I look at him in shock. “How the hell did you swing that?”

  He grins back at me, that cocky, too-sure-of-himself attitude shining bright. “I can’t tell you all my secrets now, can I?”

  I shake my head. “You’re such a dork.”

  “Don’t act like you don’t love it.”

  Yeah, he’s right. I really do.

  Chapter 3

  I barge my way through the big double doors of the teacher’s lounge before shaking my head in exasperation. Of course, it’s fucking immaculate in here. The rest of the school is falling apart yet the teachers have this perfect little piece of heaven for them to come and escape to.

  That’d be right. How very douchey of them.

  The second I step over the threshold, it’s as if they smell me. All eyes turn to me, each and every one of them with a horrid scowl. I mean, how dare I disturb their happy little sanctuary, right? Who would have thought that they’d have to deal with students when they go to work?

  I quickly glance around. Most of the teachers are sitting at tables working on scarfing down their lunch, a few linger at their desks putting together papers and organizing crap for their next lessons; while the rest engage in what I’m sure is an extremely riveting conversation.

  Once they finish scowling, most eyes turn away, wanting to mind their own business as they all know better than to screw with me. Not one of them risk telling me to fuck off, you know, in that pleasantly nice way that teachers seem to do.

  Only one bothers to stand up; Mr. Carver.

  To be honest, I’m not surprised to see that he’s the only one giving me his time. He seems to be the only teacher at this school who gives a shit.

  Mr. Carver walks forward, giving me a polite smile. “Well, this is a surprise,” he says as the other teachers pretend to mind their own business. “What are you doing here?”

  I glance around, my eyes flicking from left to right, taking in the teachers around me and making sure the handful of ones I need are here before focusing back on Mr. Carver. “Tully is home from the hospital and will be on bedrest for the next few weeks. I’ll be coming every few days to collect her schoolwork so she doesn’t get behind. “So,” I say, looking at her teachers who I know are listening, “I’m assuming you’ve all been keeping her work for the past two weeks. She’s going to need it.”

  A few eyes bulge while others flash with guilt, and only one pair shine with pride. “Of course,” Mr. Carver says. “I’ve got it all on my desk. I had a feeling you’d be coming around sooner or later.” He goes to walk away before turning back to me with a curious gaze. “What about Rivers? Will you be needing work for him too? I know he’s been missing quite a bit of school since the accident.”

  I quickly shake my head. “No, it’s ok,” I tell him, hating the sour taste it leaves in my mouth. “Thanks though.”

  Carver hurries off to grab Tully’s work while I look across at the other teachers with an expectant expression covering my features. I take a seat and give them a sarcastic smile. “Please, don’t rush. I have all day.”

  They scurry into action.

  I watch in amusement as some power up their computers and start printing off sheets of work, some photocopy pages from textbooks and start highlighting passages, while others go over their notes, most likely already having forgotten what was covered during class.

  I resist shaking my head. Not one of them, apart from Mr. Carver, thought to put work aside for Tully. Either they didn’t think of it or simply didn’t care to further her education while she was healing. It also doesn’t go unnoticed that none of them have bothered to check in and ask how she’s doing. Fucking bastards.

  Without this work, Tully would have returned to school in a few weeks and been so incredibly behind that she’d have no chance in hell of catching up to her classmates and limit her options following high school.

  It’s a shame really, how blatantly disinterested most of the teachers are regarding our education, but that’s what you get at Haven Falls. I guess it’s a little too much to ask for a teacher to actually do his or her job.

  Lucky us.

  Mr. Carver seems to be the only one at Haven Falls Private who seems to give a shit and thank God for that. Without him, I never would have had the balls to apply for the scholarship program at Broken Hill University. Without him, I never would have realized how badly I wanted it. He showed me a future that I thought was so far out of my grasp that I didn’t even bother looking into it. But I’m so damn glad that I did.

