RAMSAY.

Creak!

I opened my eyes to the sound of someone sneaking into the house. I rolled over and checked the clock. Seven twenty-eight in the morning. I knew who was sneaking in. It usually wasn’t the parent creeping in at this time of day. I sighed and sat up. My mom was coming home from a double shift at Pine River Nursing Center. She was being the adult, doing all sorts of adult things the way she always did. She’d made the hard decision that what we’d had back in Cedra Valley was dunzo, and since we were in a situation where we needed family, off we went to Pine River. The population here was barely three thousand, which was the opposite of everything we were used to. My last school had that number of people just in my grade.

I got up, not fighting a yawn, and headed to the bathroom. Washing. Putting on makeup—the whole ordeal.

Then came choosing my clothes, and since it was my first day at Pine River High School, I knew I needed to be smart about it. Clothes were important. Clothes made the first impression, and I didn’t want too flashy. That was another lesson learned from this last year: Don’t be flashy. Don’t stick out. Don’t be a target. But I wasn’t a wallflower either. I wasn’t a pushover.

Hmmm . . . 

I went with tight black jeans, a textured gray short-sleeve tank that tied in the front with a red flannel shirt over it to cover my arms. My light gray high tops rounded out the outfit—oh, and long, black feather earrings. There.I was preppy, edgy, and cutesy, but also nothing on me stood out to put me in the pretty-girl clique. I was pushing toward fashionable tomboy, and that was more me than I’d ever been back in Cedra Valley.

It felt good.

It felt right.

I could pull this uniform off for a year—my last year, then it was off to college and WTFK (who the fuck knew).

I sighed and took one last look in the mirror. I had dark brown hair, but my highlights gave me a tawny brown look. I kept it shoulder length so I could sweep it back and not worry about it. Not that I had to since it never got flat. It never got frizzy. There was always a slight curl to it, and when it dried, it looked healthy and shiny. I had fan-fucking-tastic hair. That also meant I stayed away from product. I wasn’t a dummy. I splurged with what money I had and bought the good stuff for shampoo. No conditioner. That was it. I kept it simple, but it worked for me. I had almond-shaped dark eyes and a heart-shaped face—symmetrical. I’d been told that meant it was appealing to the eye. No bullshit, I had a face I could do almost anything with. Being confident in my looks wasn’t my problem. I was confident, but not arrogant. There was a difference. My mama taught me to love my body, love my mind, and love my soul. I did all three, but that didn’t mean everyone else did. Because of that, I was on a mission for no drama, no fighting, no targeting, no jealousy. Blend but not let anyone target me either. Okay. My pep talk done, I nabbed my backpack and headed to the kitchen.

“Hey, sweetie,” my mom called.

I left my bag in the hallway and rounded the corner. She was at the toaster, and I stopped for a moment and took her in. She was tired. She had the same hair as me, but she’d put hers up into a clip. She also didn’t believe in makeup because, what was the purpose anymore? Her scrubs were baggy on her because she’d gone to the thrift store for those. She had good sneakers, though. She needed them since she was on her feet for sixteen hour shifts.

“Morning. Did you eat?” I asked as I helped myself to the coffee, knowing she’d brewed this pot for me.

“I did on my last break.” She set my toast on a plate and put it on the counter.

After grabbing some creamer, I went over and sat, but I didn’t stop eyeing my mom. We were in an odd situation.

We had money, or we were supposed to have money. My dad’s family was fighting for what he’d left us, so what money we had, we might just lose to the lawyers. Mom and I understood that, while we might have some nice things from our previous life, those could be the only nice things we’d have for the foreseeable future.

My mom had gotten an education, but she had never used her degree. She married my dad and did whatever housewives did. Back in Cedra Valley, that was a lot of volunteering, a lot of luncheons, a lot of shindig parties in the evening, and a lot of gossiping. To Mom’s credit, she didn’t partake in the gossip, but she was friends with those ladies because usually the bigger the gossip, the bigger the purse. My mom cared about giving back, so being friends with those types was a requirement.

