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Clo: I’ll save you a drink.
Now she was the kind of friend I wanted in my corner. Chloe Carter was bold and brash and one hundred percent unapologetic. We’d become fast friends over the last few weeks.
I didn’t make friends easily, so it was nice to have another girl to talk boys, shopping, and books with. And Chloe didn’t judge me, not the way the girls at Darling Academy did. You couldn’t sneeze in the halls of DA without someone dissecting it.
Maybe Miles was right.
Maybe I had changed.
Or maybe I’d finally realized I wanted more from life.
* * *
I heard the party before I saw it. Rowdy laughter and music carrying on the gentle breeze. It only made the nervous energy dance faster in my stomach.
If my parents knew I was here… well, that didn’t bear thinking about. Harleigh might have grown up on this side of Darling Hill reservoir, with these kids, but I didn’t belong here.
At least, that’s what they all thought.
The truth was though, I liked it here, away from the elite of Old Darling Hill. Here, I could breathe. I didn’t have to worry about what I said or who I said it to. People weren’t dissecting my every move, scrutinizing my behavior, and judging whether I deserved the title of Michael Rowe and Sabrina’s Delacorte’s golden child.
It was exhausting—living the life laid out for you before you were even in grade school.
I burst through the trees and came to a halt, taking in the scene before me. It was Halloween and the kids of Darling Row had turned up determined to celebrate. Ghostface killers danced with sexy devils, zombie werewolves drank with zombie football players, and girls in leather and lace danced for the masked guys lingering in the shadows who watched their every move.
Hands wrapped around my eyes and a scream caught in my throat. “Guess who?”
“Kye! You scared me half to death.” I jabbed him in the stomach, ducking out of his hold. He grinned down at me as I turned to scold him. “Not funny.”
“Seemed pretty funny from where I’m standing.”
“Jackass,” I mumbled.
“Saw you standing over here and figured you might need a guide.”
“I am quite capable of finding my way, you know?”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it. But B would kick my ass if I didn’t make sure you got to her in one piece.” He crooked his elbow, and I rolled my eyes, shoving my arm through his. “So, what do you think?”
“It’s… wild.”
“Nah, you haven’t seen anything yet.” He winked at me, and nervous laughter vibrated in my chest.
Kye Carter slung his arm around me and guided me through the sea of bodies. And I soaked up the attention. He, Nix, and their friend Zane were three of the most popular boys at their school, Darling Hill High. They played for the football team and had that untouchable, bad boy thing working for them. Except, they weren’t bad boys, not really. They were just three boys trying to survive the hand life had dealt them.
Sure, they made some questionable, less than lawful decisions at times, but didn’t all teenagers?
My mother despised them. My father—since Harleigh was dating Nix—barely tolerated them. And the residents of Old Darling Hill would cry bloody murder if they ever showed up on our side of town. But I only saw a family: three brothers bound not by blood but circumstance. By survival.
The division and hatred between Darling Row and Old Darling Hill ran deep though. And it was going to take a lot more than Nix and Harleigh’s relationship to heal the wounds caused by years of prejudice and rivalry.
“Look who I found,” Kye said as we approached his friends. Harleigh offered me a small wave, but Chloe leapt out of her chair and ambled over.
“I’m glad you came.” She grabbed my hand, pulling me away from her brother. “Let’s get you a drink.”
“Oh, no alcohol. I’m driving.”
“Soda it is.”
