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Prologue
4 years ago
Smoothing down my white and blue floral sundress, I look myself over in the mirror. My curly brown hair is being difficult like normal, but for once I think I actually look pretty good. I added some mascara to my long eyelashes and a touch of gloss to my lips, pretty much all my makeup skills I can do. I don’t look like a model or even the pretty girls at my school, but I think I look okay. Nodding at my reflection in the mirror, I rush from my room. It won’t look good if I end up being late for my own graduation.
I stumble towards the car in my wedge heels. I never should have bought these shoes since I can barely walk in them. My thoughts at the time were that they would make me look older, more sophisticated. They may have if I wasn’t wobbling every two seconds. I look like a newborn calf who can’t get their legs under them, not exactly the look I’m going for. None of the Wild boys are going to think I’m grown up when I look like I’m going to fall and break my neck at any moment.
Tucker Wild is also graduating today so the whole Wild clan should be there. I’m so excited to see all of them again. Colton and Archer have been away at college for the past three years while the twins, Mason and Grayson, have been at a local college for the past two years. Not that Mason and Grayson are ever really home anymore. It’s just been Tuck home for the most part, but he’s been too cool to hang out with me since freshman year. The older Wild boys used to still strike up a conversation when they were around, if you countheyas a conversation, but Tuck avoids me like I’m a social plague. I mean he’s not far off the mark considering my social status. I’m far from popular in our town. Hence why I’m counting down the days until I’m gone. Princeton, here I come.
I need to get out of this town and figure out who I am. The need to get away from all the mean girls who look down on me is strong. They constantly pick on me because I don't fit into the same small town box as them. I need to get away from everyone's stale idea of who I am. The problem with a small town is you never get a chance to grow as a person. You get stuck in this image and expectation that people have of you. It’s suffocating.
What I really need to get away from though is the Wild Ranch. The memories of those boys and the way I fell for each and every one of them over the years is something I'm sick of living with. It’s crazy to fall in love with five guys, yet it’s crazier to fall in love with five guys who think of you as an annoying little sister who won’t leave them alone. I gave them what they wished for, me away from them. I stopped going around. I stopped calling, I stopped everything I could. The only thing I couldn't stop was being in love with them. Which is why I’m all dolled up for my high school graduation and in these god awful shoes. I still have this intense urge to make them notice me, to make them want me.
“You ready, Brayleigh?” Dad asks from the driver’s seat. My mom turns to look at me from the passenger side with her signature heartwarming smile.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” I give my mom as much of a smile as I can muster, my cheeks vibrating with my nerves.
We start driving to the high school, the small town moving by my window at the glacier pace it always does. Mom and Dad are talking in the front about the new foals that were born yesterday. My mind tunes out their conversation as I think about the fact that this is my last time going to this god awful school. I’m graduating with the second highest grades in the entire class, it’s something my parents are super proud of. I’m proud of myself too, I'm happy about my accomplishments. But mostly, I'm thrilled because I know it means I get to leave this town. I get to start over where no one knows who I am let alone know my parents, grandparents, and every ancestor I’ve ever had. I did what I always wanted to do, I gave myself an Ivy League escape plan.
My hands are sweating as we pull into the full parking lot. I take out my phone and text my best friend Piper to tell her I’m here. She texts back immediately, telling me she’s over by the library waiting for me. Thankfully, our last names are side by side so we’ll be sitting together through the ceremony. It’s how Piper and I met, since the entire graduating class has been going to school together since kindergarten. We were always seated together in class and we just hit it off. She’s well aware of my obsession with the Wild boys and my need to leave. She’s staying behind to help her family with their store and going to the same college as Mason and Gray. Piper wants to take over her family business one day so it doesn’t make much sense for her to leave. She can get a degree here while still learning more of the business.
I jump out quickly when we finally park. I turn to look at my parents as I grab my robe and cap from the open style trunk. “I’ll see you guys after! Love you,” I shout as I’m walking away.