Sucks that they turned on her after my dad died, but not only had my mom taught me to love my body, mind, and spirit but also she taught me to believe in karma. One day those hypocritical, self-righteous bitches would be ousted when their husbands wanted an upgrade that came in the form of a newer and younger version of them.

“Ramsay, are you ready for your first day?” Mom leaned back against the counter.

I had to grin. She was more nervous than I was. I took a bite of my toast and gestured to her. “You can chill, Mom. I’ll be fine.”

She let out a sigh. “A part of me knows you’ll be fine. Your cousins are there, but the other part of me . . .” She gave me a sad smile. “You know I worry, honey.”

Yeah. Because the last year almost took the life out of us.

I got real and lowered the mask a little. “I’ll be fine, Mom. I mean it.”

She eyed me for a moment and then nodded. I could see the relief come over her. Her head lifted, and the worry lines eased. They were replaced by exhausted lines instead, but one small victory at a time. Reassuring my mom so she could get some much-needed sleep? That was a victory I’d carry with me all day. Score one for myself.

She crossed the room. “Okay, sweetie.” Cupping the back of my head, she pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I love you very much. Don’t let Clint get you in trouble today, and I’ll see you after school. Want me to pick you up?”

I shook my head, giving her a hug. “I’ll be good, Mom. I promise. I might bike, give the car a rest.”

She frowned, taking in my coffee and the piece of toast I still had left. “You’re going to bike and carry your coffee?”

“I’m super talented. I can do many things at once.”

She groaned, but chuckled. “I have no doubt. Just . . . be okay, okay?”

Be okay. The other mission I had for this year.

“I will.” The words slipped out on a whisper. I hadn’t meant for that to happen, but she looked even more relieved.

“Safe and smart.” That was my motto.

Biking in Cedra Valley wouldn’t have been safe and smart—too many interstates and bad neighborhoods. But Pine River? Totally safe. I’d visited my cousins so many times and they’d driven me through the town. If there were a bad part of town, it was isolated to one or two blocks. For the most part, this town seemed like the quintessential small town—everyone knew everyone. Everyone looked out for everyone. Right?

I’d have to wait and see. I only knew my cousins here.

After pouring my coffee into a to-go cup, I finished my last slice of toast in four bites and took it with me. My mom was already upstairs, and she’d be out within a few minutes, or so I hoped. I locked the door behind me, making sure my phone was in my bag.

I grabbed my bike and headed out.

I’d been to my cousins’ high school before, but not the new one. According to my cousins, they tore down the old one and built a brand spanking new one over the spring and summer, and this was the first year for everyone to use it. Riding up to the parking lot, I was surprised. The building was gorgeous. Huge columns extended from over the doors to the roof, up probably three stories. The rest of the front was all glass windows, floor to ceiling, and there was some kind of walkway on the second level. As I went in through the metal detectors on the first level, I spotted the cafeteria. There were tables and booths everywhere.

Looking into the middle of the school, there was an open-air atrium with some serious skylights. It gave the school a very cool feeling—like we were outside, but not. Vitamin D must’ve been an issue in this part of the country.

“You done gawking?” A security guard waited for me to move forward.

I shot him a look, picked up my bag, and headed to the office. There were a few other students inside. I could tell a few were underclassmen because they looked tiny. There was another guy in a chair with a seriously pissed-off look on his face. He had tattoos all over him and his hair in a crew-Mohawk, which was kinda cool. It fit him.

He glanced at me, his eyes sparking in interest, but before he or I could say something, a girl stepped aside and the receptionist held out her hand. “Sweetie, come here.” She wiggled her fingers to me, and I stepped forward.

“You have papers?” She peered over the top of her reading glasses, squinting. “You’re new, right? I don’t recognize you.”

“Yes. Ramsay Williams.”

“No papers?” She pursed her lips together, looking me over before making a clicking sound in her throat and going back to her computer screen.

I frowned. “I didn’t know I was supposed to bring papers. What papers?”

