he offered before removing his hands from my wrists. I hadn’t even noticed that he was still holding me. “Unless the guy is here and will beat my ass for walking his girl.”
I snorted. Decker probably would kick his ass. That is, if he gave a shit about me or if I wasn’t his student and his best friend’s little sister. “Nah. I’m no one’s girl. Too clumsy. Boys these days don’t like a damsel in distress,” I teased.
“Good thing I’m a man, then, huh?” he replied cheekily before stretching out his hand to shake in greeting. “I’m Max, by the way.”
“Short for Maximillian?” I asked. He seemed like the type to have a long name too complex for his personality.
“Yep, but I only let pretty, clumsy girls call me that,” he replied with a blush. I’d admit, that line was good, everything about this guy seemed almost too good. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you if you get me to…” I picked up my schedule once more to check what my first class of the day was. “Calculus with Mr. Torres safely.”
“I’m in that class, too. Senior?”
“Yup,” I replied, popping the last syllable.
“Are you new? I haven’t seen you before,” he noted before dragging his eyes up and down my body again. His eyes lingered on my boots and the thin slice of skin between my plaid skirt and the leather.
“Just moved here from Texas,” I replied with a half-hearted smile. I didn’t want to talk about my past. Today was about starting a new adventure, with new friends and new memories. I wasn’t the sad little trailer trash girl anymore.
“Never been there, but I hear it’s nice,” he replied conversationally. We walked down the hallway, him guiding me through the traffic of students. The further we walked, the more I noticed other students staring at us—well—more importantly, staring at him. Whoever Maximillian was, he was a big deal and completely contradicted my plan to stay under the radar.
“Blakely!” a gruff voice called from down the hall, and my entire spine went rigid. Shit. I thought we had an agreement not to approach each other at school aside from the one class I had with him? Maximillian gave me a curious stare.
Letting out a shaky breath, I turned around to stare down the hallway, where Decker—I mean Mr. Harris—was walking toward me. “First day at school and already pissing off Mr. Harris? That must be some record,” Maximillian joked. Little did he know, I’d pissed him off a good couple of weeks before school even started.
“Yes, Mr. Harris?” I called out through gritted teeth, noting that every girl in the hallway was staring lustfully at him. And who could blame them? That suit should be against the dress code. He was far too distracting.
“You left this in my car. You’ll need it for class, yes?” he asked while giving Maximillian a cold stare that I half expected to turn my new and only friend to ice. Decker then handed me my pencil pouch. It must have fallen out of my messenger bag.