“The one and only,” I mumble.
“Girl, it’s been so long. Where the hell have you been?”
I didn’t want to get into what brought me here, so I go with the easiest answer. “I changed schools, but my parents’ work brought them back here, so here I am.”
“That sounds legit. Well, now that you’re back, we should hang or something. It’s been too long.”
“Yeah, that sounds cool.”
“Are you still tight with Keaton? Does he know you’re back?”
I cringe at his name. “He knows.”
Just then, the man in question walks through the door. I let out a groan under my breath.
“Of fucking course.”
“What was that?” Rachel asks.
“Nothing.”
She looks over her shoulder, and her entire demeanor changes. She goes from open and friendly to sultry and flirty in a blink.
“Hey, Keaton. Saw you in the game last week. That cross-check was amazing.” Her dreamy sigh at the end is the icing on the cake.
He barely spares her a glance but does a double take when he sees me behind her. Instead of sitting in the desk he set his books on, he picks them back up, making a beeline for the desk next to me.
Rachel, not one to be left out, addresses him. “Oh, did you see Morgan’s back in town? She just got back. Her parents’ job finally brought her back to us.”
I want to roll my eyes at the game she’s playing. Back in the day, everyone knew that where Keaton went, I went. We were a pair. What she doesn’t know is being buddy-buddy with me will not get her anywhere. By the glare Keaton is sending my way, we have a mutual hatred nowadays.
“Yeah, I saw that she’s back. You said her parents’ job?” He quirks an eyebrow at me.
I narrow my eyes at him, daring him to question me.
I know that he knows it’s a lie. My mom’s an accountant, and my dad’s an estate attorney. Hell, my dad has worked closely with Reed regarding the Yates sibling’s trusts. I know for a fact that he has had dinner with Reed at least three times in the past year.
If Keaton doesn’t know my excuse is complete bullshit, I would be surprised.
“Yep, that’s what she said,” I grumble at him, pulling my focus to my tablet.
I didn’t realize how high-tech Brighton was until I went to my last school. They didn’t really care so much about our actual education but whether or not you could make your next pirouette.
“Very cool. Glad they brought you back after you disappeared so suddenly.”
I resist the urge to look up at his face to see if it matches the tension in his voice.
Rachel, oblivious to the friction between us, jumps back in, taking over the conversation. I send her a silent thank-you in my head.
“I’m glad she’s back too. We’re going to be best friends, right, Morgan?”
I give her a tight smile and nod. This girl is delusional, but as long as she keeps talking, I’m okay with it.
“Be careful, Rach. Being her best friend is dangerous. She may just disappear one day without saying a word. Leave you with nothing.”
Like she did to me. I don’t miss the words he left off.
“That’s okay. We’re seniors. After this year, we’ll probably never see each other again. I’m sure Morgan has plans after school. Not me, I’m staying here.”
As she prattles on about her plans, I try to breathe over the knot in my chest. I had big plans after high school. That’s all over now. After one wrong fall and my idiotic belief that I had everything under control, I ruined all of that. Now I’m just trying to put the pieces back together.
“You okay?” Keaton whispers to me as Rachel continues to talk.
“Why do you even care?” I hiss at him.
Keaton straightens up before muttering, “I don’t.”
Thank goodness, the bell rings, followed by the teacher walking in and immediately starting class.
✽✽✽
Rubbing my temples, I make my way to the cafeteria. Out of the three classes I had this morning, Keaton was in two of them. He sat right next to me and muttered underhanded comments towards me. I ignored him, but it didn’t stop him.
Thankfully, he didn’t take dance—the only class I requested to take. Not that I can participate with my injury, but my mom talked to the school and the teacher agreed to give me credit for being her assistant and helping one of the younger classes with their ballet.
It’s bittersweet to be in the studio. On one hand, my heart aches to be out there with them, doing each move as fluidly as I breathe. My heart feels lighter watching each of the students nail a harder move or just enjoying the dance for what it is. Beauty.
I miss the days when I could dance just for me.
Walking through the line, I grab a yogurt and a banana, taking it to an empty table. I’m about to sit down when a body hits me from behind.
“Oh my goodness, it’s actually you! I didn’t believe Keaton when he said you were back. I’ve missed you.” The girl squeezing me to death is none other than Tinsley Yates, Keaton’s younger sister.
My mind immediately takes in the young woman who has replaced the child I once knew.
“Tinsley? Damn, girl, you grew up.”
She huffs, “I wish other people saw that.”
I don’t miss the way her eyes dart to their table in the back corner.
“Do you still have a crush on Finley?”
Her cheeks turn red, but instead of answering, she punches my arm. Hard.
“Ow. What the hell, Tin Tin?” I fall easily into the nickname I used throughout her childhood.
“Where the hell did you go? You just left us. Abandoned us. You know, Keaton went looking for you. He was pissed when he found you but didn’t tell us what happened. So, I’m asking now. What the hell happened?”
I sit down and gesture for her to sit next to me. “Nothing. I changed schools, that’s