She was paused in her typing and leaned closer to her screen. “Nope. You’re good. You were registered last week.” Those very no-nonsense eyes pinned me in place. “What are you in here for?”

I shifted on my feet. This lady was unnerving. I adjusted my bag over my shoulder. “I was told to stop in for my locker and class schedule. That stuff.”

“Gotcha.” She went back to typing, and a curse left her before the printer started up behind her. Wheeling back, she grabbed the paper, scribbled something on the back, and handed it over. She pointed to the top corner. “Locker number. Code is here. And your schedule. We’re not doing student IDs this morning, but stop in anytime this afternoon and we’ll get that settled for you as well. Now, you’ll need an ID for lunch. You got money on you? Know anyone here?” Fud-ruckers. I did, but I’d been hoping to keep my connection to my cousins on the down-low. They were the opposite of blending in.

“Uh . . .”

“I’ll spot you.” The tattoo guy stood, giving me the head jerk. It was something cool people gave other cool people, so I guessed I was officially part of that group.

Just then, an older guy wearing a tie, dress shirt, and slacks came out from a back hallway and stopped, looking over the waiting room.

“Macon?” He made a motion to follow him. “Why are you already in my office?” he added with a sigh. “School hasn’t even started.”

The guy smirked, grabbing his backpack and circling around me. “Macon Rice,” he said under his breath as he passed. “Find me at lunch.” He gave me a once-over before whistling to himself. “No problem at all.”

Maybe I needed to rethink my outfit choices? The once-over was too in-my-face. I didn’t like it.

“Thanks, but I know people.” My tone was cool, the chilly kind this time.

He paused and assessed me again. Then he tipped his head. “See you around.”

I was a dick.

I’d thrown back his invite, and he’d noted it, and I knew—I was overthinking this. I just hoped he wasn’t some school dictator because those did exist.

The receptionist cleared her throat, and I looked back to find her giving me a suspicious look. “Come this afternoon for your ID. Do you, in fact, actually know people here?”

I nodded. “I do.”

“Good, and word of advice”—she gestured down the hallway where Macon Rice and the older man had gone—“stay away from that one.” Then she pasted on a smile. “Have a nice day, dear.” She leaned to the side. “Next!”

On my way out the door, a girl came up beside me. “Hi.”

She had blonde hair pulled back into a low bun, and her face was covered in freckles. She beamed at me. “I’m Gem, and I overheard everything. I’ve decided that you and I are going to be friends.”

I raised an eyebrow. “We are?”

Her head bobbed up and down. “Oh yeah. Anyone who can give Macon Rice the toss is already a goddess in my mind.”

Oh great. “Is he a big deal around here?”

She shrugged, then nodded to my paper. “I’ll tell you on the way to your locker. What’s your number?” I told her, and we headed down a hallway. “He’s not a nobody, if that’s what you mean. He goes through girls, like, one a week. It’s kinda gross, when you think about it, but all the girls know. They still end up in his bed, and then they fight about it when the next girl is chosen. He got two girls pregnant last year, so it’s a good sign that you read him right and didn’t take him up on his offer. You’d be labeled as the first-week girl, and I don’t think that’s what you want. Also, don’t get freaked about the security guards. They’re only here on certain days.” She veered through a group of people, nodding to a locker. “Here’s yours. Mine’s over there.” She pointed across the hallway. “Give me two seconds. I’ll grab my stuff and be back to show you to your first class.”

It took two tries before I got my code to work. I had my bag in and was pulling out my phone when it buzzed.

Alex: Hey!! You here? Where are you?

Crap.

Me: Here, but you guys are supposed to act like you don’t know me.

Gem was heading back, a notebook and laptop in hand, when I felt the mood in the hallway shift. The crowds parted, and a group of guys sauntered down the hallway. Gem sighed, falling against my neighbor’s locker, and jerked her chin toward the group.

“Wanna know who are at the top? Those guys are.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or most of them are there. But, see those triplets?”

My heart sank because I did see them. I saw them very well.

