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“I got my license, I just don’t have a car yet.” It’s an expense we don’t need right now, and no way am I going to accept one from my dad.
“Well, she isn’t much,” Conner runs his hands around the cracked leather steering wheel, “but she’s ours, and she’s never let us down yet.” He fires up the engine and the thing splutters to life, a cloud of black smoke rising into the air.
“Good to know.” I stare out of the window, watching the storm lash down over the Bay, as Conner takes the coastal road to school.
Sterling Bay is such a cliché, a quintessential Californian coastal town, with its palm tree-lined streets and beautiful mix of Spanish colonial, Art Deco, and beach houses. But it’s a cutthroat community wrapped up in a pretty bow. Wealth, money, and power are the driving forces behind some of the most influential families in the state.
I try to imagine what Conner and Cole must see. Do they see a rich man’s paradise or something else entirely?
Maybe they don’t care.
Ace sure as hell doesn’t seem to.
Sterling Prep looms up ahead. Back in sixth grade, I’d been so excited to start here. Me and Michaela were going to take on the world together. Then everything changed.
She changed.
And as a result of her betrayal and my father’s treachery, somewhere along the way, I changed too.
“So where’s good to get fucked up in this place?” Conner asks as he pulls into the parking lot. “Ace said something about Shark’s?”
“You mean Surf’s?” Jealousy licks my insides. Did he go there and meet Lylah after all?
“Yeah, that’s the one. What’s the deal?”
“It’s just a diner down by the beach, but they have pool tables and some arcade games. And they have a surf rental shop. A lot of the kids from school hang out down there.”
“But not you?” He cuts the engine and twists around to face me.
“It’s not really my scene,” I say, grabbing the door handle. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll catch you later.”
“Don’t be a stranger, Princess,” he says as I climb out. I hate the nickname, but it sounds nowhere near as dirty on his tongue.
I swing my bag over my shoulder and hurry toward the building. The rain is lifting, thank god, so hopefully I can walk home later without getting soaked.
I’m almost across the parking lot when a car skids into a bay, sending a gigantic spray of water into the air and right. Over. Me.
“Fuck,” I hiss, my uniform sticking to my body like a second skin. Fat droplets of water drip from my hair and down my face.
“Oh my god, Remi,” a familiar voice says. “I totally didn’t see you there.”
I turn slowly to meet Michaela’s wicked smirk. “You didn’t....” I stop myself. “Of course you didn’t.”
“You really should go get dried off. Poor drowned rat is so last season.”
Anger wells inside me, making tears burn the backs of my eyes. I smash my lips together, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from screaming... or trying to rip her pretty, vicious head off her shoulders.
Michaela and her friends step around me, their laughter lingering long after they’ve reached the building.
“What the fuck, Princess?” Conner jogs over to me, barely able to contain his amusement.
> “Just go away,” I snap.
“Come on, Remi, I think—“
“Just go!” My eyes widen. “Please.”
I hate that he sees me like this, but when I turn around and start toward the building, I realize he isn’t the only one watching.
