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And although I know Warren is to blame, that he’s the one who made me this way, a part of me will always hold Conner responsible for walking away.
So it doesn’t matt
er how happy he is that I’m here, or how much he wants to fix things... he can’t.
Because some scars are simply too deep to erase.
The second we step inside the building, it’s like someone hits the mute button. Everyone eyes me with a mixture of curiosity and disapproval. I know what they’re thinking—the new girl might wear their uniform, but she isn’t one of them.
She never will be.
I’d felt the stares and heard the whispers as we left the dorm and made our way toward the school building, but it had been easier to ignore them out there.
Now it’s impossible to shake it off.
“Ignore them,” Hadley says under her breath, clutching my hand tightly and gently tugging me toward a row of lockers.
But three girls—cheerleaders, if their outfits are anything to go by—intercept us.
“Who’s your new friend?” the ringleader asks with a saccharine smile.
“Leave it, Lylah.”
“What?” She frowns. “I’m just being nice.”
“Sure you are,” Hadley grumbles, and I sense there’s some bad blood between the two of them.
“I heard they were letting more Heights trash into the school,” one of the other girls sneers, looking me up and down.
I bristle, my spine snapping straight. Hadley shifts slightly, putting herself between me and them. Everyone is watching now, waiting to see what the new girl from the Heights will do.
“Don’t be a bitch, Marissa,” Hadley snaps.
“Me? You’re the one slumming it with—” Her eyes widen a fraction as something catches her attention behind us.
I don’t need to turn around to know Cole and Conner just arrived. I can feel him, feel the invisible thread linking us, pulling taut.
Remi steps up beside me, drawing a line between us.
Us and them.
The Heights and the Bay.
The air crackles with anticipation.
“Walk away,” she says. “You don’t want to start something you can’t finish.”
Lylah and Marissa glower at us, weighing up their options. For a second, I think they’re going to go all in, but then Lylah lets out a strained laugh.
“Come on, girls,” she says, flicking her hair over one shoulder. “They’re not even worth it.”
Indignation trickles in my veins, but I don’t move. I don’t do anything. Because if I do, I know I’ll only prove them right.
Not that I give a fuck what they think about me.
As if she’s waved some magic wand, everyone disperses, and I release the breath I was holding.
“You good?” Remi asks.
