“I’m not your lapdog.” I rolled my eyes.
“Well, if you were, your life would be a lot easier.”
Feeling braver than I was, I uttered, “I like a challenge.” The burn of my blush tinged my cheeks when I turned around and half-walked, half-ran to my next class.
His laughter echoed in my mind for the next few hours as I struggled to get through math and philosophy. High school was a trip. Mean boys and pretty girls lined the rooms at Wildwood, making me feel even more miserable than I’d thought possible. The clang of the bell hours later sent a rush of relief coursing through me. It meant it was time for lunch, although, that was nerve-wracking on its own. Where the hell was I going to sit?
Slowly, I gathered everything I’d scattered over my desk and made my way to the cafeteria. The hallways were filled with people, bodies pushing this way and that, the scent of expensive perfume and cologne thick in the air. God, they even smelled fucking good. I followed them farther inside the space that would make or break my time at Wildwood.
The cafeteria was spacious and just as modern as the rest of the campus. The room opened into a large sitting area which spilled out onto the courtyard. High ceilings and a lot of space made it appear airy and relaxed, but I’d seen enough teen movies to know it wouldn’t all be fun and games. And as far as food was concerned, there were almost too many options, all of them gourmet and making my mouth water. At least I could muster up an appetite.
I joined the line for a meal and opted for the mandarin quinoa salad. I grabbed a chia drink and left the line feeling strange for not paying. But all the food here was included in the hefty tuition Mom had shelled out for my time at Wildwood, which only made me feel more guilty. I needed to find a way to make this work.
Coming to stand at the end of the pickup line, I felt the blush creeping into my cheeks. There was nothing scarier than staring into an open cafeteria of a new school, not knowing where the hell you were going to sit. The fear held me captive until a familiar voice called my name.
"Tins! Over here!"
The relief was intense, and I turned to the left, feeling the pit in my stomach fill once my eyes connected with Estella's. My best friend was pure perfection, all five-feet-eleven inches of her. Her hair was luscious and thick, a deep shade of brown, while her eyes were a mesmerizing shade of blue. The girl had an hourglass figure that would make Kim K jealous. She’d been my best friend for a few months, and she was the one bright spot in my future at Wildwood. As I locked eyes with her, relief flooded me. She was still wearing the friendship bracelet, the same one that I had around my wrist. She still cares!
I neared the table where she sat with a timid, mousy blonde and plopped down on the bench, not before Estella shooed some girls off to make room for me. It made me feel special; that acceptance instantly made me feel more at ease.
The table made the girl.
"Babe, this is Inca." Estella motioned to the girl next to her with a saccharine sweet smile. "She's my little pet project this year."
Inca blushed to the roots of her hair, her lips tugging upwards in the way expected of her, though she was obviously uncomfortable.
"Inca, this is Tinsley, my best friend in the whole wide world," Estella went on in a sing-song voice.
Stells was the kind of friend a girl met once in a lifetime, and we’d been thick as thieves since she’d guest starred on Devin Mooney. Even though she was the quintessential mean girl from time to time, she always treated me nicely. There were a couple of years between us, but we had clicked instantly. Knowing she went to Wildwood had calmed my anxiety over the whole high school experience I was about to live, or, more likely, stumble through.
"Has anyone bothered you today, amor?" Estella asked with raised brows, leaning toward me with a conspiratorial nudge. "Just say the word, and I'll get the problem fixed for you." She punched her palm with her fist.
"I'll be fine," I assured her, choosing not to mention the earlier incident. It was nothing, anyway. That guy probably just bumped into me by accident. "I met a really nice girl."
"Oh, really?" Estella asked, spreading organic peanut butter on a rye cracker. "Who is she?"
"She's a sophomore," I explained. "Her name is Andromeda. Cool, right?"
She stopped with her knife in the air, raising her eyes at me. "As in, Awkward Andromeda? Like, the biggest freak in the school? God, Tins, you really know how to pick ‘em."
I furrowed my brows, shaking my head and muttering, "No, that can't be her. She's gorgeous and super sweet."
Estella gave me a doubtful look, sighing dramatically. "Honestly, babe, how many Andromedas do you think there are in this school? I know exactly who you're talking about, and I'm telling you now, don't associate yourself with her. You don't want to hurt your reputation at Wildwood from the get-go, right, cariño?"
While she talked, I let my eyes scan the cafeteria crowd, and they stopped on a now-familiar tall, lanky figure. Andromeda waved at me, jumping up to catch my attention. Her star stickers reflected the light.
"Right," I muttered, looking away.
I wasn't sure whether Estella saw us, but I felt guilt settling right back in the pit of my stomach as I turned to my salad. But my appetite was well and truly gone, and after a couple of minutes picking at the mandarin and quinoa, I pushed it away, done pretending.
The whole time, Estella had been chatting with the other girls, making Inca and myself outcasts. We exchanged a few glances, but neither of us spoke. Lunch was miserable, and despite sitting at the cool kids' table, I felt singled out and alone. Great. Just great.
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I used the time alone to inspect the rest of the people sitting at our table. Estella's other friends either wore lacrosse or cheerleading jackets over their uniforms. Occasionally, one of them would glance at me, but Estella gave them the death glare a second later, so no one dared snicker or say anything. I was grateful for that. Despite the comfort of my best friend attending the same high school, there was still someone I'd have to deal with throughout the year. Although I didn’t want to admit it, I was more terrified of a certain Crispin Dalton than anyone else who went there. Nobody else had the power to hurt me as much as he did.
Estella may have been able to protect me around her cheerleader friends, but Crispin was something else. Fear ran through my veins, and I braced myself for the next time I’d have to see him, already afraid of the pain he’d undoubtedly cause.