  The thought of attending college next year is ridiculous but in a good way. I’ve been working my ass off to try and get my grades up and while I haven’t been doing great, I’ve definitely been doing better. I’d say I’ve made a small increase. I just have to keep it up and get through the next few months. History class though, that’s a different story.

  I wait about ten minutes before watching as Mr. Carver walks from teacher to teacher, collecting all the work before going to the length of finding a bag for me to put it all in. He strides over, looking a little proud of himself before hauling the big bag into my arms. “Here you go,” he says. “I’m sure this should keep her busy.”

  “I’m sure it will,” I laugh. “I can’t guarantee that she’ll actually do it but she’ll eventually get bored and cave.”

  “I bet,” he chuckles. “How is she doing?”

  I give him a tight smile. “Her arm isn’t doing too good. I think it’s still causing her quite a bit of pain, but everything else seems to be healing nicely. She’s happy to be home though.”

  “I can only image,” he says. “Wish her the best for a speedy recovery and hopefully we’ll see her back soon.”

  “Will do,” I tell him, getting comfortable with the heavy bag.

  I start to walk away when I hear him calling out behind me. “Let me know if she gets through that and I’ll organize some extra credit.”

  I give him a bright smile. “Thank you. She won’t appreciate it right away, but I promise, she will in about a week’s time.”

  “My pleasure Henley.”

  With that, Mr. Carver lets me go and I make my way out the door. I get about three steps out of the teacher’s lounge before I run into Jared Frazer who instantly takes the bag out of my hands and walks to my locker with me.

  Usually, I’d put up a fight and give the whole ‘I’m not a damsel in distress’ speech, but to be honest, the bag was really heavy and I know deep down that Jared is a good kid. He’s not like the other douchebags here. Besides, I have a feeling he’s also doing it because that’s what Noah would have done had he been here and Noah would have hated on anyone who wouldn’t offer the same decency to his girl.

  The past two weeks without Rivers have been a bit awful for Noah when it comes to school. He’s the King of Haven Falls and it doesn’t go unnoticed when things are changing. Nearly every guy in school has tried to worm their way into Noah’s life, hoping to replace the empty space Rivers has left wide open.

  They want to be a part of our pack. They want what Rivers had and a lot of them will stop at nothing to get it. I’ve had guys everywhere trying to get close to me, paying me compliments and being friendly, trying to show Noah that they have respect for his girl, but he sees right through it and absolutely hates it. They should know by now that no matter what the circumstances, Rivers is irreplaceable.

  Besides, we live by our motto; no one in, no one out. Rivers knows that more than anyone and that fact alone has me believing that he’ll be back.

  I can’t wait to see Tully’s reaction when she gets back here. I’m sure she’ll have a few things to say about all this, though, that’s assuming Noah doesn’t break and say something first.

  We’ve lucked out with Jared. He’s legitimately a cool guy and what’s more, he has no interest in filling Rivers’ shoes. He’s kind of like a nomad. He’s on the football team but once training is over, he steps away. For him, it’s all about the game. I’m pretty sure he just wants to see the next few months out, stay out of trouble, and graduate, just like the rest of us.

  I wouldn’t be surprised if he saw our group as trouble, and he’d be right. Anyone wanting to keep out of the spotlight should stay far, far away from us. The only problem is– we draw people in like moths to a flame.

  Jared helps me put the massive bag into my locker and before I know it, he’s giving me a kind smile and slinks away. I’ll have to let Noah know that he did me a solid today so if the guy is ever in trouble, we’ll be sure to return the favor.

  I grab my lunch from my locker and head towards the bleachers. Noah hasn’t been in school today and with Rivers nowhere to be seen, the work for Anton has been doubling up. I think Anton has the shits that Rivers is gone and is taking it out on Noah by giving him almost enough work to make sure he doesn’t get to live his life.

  Noah knew he wasn’t going to make it to school today so I had to drive myself, and with Tully stuck at home, it makes for a very long and painful day.

