Worse Than Enemies

I’m still asking myself about this when I push my way through the door Hayes indicated.

“Whoa!” a tall, broad-shouldered guy wearing nothing but a towel around his waist calls out to the rest of what is obviously not a classroom but a locker room. “Looks like Coach wants to reward us for coming in early for practice!”

Out of nowhere come maybe ten other guys, and only some of them are wearing a towel or anything else. I don’t know where to look with so many swinging dicks around. My face burns with humiliation, and I finally throw myself out the door again while their whistles and laughs and cheers still ring out.

I lean against the wall, my heart racing, my breath coming in quick gasps. Hayes is gone, and the hallway is almost empty. I’m surprised he didn’t stick around to see what would happen.

For some reason, he’s decided I’m the enemy he needs to crush under his shoe—and it only pisses him off when I don’t react like he wants. I only wish I knew what I did to make him resent me.

The classroom is closer to where Hayes was waiting when I left the bathroom. I was too busy trying to figure him out to notice the number on the door. Now I know better than to trust him, or anybody else around here, to look out for me. From now on, I’ll find my own way around.

5

Somehow, I’ve made it to my second day at North Woods Prep. Yesterday didn’t kill me. I’m hoping I keep the streak going today.

One thing is for sure: I’m not waiting around for Hayes to take me on a tour this time. I don’t care that he’s a so-called ambassador. He’s not worth the humiliation. I didn’t look at any of the jocks in the locker room long enough to memorize any of their faces, but I’m pretty sure two of them recognized me in the hall yesterday. There’s no other reason for them to look at me the way they did.

After ignoring Hayes in history class—not easy with him staring at the side of my head whenever the teacher isn’t looking—I make it to English with a minute to spare. I take a desk near the back of the room, the same one I sat in yesterday. Everybody around me knows each other, so they’re all chatting. Nobody pays attention to me. I’m almost glad they don’t.

Until somebody slides into the chair next to mine. She’s not wearing her cheerleader uniform this time, but I would know her red hair anywhere. It’s gorgeous, thick and curly. That, plus her sparkling green eyes, makes me wish I wasn’t so boring looking.

“Morgan, right? We met yesterday. I’m Salem.” She even sticks her hand out, smiling, her eyes warm. She seemed nice enough yesterday, so I offer a smile while shaking her hand. Maybe not everybody here is secretly a heartless bully.

“So, what do you think about the school? It can be a lot, huh?” She keeps talking as she opens a notebook and pulls out the novel we’re supposed to be reading for class. “I remember when I first started here, my first day back in freshman year. By the time I got home, I told my parents I didn’t want to ever go back.”

“What happened?”

“It’s just so intimidating when everybody knows everybody else, which is how it seemed to me. I used to live a few towns over, so I was one of the few people who didn’t go to middle school with everybody.”

I’m so relieved I could cry. “So it’s not just me?”

“No, and now it’s worse because everybody has been going to school together for the past three years. But it’s okay. You’ll find your place.”

I recognize the kid in front of her from yesterday. He was one of the guys who got out of the sports car that tore up the front lawn—a great build, wavy black hair and eyes like onyx. If he wasn’t grinning, he might look intimidating.

He taps on her desk. “Did you do the reading last night?”

“Excuse you, but I’m talking to my friend Morgan here.” She rolls her eyes very dramatically before turning back to me. “This is Theo. He’s a real pain in the ass.”

“Don’t be shocked,” he tells me when I try not to laugh. “It’s in all my social media bios. A real pain in the ass.”

“Don’t let him fool you. He’s the biggest nerd I know. He even does the homework for some of the guys on the swim team when they’re falling behind.”

“We can’t afford to lose any good swimmers because their grades are slipping.” He shrugs. “I’m not the fastest, but I make sure the fastest stay on the team.”

“That’s really nice of you.”

He shrugs again, good-naturedly. “The problem with being a genius. I get bored only doing my work.”