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“I’m not hungry.”
“Lily, you have to—”
“Fee.” Dad shook his head. “It’s senior year jitters, that’s all. Happens to the best of us.” He winked at me and some of the tension inside me ebbed away.
“You have nothing to worry about.” Peyton smirked. “Senior year is going to be epic.”
“Yeah.” I managed a weak smile.
Epic.
I wanted to share her enthusiasm. I wanted to be excited about what the year would bring.
But the truth was, the only thing I wanted was to get through each day.
* * *
“I can’t believeshe’s—yep, she got in Sean’s car.”
Ashleigh, Poppy, and I watched as his car drove off with Peyton inside. Mom and Dad would freak if they saw her going with him. Sean Farrow wasn’t exactly a star student. But that was Peyton, always falling for the diamonds in the rough. She craved attention. I didn’t blame her though, she’d had a tough life.
People often didn’t understand why we were friends. The wild child and the wallflower. Peyton Myers was everything I wasn’t. Beautiful, confident, and strong-willed. But she was also damaged. Damaged in a way only other damaged people could understand.
I understood.
We were different in all the ways society deemed important, but our souls were the same.
She didn’t judge me or my issues just as I didn’t judge hers.
“God, I wish I was as brave as her.” Poppy let out a soft sigh.
“Oh yeah, Pops,” Ashleigh teased, “and which guy’s car would you be climbing into?”
“No one’s,” she rushed out a little too quickly.
“Wait a second.” My brows furrowed. “Do you like a boy?” I teased.
“No, that’s not what I—oh, shut up. Both of you.” She poked her tongue out, scrunching her nose up in annoyance.
“So what do you think it’ll be like… you know, with half of Rixon East starting school?”
“It isn’t half, Leigh. Dad said it’s more like a third.”
“Half, third, it doesn’t matter. It’s still a whole lot of new kids.” She shrugged as she made the turn for our school. “It’s going to be interesting for sure.”
That was one way of putting it.
“Did your dad say anything else about it?”
“He’s worried about the team. If he’s got to give the East players a fair shot it will cause issues,” Poppy said.
“I already heard Jenson and his guys are refusing to play if Coach gives any of their positions to East players.”
“I’m sure it will figure itself out,” I said, staring out of the window, watching the world roll by.
“Hey, you good?” Ashleigh asked me.
I nodded. “Just first day jitters.”
