Chapter One

ROXIE

I found myself sprinting down the hallway again. This had become my routine for the past few months. Just a few more months and I’d finally be free of this place.

Four years of high school had been more stressful than I’d ever imagined. I was relieved it was almost over. The only thing that had gone according to plan was my cheerleading career.

The friends I’d made in freshman year were no longer in my life. I was only close with a few girls on the squad. I was sociable, but not as outgoing as you’d expect the head cheerleader to be.

But that didn’t matter anymore. This was my senior year, and I’d turned eighteen at the start of the year. I was counting down the days until it was all over.

I glanced at my smartwatch and saw it was 8:06 a.m. Damn! I was late for first period again, despite my best efforts.

I should have taken a quick shower after practice. Mrs. Joseph was definitely going to give me a hard time for this.

This was the second time this week I was late; the first time was because I was so tired from running drills with the new girls on the squad and needed a coffee to get through the day.

Early morning practices were taking a toll on me, but there were only three more months until competition and five months until school was over.

Once the two-a-day practices were over, I could try to relax before college. I had a plan, and I needed to stick to it.

I walked into Mrs. Joseph’s English class, trying not to make eye contact. She was always on everyone’s case, especially mine.

“Nice of you to join us, Roxie,” Mrs. Joseph said, rolling her eyes. I rolled my eyes back, but she didn’t see me.

“Have a seat and please stay after class for a quick chat,” she said.

Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes again, I walked to my seat and sat down.

Nari, a girl from the front of the class, caught my eye but quickly looked away. Typical. I rolled my eyes at the back of her head. If she had something to say, she should just say it.

I was not in the mood for any extra drama today. I’d had enough of that with Mrs. Joseph.

Nari and I used to be friends, but something happened in freshman year that changed everything. After that, we didn’t know how to act around each other.

So, I distanced myself and made new friends through cheerleading. Making friends was easy for me, but not for Nari. She didn’t get close to many people after that.

She would often just look at me, roll her eyes, and look away. She started dating Kai soon after that. They were among the smartest in the class and in a few other classes as well.

They mostly kept to themselves, though I knew Kai had a few friends. I could probably count on one hand how many parties I’d seen them at.

The hour of English class seemed to fly by as I was lost in my thoughts, and soon the bell was ringing. Thank God.

I wanted to leave quickly, but I knew that would only make things worse with Mrs. Joseph.

I slowly stood up and started packing my bag when I heard Mrs. Joseph say, “Nari and Kai, can you two stay back as well please.”

They both agreed. I had no idea why she would need them to stay behind while we talked.

I took a deep breath to prepare myself for the conversation. What could she possibly want with the three of us? What was she up to?

I turned around and walked to the front of the class, standing next to Nari. I looked at Kai, and he was looking at Nari as if he was waiting for her reaction.

When she kept her eyes on the teacher, he looked away. Surprisingly, he wasn’t checking me out like most guys in the school did.

He seemed like a good boyfriend, which was rare around here. He was a bit quiet but still attractive.

I could tell he had a toned body under his loose clothes, and his eyes were the kind that made you say yes to anything he asked.

He was about six feet tall, so you had to look up to meet his gaze.

I hadn’t had a boyfriend since junior year. Kyle Jameson, the school quarterback, was the last guy I let break my heart. I caught him in bed with two girls from the volleyball team.

When I found them, he had the audacity to ask me to join. I didn’t hesitate to kick him to the curb.

I knew Kai would never do that to Nari. Maybe one day I’d have a boyfriend who looked at me the way Kai looked at Nari.

“Nari and Kai, are you two still interested in the extra credit you asked for this morning?” Mrs. Joseph asked, interrupting my thoughts.

Really? Did she think they would change their minds in an hour? I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t understand why anyone would need extra credit for a class they were already passing.

Nari answered for both of them, “Yes.”

“Good. I’d like you two to take turns tutoring Roxie, as she has consistently been late to my class at least twice a week for the last two months.

“I want to make sure she’s keeping up with what she’s missing.” I bit my tongue to stop myself from responding.

I’d been late, but she knew I hadn’t missed a single assignment. I wouldn’t risk my senior year; I was too close to my goal.

“As for you, Roxie, attend all your tutoring sessions and you’ll graduate on time. End of discussion.” She didn’t leave any room for argument.

I didn’t have the energy to argue, so I just nodded. I was still tired from this morning’s practice, and my mind kept drifting to my plans. I followed Kai and Nari as they left the class.

“Someone text me an address. I guess I’ll see you two tonight.” I didn’t wait for a response as I pushed past them, rolling my eyes as I left.

Nari’s smirk caught me off guard. It was the most emotion I’d seen from her in years.

What was her deal? I wondered. How could anyone flip between hot and cold so quickly?

I knew I had to figure out an escape plan. If I was being honest with myself, I didn’t think I could handle a full hour alone with Nari. There was a tension between us that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

One moment she was rolling her eyes, the next she was acting like she didn’t care. Both attitudes irritated me. Kai, though, was a different story. He was easy on the eyes.

Maybe if I flirted with him, Nari would ease up and let me out of this unnecessary tutoring session.

Regardless, I couldn’t add this to my already overflowing schedule. The tutoring had to go.