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I sag against the wall as he steps back, running a hand over his head and down his neck. My stomach uncoils, flooding me with disappointment.
“Why do we do any of the things we do?” I whisper because I can’t tell him the truth. I can’t tell him that I’m already tainted. That the goodness inside me died long before I ever arrived at Sterling Prep.
Cole makes me feel alive.
He shouldn’t.
But he does.
“Stay away from Hayden, preppy,” he grits out. “And stay the fuck away from my brother.” He spins around and storms out of the locker room without looking back.
He might not see me, but I see him.
And I’m determined to solve the puzzle that is Cole Jagger.
“Hadley, a word please?” Miss Jones beckons me toward her. I glance at a couple of the girls from the squad and they give me a dismissive shrug. They don’t care either way if I sit with them at lunch. It’s no secret that I’m only on the squad because Miss Jones made it happen. But her favoritism toward me also affords me some protection from their Mean Girl routine. Because Miss Jones isn’t only the cheer coach, she’s Principal Vager’s cousin.
“I’ll see you later,” I say to Marissa and Tia before hitching my bag up my shoulder and heading toward the locker room.
The second I step foot inside, memories of Cole pushed up against me, teasing me, assaults my mind. I force them out. Now is not the time to be daydreaming about all the things I want him to do to me.
“Take a seat,” she says, relaxing back in her own chair. “I just wanted to check in, see how you’re doing.”
“Everything is fine,” I say like a well-rehearsed script.
“I heard a little rumor.” Her eyes narrow like she’s giving me the chance to come clean. But she should know by now that I keep my cards close to my heart.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Conner and Cole Jagger. Ring any bells?” Her brow lifts in accusation.
“We’ve been hanging out a little.” I shrug. “It’s kind of hard to avoid them given that their brother is my best friend’s boyfriend.”
“I could see how that might be an issue.” She sits forward, folding her arms on the desk. It barely looks used, but I’m hardly surprised; Miss Jones runs a tight ship on and off the field.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush, Hadley. I’m concerned. The Jagger brothers are not the kind of kids your parents sent you here to dally with.”
“Dally with?” I balk.
“Hadley,” she frowns, “you’re here to stay out of trouble.”
Trouble.
Because that’s all I am to my parents and their friends.
My heart deflates like an old balloon.
“I know exactly why I’m here, Miss Jones. My parents exiled me here like some... some criminal. So excuse me if I want to try and make my life a little less sucky by making some friends.”
She scoffs. “You have friends. The girls on the squad, the team—"
“We both know they tolerate me at best.” My only real friend is Hayden, and he’s made it clear he wants to be more than just friends.
“Look, I know it hasn’t been easy. After what happened with... well, you were young. Impressionable. But you’re a senior now. You need to make better choices. Your parents expect great things from you this year.”
That’s a joke if ever I heard one. They wouldn’t care if they never heard from me again. The photos posted on social media earlier are proof of that.
No, I’m at Sterling Prep so they can ease their own guilt about choosing their reputation over their own flesh and blood.
