As I stare at Stone, my hatred for him and his whole family grows brighter and brighter until I’m a sitting inferno. I’m surprised my classmates sitting around me haven’t felt my fire yet. I loathe Stone Jacobs with everything in me. I hate his father, his mother, and his entire family tree. Losing my father has only made it worse because while I’m just barely getting by, the Jacobs are thriving. They have their money and their fancy jobs and their fancy treks up into the mountain while I’ve been venturing out by myself week after week, searching with no luck.
At the end of class, Meghan saunters up to Stone’s desk, leaning over to put her hand on his shoulder. He gazes at her with those discerning, twinkling eyes that are practically made of diamonds. I’ve seen diamonds in their natural state, and trust me, they match Stone Jacobs in every way. Cutting and beautiful.
Meghan turns her head to stare at me, giving me a small smirk that says she knows she’s about to get something that I want. That’s the fate of all Wilders, isn’t it? Never getting what they truly want. I hate to break it to her though. She can have Stone Jacobs. I couldn’t care less. I don’t want to be within five feet of my stepbrother.
Instead of stooping to her level, I give her a smile of my own, grab my bag, and try to leave the class with more dignity than when I entered, which honestly, is easy to do, considering the mess I brought in with me.
I can’t believe Stone fucking Jacobs is here, I keep telling myself. I simultaneously want to confront him and pretend he’s a walking case of COVID-19. Keep my fucking distance, that’s what I should do. Nothing good ever came from getting too close to a member of the Jacobs family.
How dare he enroll in Saint Clary’s though. He knows I go here, and last I heard, he and his friends were attending Arizona State. Even if he wanted to transfer, aren’t there a lot of colleges in Phoenix that are probably ten times better than this one? Lord knows he can afford to go to a more expensive school. Saint Clary’s is the cheapest college in all of Arizona. I know that for a fact because that’s why I go here.
I’m so lost in my own thoughts, I don’t see the towering body in front of me when I step out of the classroom. I run straight into a chest and bounce back. The first thing I see is the brim of a black cowboy hat. When he lifts his head, though, the face comes into view. In that instant, I can’t fathom how this day could get even worse. “Lookie here, Lucas. It’s our friend Dakota.”
Cowboy wannabe and Stone’s best friend, Wyatt Longhorn, slings his arm around Stone’s other best friend, Lucas Govern. A cold chill runs through me as they lift their gazes over my head to greet someone behind me. My back heats, and I just know Stone is right there within touching distance. I scamper out of the way like I’m a mouse and they’re feral barn cats. If Meghan is a mean girl, Stone, Wyatt, and Lucas are her counterparts in every way. They’re mean boys.
Wyatt laughs, the sound dark and rich, sliding into my crevices. Lucas, as usual, says nothing, preferring to observe instead. His brown hair in disarray and with a complete look of disinterest that turns mocking sometimes. He’s like a stray off the street. Always aware and skittish. Doesn’t say much but knows the territory far better than anyone else.
I glance over my shoulder to find Stone introducing Meghan to the duo that make up Stone’s best friends who are more like his family. She looks like she died and went to hot boy heaven. In her defense, Clary doesn’t have much in the way of selection. Our high school had a total of one hundred and fifty students, which has only marginally increased at Saint Clary’s. I can’t blame outside people for not wanting to come here. The big cities might be relatively close by, but in the meantime, there’s nothing to do here. Clary is for simple people, and I can’t help but wonder why the fuck that brought Stone and his little crew here.
For the rest of the day, I simultaneously try and fail not to notice Stone, Wyatt, and Lucas wherever they go. I guess that’s the curse of a small campus. I share several classes with each of them, and unfortunately, we eat in the cafeteria at the same time where I watch Meghan and all her cheerleader friends from high school get all up in the new guys’ business.
I knew this would happen if the Jacobs ever made Clary their permanent residence, which was why I was always so grateful they only showed up during the summers, and even when they did, they were so focused on the treasure that they never did anything else. I knew they’d flock to him like vultures. As pretty as he is—and Wyatt and Lucas—they’re going to be the talk of the town for a while now. They’ll be a prick in my skin. A thorn in my side. It’ll be like rubbing against a cactus every few minutes. I used to only get that pleasure during the summer, but it seems like fate has more in store for me than just taking away my father.
By the time my last class ends, I’m jonesing to
