I sigh. “It’s fine. I’m used to being ignored.”
She rolls her eyes. “Says the prettiest girl I’ve ever met.”
My face grows warm at her compliment. “What about Arabella?”
She waves a hand. “Skinny blondes with long legs are so overrated. Besides, her good looks can’t make up for the fact that she’s the Wicked Witch of West Raven.”
I snort.
She’s definitely right about that.
Still, I get the feeling that Arabella is pretty popular. I might need to watch myself around her.
I look behind us, toward the group of guys playing football. I wonder if one of them is Arabella’s boyfriend. And I wonder which one is. The guy who almost ran over me is the cutest of the bunch, though they’re all easy on the eyes.
I turn around, deciding it doesn’t matter. I’m not here to meet guys. I just want to finish my senior year of high school. It’s just a bonus that I get to spend the next nine months so far away from Karen and William.
Still, I am envious of all the students here who are carefree. I wonder what Laura and I look like, walking next to one another. Do people think I look happy? Do we look like two friends walking together? It doesn’t really matter what people think, I know that. But I’ve always been curious what I look like through the eyes of someone else.
When we get to the double doors that lead into the auditorium, Laura opens it, motioning me to go in first. I can’t help but think that she is going to be a good friend. I’m really glad that I met her.
Hello, boarding school hottie.
Liam doesn’t show up at orientation, which doesn’t surprise me. My brother has never been one to follow the rules. He even refused to go to a fancy private school without me no matter how much his dad insisted. He stuck with me and he went to public school.
After orientation, Laura excuses herself to go unpack her things and I decide to explore a little bit. Before I make it past the courtyard, I end up running into Liam.
“Hey, Coco. How’s it going?” he asks, concern in his eyes.
“Fine. I already made a friend.” I pause, tapping my chin. “And an enemy.”
He furrows his brows. “Is somebody being mean to you?”
“Nah.” I wave a hand. “Just a mean girl—every school has one of those.”
“I’ll take care of her. Just point her out to me.” Liam clenches his jaw as he looks around the courtyard, trying to find the culprit.
I put a hand on his arm. “Don’t worry about it, Number Four. I’ve got this.”
He huffs. “Fine. But if I see anybody being mean to you, I will be doing something about it.”
I grin. “I know. And thank you for being a good brother.”
He finally relaxes a bit. “Some of the guys are going to play a friendly game of football and they invited me.”
“No game of football is ever friendly, especially when there are men involved.” I chuckle, shaking my head.
He rubs at the scruff on his jaw. “Well, I’ve got to look good in front of the school. I’m new and I need to prove myself.”
“Uh huh.” I give him a pointed look.
“Want to come watch the game?” he asks.
I nod. “Sure. Maybe I can meet some more people.”
Laura is going to be a good friend, but maybe I can make a few friends. Here, I can reinvent myself. I won’t have to be Liam’s stepsister or William Bradbury’s stepdaughter. I can just be Cove and that’s a good thing.
Liam slings his arm around my shoulder as we walk toward the football field together.
“You’re really heavy,” I tell him, motioning to his arm.
“Good thing you’re strong.”
I snort.
I’m the opposite of strong.
Liam is the one who plays sports. He goes to the gym daily and he never skips leg day. I, on the other hand, can barely walk across a flat surface without tripping over my own feet.
“You are strong,” Liam says, as if reading my thoughts. “Who else could put up with what you do? You’re the strongest person I know.”
I grin. “Thanks, Number Four. You’re not so bad either.”
“Why do you insist on calling me Number Four?” He groans.
“Because you hate it. I’m you sister. It’s my job to annoy you.” I look up at him. “Besides, somebody needs to bring you down a peg or two. You’re way too arrogant.”
He smirks. “Well, I have every reason to be arrogant.” He makes a muscle with his arm. “Do you see these biceps?”
I roll my eyes. “I just don’t see the appeal.”
“That’s cause you’re my sister.”
“Exactly.” I nod. “I live with you. If these girls knew how big of a pig you were, they wouldn’t like you either.”
He laughs, knowing that I’m right.
Liam moves his arm off me as we get closer to the football field. The sidewalk is crowded with people headed down to watch the game.
I’ve got all weekend to make friends and I fully intend to enjoy the last few days before school starts back.
My heart is racing as we arrive at the field. I’m suddenly nervous—I’m the new kid. While I don’t care about being popular, I would like to make some friends. At our old school, I kind of just tagged along with Liam and his friends or I spent my entire lunch period in the library if I wasn’t feeling social that day. I just want things to be different here.
I start to head to the stands, but Liam pulls me with him onto the field. He walks up to some guy, doing a fist bump.
Hello, boarding school hottie. Because this guy is hot. He also looks familiar and I realize he’s the guy who nearly barreled over me earlier.
He’s so much better looking up close.
His dark hair is disheveled, probably from playing football, but he rocks messy hair. His eyes are dark, like two melted pools of chocolate. When he turns to me, he smiles, revealing two dimples.
“Hello, new girl. I hope you’re not his girlfriend because I would have to steal you,” the boy says.
My cheeks grow warm.
Liam steps to the side, putting more distance between us. “Dude, she’s my sister.”
The boy raises an eyebrow. “You two look nothing alike.”
I shrug, not wanting to point out that we’re step siblings. I’m sure people will figure it out on their own anyway—we have different last names.
“This is my sister, Cove.” Liam motions a hand to me. “Coco, this is Preston.”
Preston holds out his hand to me. “Preston Lomax.”
I shake his hand. “Cove Lawson.”
Preston’s grin widens. “You should come hang out tonight after curfew. The whole school will be there—we hang out by the lake. It’s always a fun time.”
“Uh.” I glance over at Liam. “Maybe.”
“We’ll come,” Liam assures him.
“Good. I guess I’ll see you there, Cole.”
“It’s Cove,” I say, but he isn’t paying attention. He’s already walking off.
Liam snickers, nudging me with his elbow. “Coco, how have you already managed to get a boyfriend?”