  Most of the guys from the football team are out on the field kicking a ball while a few of the cheerleaders linger around, watching them and calling out, desperate for their attention. The majority of students opted to stay inside today as it’s pretty damn cold. Any other day, I would have stayed in there too, but without my pack, it’s just not the same.

  A few of the cheerleaders notice me up in the bleachers by myself and try to wave me down, asking me to come and hang out. I promptly ignore them. They knew it was a long shot asking so I don’t bother feeling bad about it.

  They quickly shrug off my rejection and I grin to myself, still loving that I have that kind of power over people. Only a few short months ago, the entire school would have laughed at the suggestion that the cheerleaders would be disappointed that the designated loser, Henley Bronx, didn’t want to hang out with them. How times have changed.

  The rest of the day drags by but I keep my head down in math class, determined to actually learn something today. By the time the end of school bell sounds, I couldn’t be happier. I practically run down to the student parking lot and dive into dad’s old pick up.

  After having yet another trip to the mechanic, she purrs to life and I peel out of the lot as happy as a pig in mud.

  With Tully’s bag of schoolwork beside me, I start heading to her place, stuck in my own mind, picturing her reaction when she realizes that I brought her weeks of missed schoolwork. She’s going to hate me, but it’s going to be so worth it. Besides, if she plans on owning her own florist business one day, then graduating high school would probably go a long way in helping that to happen.

  I’m just about at Tully’s place when I find myself slamming on the brakes. Shit. Aria. Was I meant to pick her up this afternoon? My mind starts swirling trying to remember if I was on sister duty. I rip my phone out of my jeans pocket, having to raise my ass off the seat to slide it out before pulling over to the curb and quickly calling dad.

  “What’s up, Squish?” he questions in a weird tone, probably wondering why the hell I’m calling at this time of the day. After all, he rarely hears from me until night time.

  “Was I meant to get Aria?” I rush out, nearly in a panic as the image of her standing alone by the school gate waiting for me flashes through my mind and makes me feel like an absolute turd.

  “No,” dad says with a slight chuckle. “I’ve already got her.”

  “Wait,” I say as confusion comes over me. “How do you have her? I’ve got the truck.”

  I practically hear dad rolling his eyes through the phone. “Yeah, thanks for that, by the way. We had to walk. Squirt hasn’t stopped complaining the whole way home.”

  “Shit. Do you want me to swing by and pick you guys up?”

  “No, don’t be ridiculous. We’re just about home anyway.”

  “Only if you’re sure,” I tell him.

  “How many times do I need to tell you not to question me?” He all but growls down the line. “Now, listen. Are you home for dinner or staying at the hospital tonight?”

  “Oh, didn’t I tell you? Tully got out last night. I’m going to swing by and see her for a while. I’m sure she’s probably going nuts being locked in her room all day,” I tell him, “and I picked up all her schoolwork so she doesn’t run out of things to do.”

  “Shit, I raised you right.”

  I roll my eyes. Dad will never skip a chance to inflate his ego. “Sure did,” I laugh. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Alright. Drive safe, Squish. Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” I tell him before ending the call. I toss my phone down on the seat beside me and pull back out into traffic, feeling a shitload better. At least my little sister isn’t standing out in the cold wondering how her big sister could forget about her like that. Crisis averted.

  After turning one more corner, I pull up at Noah and Tully’s place and the very first thing I notice is the white Camaro missing from the mountain of cars that usually live here. “Damn,” I mutter to myself. Noah must still be out working for Anton.

  I hope he’s alright. He’s been gone all day. Usually, the jobs he does for the guy has him gone for a few hours at the most. Things are definitely changing, and not for the better.

  I climb out of dad’s old pick up and grab the heavy bag beside me. As I walk down the path leading towards the front door, I can’t help but rake my eyes over the mangled mess of Rivers’ black Freebird. We didn’t know an address to send it so he could have it at his place and he isn’t here to do anything about it, like calling the insurance company and getting this shit sorted.

