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Prologue — Savannah
I’m walking down the corridor, trying to avoid the jocks and cheerleaders who always seem to
crowd around after the final bell has rung, when I see him. Even though I’m not one of the popular kids, I still know most people in this school, but I don’t know him. He must be new.
My hand comes to rest on the latch of my locker as I stare at him unashamedly. It’s like all the air has been ripped from my lungs as I take him in. A fluttering starts in the pit of my stomach as my body heats.
I’ve never felt anything like this before and I’m not entirely sure what’s caused it.
He’s the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen, but I know I’d never stand a chance with him. Not with my braces, awkwardness, and weird reddish-blonde hair. I reach up and wrap a strand of it around my finger. As soon as I’m old enough to go to the salon alone, I’m going to dye it.
With a shake of my head, I turn my focus back to unlocking my locker and putting away my books so I can head home.
“Sav, come here.”
I roll my eyes as I turn to face my brother, hating that he calls me that, but in typical big brother fashion, Jack does it all the time. He’s four years older than me, and one of the popular guys in our school. He’s the reason I know most of the people here, and why they also call me Sav.
“Come on, Sav, I wanna introduce you to my new friend.”
My eyes land on Jack before moving to the boy that stands next to him. I swallow down the moisture that floods my mouth as his gaze connects with mine. The intensity in his green mixed with brown eyes forces me to break eye contact. The current of electricity in that one look is too much for me to handle.
Jack has an innate need to introduce me to people so that his friends become my friends. He hasn’t quite grasped the fact that I don’t mind doing my own thing. Or that I’m old enough to choose my own friends.
I don’t really want to know who the new guy is, why he’s here, or what he sounds like. From one look alone I know he’ll occupy my thoughts and that he’ll haunt my dreams at night.
With my eyes firmly on my feet, my heart hammers in my chest as they approach. Even when they’re standing in front of me, I still don’t look up.Jeez, his feet are big.
“Noah, this is my baby sister, Sav,” Jack introduces me as he slings his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side.
Noah.
A swift elbow to the ribs makes Jack drop his arm. He laughs at me, a knowing smirk on his face when I lift my eyes to give him a death stare.God, he can be insufferable.
“My name’s Savannah.” I hold my chin up high as I look into the new guy's eyes, fanned by long dark lashes.
His voice is rough and far deeper than any boy I’ve ever met when he says, “It’s nice to meet you, Savannah.”
He holds out his hand, and because my mama taught me to have manners, I slip mine into his. His skin is smooth and warm as he envelopes my tiny hand in his far larger one. It feels like an eternity passes between us as we stare at each other. There’s something hidden behind his dreamy gaze that tells a story of a lifetime of pain. It’s hard to believe he’s the same age as Jack.
The sounds of the busy corridor fade away, and I have an overwhelming urge to step into his arms and just hold him.
A frown pulls at my brow, and I drop his hand like it’s on fire as I step back. He doesn’t seem to mind, because he turns to my brother, an easy smile on his face.
“Should we get going?”
I look to Jack for an answer, unsure of what Noah means because Jack’s supposed to givemea ride home, not him.
Sensing where my thoughts have gone, Jack slings his arm around my shoulders again and says, “Don’t worry, Sav, Noah’s just coming to our house for dinner. Mama already cleared it.”
Oh no, that’s even worse than not having a ride home. I’d rather they left me here and went somewhere else. Jack turns me in the direction of the parking lot, too busy chatting away to notice my internal panic.
The feelings coursing through me are too much for fourteen-year-old me to handle, so I do what I do best and what I hate most; I retreat into myself.
The car ride home is filled with R’n’B songs as Jack navigates through Montgomery, Alabama as I try in vain to distract myself from the boy in the front passenger seat. I love this city and the familiar streets that pass us by, as the car eats up the miles home. There’s so much history here, and when I move—my dream is to live in New York and make it big on Broadway—I’ll be sure to come back and visit.
As soon as the car comes to a stop, I throw my door open and bolt for the house. My body is overwhelmed with feelings I’ve never felt before and I need some time away from Noah to sort through them. How I’m going to make it through dinner is beyond me. Maybe Mama will let me eat in my room.
Yeah, that’s wishful thinking.