Without a backwards glance, I take off in the direction of the library. I’m moving as quickly as I can while also trying to watch my step. The problem with watching your steps is you don't always see when the obstacle is in front of you instead. I run into someone, stumbling backwards as I ricochet off of their back. I land hard on my butt, my face turning five shades of red as I look up and see Colton Wild right in front of me. Just my luck. Why did it have to be him? Of all the bodies standing around here, I run into one of the freaking Wild boys.
“Whoa,” Colt says, reaching his hand down to help me up. “You okay, Bray?”
“I’m fine,” I mumble quickly. I grab his hand to let him help me up. I’m scared to touch him but I don’t want to be rude. I can’t believe I’m touching his big, calloused, sexy hand.
Pulling my hand back as soon as I’m up, my feet start moving away from the unease of being so close to him. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t wait until I had my balance as well. My body teeters on these god awful heels again, my legs barely stabilizing under me. Of course I almost landed on my butt in front of Colt for the second time. I hate these wedges! I never should have bought these stupid shoes, they don’t make me look more sophisticated at all. To be honest, I look like a freaking child trying to wear my mom’s clothes.
“Thanks,” I mutter, looking at the ground. I refuse to meet his baby blue eyes. “I gotta run. Bye!”
I turn, making a break for it before he can respond to me. I can’t believe I just made such a fool of myself in front of one of the boys I was trying to impress today. Where’s a freaking hole when a girl needs it? I need to hide my face. Scratch that, I need to hide my entire body. This is completely mortifying. The exact opposite of what I wanted to happen just came to life. I didn’t wow him with anything but my utter obliviousness.
Spotting Piper’s sleek blonde hair through the crowd, I make my way over to stand with her. I have no idea how I’m going to explain to her why my face looks like a strawberry and my ass is covered in dirt. I’d like to think she wouldn’t ask, just brush my dress and smile at me, that is not my best friend though. She’s going to force me to tell her, laugh at my stupidity, make me laugh with her and then brush the dirt off of me and smile. I wouldn’t trade her for anyone.
“Hey girl!” Piper shouts. Her green eyes go wide, looking me over. “What happened to you?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Just help me look presentable,” I plead.
“Nuh uh. You’re going to tell me why it looks like you just went through a dirt pile and showed up to class naked all at the same time,” she demands. Piper does her signature hip cocked, eyebrow raised stance and I know she’s not backing down.
“I accidentally ran into Colt,” I mumble.
“Colt? As in yummy, tall, looks like a tanned greek statue, Colton Wild?” She asks with a laugh. “You mean you were walking past, he saw you and stopped you for a conversation kind of run in. Right?”
Glaring at her, I mumble under my breath. “You know I meanliterallyran into him. I plowed into his back like a bumper car and went flying. Happy now?”
Piper throws her head back releasing a cackle, making everyone around us turn to look. I try to grab her to put my hand over her mouth. Shyly avoiding eye contact with everyone, I nudge Piper towards our seats. I need to get away from this area before people ask what’s so funny. Damn Piper and her cackle. It gets everyone’s attention every time. When we get farther away, I burst out laughing with Piper. We both pull on our gowns and hats as we approach our seats.
Taking our seats, both of us feeling somber as we look around at our final moment here at Heartville High. While waiting for the ceremony to start we chat about unimportant things. Neither of us wants to touch on the fact that this is our last time here. Our last time in this courtyard laughing and chatting about nothing. We’re both going to different colleges, far away from each other. High school is over, four years of our lives just done. I’m excited to get away, but everything changes from this moment forward. We won’t have each other to lean on anymore.
“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you,” Piper whispers as the ceremony gets underway. “I told Josh we were going to Hannah’s party tonight.”
“What?” I yell accidentally. A couple of other students glare at me as I shrink in my seat. “I can’t go to Hannah’s party.”
“Yes, you can. Stop holding yourself back from everything,” she murmurs to me. “This isn’t up for discussion. We’re going.”