  Instead, we look at it each day. It couldn’t have been easy for Tully walking in here last night and seeing it after just getting out of the hospital. Though, I’m not sure she was really focusing on that. She was going so slowly getting out of Noah’s car that he lost his patience and scooped her up. He practically charged towards the door while she screamed and whined about being able to do it herself. But what did she expect coming home? Noah is going to be right by her side every chance he gets. She’s going to be cursing him out in no time.

  By the time Noah got her through the door, there was a whole new problem to deal with; Violet and Eddison. They had absolutely no idea that Noah had discharged her and believe me, they weren’t thrilled about it. Nonetheless, Violet turned into Supermom and had Tully’s bedroom perfect, dinner cooked, and was busily picking out movies and TV series for Tully to watch while Tully made herself comfortable in her room.

  I don’t think she had time to notice the mangled metal sitting outside beside her Jeep, but now that she’s spent that day sitting in bed with nothing to do but look out the window, I’m sure her eyes have raked over it once or twice.

  I make my way down the hall and push into Tully’s room. “What the fuck is all that?” she grunts, looking at the bag in distaste.

  “All the school work you’ve missed out on,” I explain proudly, walking forward and dumping it on her legs.

  Tully instantly opens the bag and peers inside. “You’re fucking kidding, right?” she smirks, looking up at me as though I’ve gone a little crazy. “You couldn’t possibly think that I’m going to sit here and do schoolwork?”

  “Yes. I do. I need to raise my grades and you need to keep yours.”

  “You’re fucking nuts. Are you forgetting one thing?” she questions with a raised brow. “I don’t give a shit about my grades.”

  I grin to myself before dropping down onto the end of her bed. “You should if you want to come to BHU with me to do a business degree.”

  Tully laughs out, holding her stomach to try and avoid the internal pain as her body shakes. “Ok, now I know you’ve lost your fucking mind. All this alone time is making you insane. You’re being left alone with your brain for too long and it’s giving you ideas of a future that’s never going to happen. I should seriously kick Noah’s ass for allowing that to happen.”

  “Shut up,” I say, smacking her leg. “You need to do a business degree if you want to have your flower shop and you know it. Stop being such an idiot and face the facts.”

  “I know,” she says. “I have faced the facts but going to BHU is a little unrealistic, don’t you think? Community college is more my speed.”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Maybe, but either way, it’s never going to happen if you don’t give yourself a shot. Besides, I have so much schoolwork of my own and I’d prefer to bring it here, but if your mind isn’t occupied, you’re going to talk, and talk, and talk, and it’s going to drive me crazy to the point that I’ll end up leaving. So, it’s either accept the schoolwork and work your ass off on it, or sit in a room alone every afternoon while I do mine at home.”

  “You’re a real bitch, you know that, right?”

  I grin back at her, no response required.

  “Fine,” she groans, “but don’t expect me to do any math. I fucking hate math.”

  I hold out my hand for her to shake. “You got yourself a deal, dude.”

  Chapter 4

  I step through the door of homeroom first thing on Monday morning and find myself coming to an awkward stop, forcing the students behind me to either step around me or wait as I stare at the huge, big ass, jock looking dude sitting in my spot.

  I mean, who the fuck does he think he is?

  My eyes rake over him, I’ve never seen him before so clearly, he must be new, but my seat on his very first day? Now that’s asking for trouble. This shit needs to be dealt with before he starts to think it’s ok.

  Students start looking at me, knowing that shit’s about to go down. They know better than to disrespect me like that. The new guy though, I guess he can be forgiven. It’s not like he knows anything about the hierarchy around here. This time it’s an innocent mistake. If he does it again, there will be hell to pay.

  My feet start moving as my eyes take in his features. I can’t help but notice with his golden blonde hair and athletic build how similar he looks to Spencer. They must be related. With that assumption playing in my mind, my wall instantly goes up. If this guy is related to Spencer Jones, then I need to be careful.