In reality, I’m just an eighteen-year-old girl who’s starting somewhere new, and desperate to blend into the crowd. I know that with who I am—or more who my parents were—that it’s not going to be all that easy, but I’d at least like a chance to try to be normal. Although I fear I might have lost that the day I lost my parents.
“This is you.” Shane’s voice breaks through my thoughts and when I drag my head up from avoiding everyone else around me, I see he’s holding the door open.
Thankfully the classroom’s only half full, but still, every single set of eyes turn to me.
Ignoring their attention, I keep my head down and find an empty desk toward the back of the room.
Once I’m settled, I risk looking up. My breath catches when I find Shane still standing in the doorway, forcing the students entering to squeeze past him. He nods his head. I know it’s his way of asking if I’m okay. Forcing a smile onto my lips, I nod in return and after a few seconds, he turns to leave.
THORN
Chapter Two
Jake
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Chelsea whines to her friends. “She’s not even really that pretty. Look.” I can’t help but follow her finger as she points across the quad. My eyes find the tall blonde girl immediately. My lips press into a thin line and my blood boils. Feelings that I’ve fought for years to keep locked down threaten to bubble up.
Ripping my eyes away, I stare down at the bench below me. My heart races and my vision blurs. Suddenly, I’m a six-year-old boy again watching my world fall apart.
The girls continue bitching but I zone them out, too lost in my own turmoil to care about their pathetic opinions on the looks of the new girl. She won’t fit in here. I’m going to make damn sure of it.
“I have no idea what they’re chatting about. She is fine with a capital F,” Mason, my best friend says, his stare still focused on the blonde everyone seems so fascinated with.
“She ain’t all that.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? It’s the first day of senior year, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
“If you say so. I’m outta here.”
“Jake, hold up.”
I ignore him and jump from the bench. I must only make it two steps when a gasp makes me look up. When I do, I watch as New Girl collides with Shane, one of our players. His hands grip onto her upper arms to steady her. The sight of him touching her, protecting her has fire erupting inside of me. Just looking at her makes me feel vulnerable, and that’s not something I ever want to experience again.
“What’s going on?” Mason and Ethan flank my sides and stare at the same car crash that I am.
“You calling her?” Ethan asks, following my stare.
Not having a fucking care in the world has resulted in one thing at least. My reputation. I do what the fuck I like, when I like and everyone around here knows it’s best to just let me do my thing. That means not turning up to class, getting off my ass drunk, and most importantly, I get first pick of the girls. The others can have her once I’m done if they like, I don’t care about passing them down once I’m done. But I never get sloppy seconds. Ever.
“She’s off limits.”
“I fucking knew you wanted her,” Ethan mocks before I turn and fist his shirt. The blood drains from his face as he prepares for the hit he’s expecting.
“I don’t fucking want her. I’m saying she’s off fucking limits. You got that?”
“Yeah-yeah. Off limits, got it.”
“And make sure everyone fucking knows it. That bitch don’t belong here and we’re about to show her.”
“Are we done here?” Mason asks. He’s always been the slightly cooler headed one out of the three of us. He pulls my arm away from Ethan and steps between us, but not before a confused look passes between the two of them.
Staking claim on a girl isn’t unusual, but what I just did. That shit isn’t normal and without intending to, I just showed both of them a side of me that I don’t want anyone to ever witness. Weakness.
“Are you sure everything’s all right?” Mason asks once again when we fall into step in the direction of our first class.
“Yeah. Just feeling the pressure, I guess.”
“This year’s gonna be great.”
Raising an eyebrow at him, I wait for him to explain how that’s going to happen. Rosewood High’s football team has never been all that. We have all the passion and dedication we need, but historically, it doesn’t help all that much. Every year Coach gives the speech that this year is going to be the year but as of yet, we’ve never progressed more than a few games into the state playoffs. I can admit that our team is performing better than ever, but I don’t want to set my hopes on anything epic.
For me, football’s a release. A way to work out the tension and to forget about my bullshit life. I might give it my all, but I’m under no illusion that it’s my life. Some of the guys have high hopes of getting scouted for college and I’m sure for a few of them it’ll happen but I doubt we’ll ever see their names on the NFL team sheets.
“Don’t give me that look, Thorn. You know as well as I do that this is our year. With you in charge, there’s no way we won’t make it to the end.”
I can’t criticize his enthusiasm, that’s for sure. It’s just a shame I don’t feel it. And her arrival sure isn’t going to help matters.
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