“Gorgeous, blond gods,” Gem narrated. “Triplets. All jocks too, by the way, but interestingly, different sports. And again, can I say triplets? That’s Trenton talking to the dark-haired guy. The dark-haired guy who isn’t a triplet is Cohen Rodriguez. The middle triplet is Clint, and he’s the troublemaker of the three. The last triplet is Alex, and—”

Her hand clamped on my arm, and I winced as she whisper-shrieked in my ear, “OMG! Alex is looking right at us.” A pause. “At you. He’s looking at you! OMG!”

Her voice gave me a nails-on-the-chalkboard vibe. I gave Alex a dirty look and turned my back to my locker because Trenton and Clint hadn’t seen me. She wasn’t exaggerating when she said Clint was the troublemaker of the three. I didn’t want to start the first five minutes of my new high school career by getting into a fight with him, but I would if I had to because those triplets were my cousins.

She sucked in her breath. I could hear her hyperventilating next to me as another presence appeared on my other side.

I waited.

He didn’t go away.

After a little bit, I said, “Go away.”

Alex started laughing, falling against the locker next to me and facing the hallway. He rested one foot on the wall behind him, doing the jock-cool-lounge thing, like he didn’t give a rat’s ass who was watching. The nice thing about Alex? He truly didn’t care.

Or he didn’t pay attention. He poked me on the arm.

“Come on. This is ridiculous. It’s going to come out. Some guy is going to hit on you or talk dirty about you, and we all know how that’ll go over. Embrace the cousin love, Rams. We’re here, and we’re not the ones embarrassed to tell people who we care about.” He leaned around me, and I could hear his smile.

“Hey, Gem.” His arm fell around my shoulders and he turned me around, pulling me back against him, and resting his chin on my shoulder. “Have you met my cousin, Ramsay? She’s pretty awesome, if you want a cool friend.”

I groaned, closing my eyes.

I could feel the attention from the girls in the hallway watching us.

Gem looked as if she were about to fall over. “You know my name.”

Alex laughed again, shifting to stand beside me with his arm still around my shoulders. “Our school isn’t that big.” He nudged me.

“What’s your first class?”

I held up my schedule.

He smirked. “Yeah, that whole plan of yours would’ve died a quick death anyway.” He gave me a look. “Clint’s in your first class.”

I groaned again.

“Seriously?”

“What class do you have?” Gem asked, her cheeks flushed.

“AP chem.”

I showed her my schedule, and her eyes got big. “These are mostly AP classes. Fourth-year Spanish?” “Si. I moved from Texas. Knowing Spanish down there is just smart.”

“We have sixth period together, though.”

Alex reached over and took my schedule. “Uh . . . I’m in your third period and your fifth period. Trent’s in your fourth. Clint will show you where your second class is.”

I took it back. “When’s lunch?”

“Between fourth and fifth. You have study hall seventh period?” He shot me a grin. “You do that on purpose?”

I was smiling on the inside, but only shrugged.

“Maybe.”

He gave me a knowing look. “They take attendance here for study hall. It’s not a skip class.”

Well, fuck. “I’m new. Maybe if I don’t show up the first week, I don’t ever have to show up.”

Alex burst out laughing. “Yeah, that right there tells me there’s no way you can blend in here.” He shook his head, his eyes amused. “I’m excited to have you here.”

The first bell rang, and Alex took off, telling me to find him for lunch.

Gem faced me, her eyes back to bulging. “I cannot believe you know Alex Maroney. That means you know Clint and Trenton too, and I claimed you first as a friend.” She pivoted on her heels, her hands shooting up in the air. “Go me!” She rounded right back, dropping her arms. “I’m just kidding. Not really. I’m excited, that’s all, but please remember I wanted to be your friend before I knew you were related to Pine River royalty.”

“Royalty?”

A second bell rang.

She groaned. “Okay. We have to go. I’ll show you your first class.”

We took off, and she dropped me at a classroom down the hall.

She gave another wave. “See you at lunch!”