I scrolled through my music until I found my favorite Black Veil Brides album. Pressing play, I picked up my pace and made it to my first class before anyone else. I slipped into my assigned seat and put my head down.
My music paused for a brief second, just long enough to alert me to an incoming message. It was probably Abby again. She’d been calling and texting almost non-stop for more than a week now, but I’d been avoiding her.
I missed her like crazy. I missed everyone back home, but I couldn’t handle hearing about life in Keene Valley and how everything was so wonderful while I was so miserable. I’d call her tonight, though.
There was a firm tug, and then one of my earbuds popped out of my ear. I jerked upright, eyes wide. “Hey—”
A cocky grin stared back at me. “Listening to anything good?” He put my earbud to his ear and listened for a moment. “BVB. Nice choice.” He smiled and handed it back.
My heart stopped. Was he talking to me? He had to be because there was no one else in the room. Hesitantly, I reached for my earbud.
“Thanks,” I said.
“I’m Simon,” he said.
“I know who you are,” I said before I could stop myself.
Arrogance flashed behind his dark, chocolate brown eyes. Everyone knew Simon Parker. Popular. Gorgeous. British. Ridiculously rich. And the object of every girl’s desire. Tall, athletic, and oozing self-confidence, his hair was too long for a buzz cut but too short to run your fingers through, causing it to have a natural spike. The tips were frosted blond, a stark contrast to the otherwise dark brown color.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a breathtaking, crooked smile. “I know who you are, too,” he said.
I swore my eyes were going to pop out of my head. “You do?”
“Yeah. You’re the new girl from New York. Chloe Madison.”
The way he said my name, his accent twisting the sounds into something exotic, gave me a tiny thrill. “That’s me,” I said.
Not a single person had bothered to talk to me since I’d arrived—until now—and the first person that did was none other than Simon Parker.
“So, you’re a fan, yeah?” He nodded at the earbud I still held in my hand.
I nodded. “How did you know I was listening to BVB?”
“Your music was loud. I recognized the beat.”
I tilted my head, slightly confused. “From the hallway? I mean, I know it’s loud, but not that loud.” I laughed.
“No, when you walked by me in the quad. You didn’t even notice me. Figured I needed to fix that.” He winked.
My face flamed with embarrassment. Simon was the type of guy that was hard to miss, and normally, I did notice him. But I’d been lost in my own head this morning.
“So, you’re a fan, too, then?” I asked.
Standing, he began to unbutton his shirt, and I stared, unsure if that was horror or desire spiking in my veins. Why was he taking his clothes off? I gripped the edge of the desk, my entire body tense, unable to look away.
With a grin, he opened his shirt to reveal a Black Veil Brides T-shirt. I laughed, the tension easing from my body.
“You ever seen them live?” he asked as he quickly rebuttoned his shirt. Anything with a band logo was against dress code, so it wasn’t crazy that he was hiding it.
“No,” I said.
“Want to?” He returned to his seat and raised a brow, waiting. The tiny silver hoop that graced his eyebrow drew my attention. Piercings were against dress code, too, but he wore it well and without concern for the rules.
“Yeah, someday, I guess.” I shrugged.
His crooked grin returned, and he stood. “Perfect. Friday at six. I’ll pick you up.”
The first bell rang, drowning out his words, but it sounded an awful lot like he said he was going to pick me up Friday night.
“Um, what?” I said.
“I have an extra ticket to their show on Friday. I’ll pick you up at six.” He headed for the door as students began filing in.
What the heck was going on? Had he seriously just asked me to go to a concert with him? I laughed at the absurdity. Of course, he hadn’t. I was a nobody. Simon was the most eligible bachelor on campus. We were like oil and water.
“Yeah, right.” I barely contained a snort of disbelief.
“What? You don’t want to go?” His expression turned somber, and a small frown pulled at his lips. I wondered how often anyone told him no, especially a girl he’d asked out.
Olivia Parker, Simon’s sister, younger than him by only a year, shoved him out of the doorway. “Get to class,” she said.
She was just as stunning as her brother. I’d heard rumors that she’d finished her first modeling job. I didn’t know if that was true, but it was easy to believe. Her hair resembled the color of a rich cherry wood—deep red woven against dark brown locks.
“Aw, Livi, love, you’d miss me if I wasn’t around.” He made a kissy face at her, which caused several girls to stop and watch.
I had to admit, I was momentarily memorized by the sight of his lips puckered, his lashes fluttering in mockery.
Then, he turned his attention to me. “Think about my offer, Chloe from New York.” He sauntered out of the room.
I slouched down in my chair, but no matter how hard I tried to disappear, I didn’t. And I couldn’t stop the looks of complete shock and anger that the other girls hurled at me.
Class progressed, and the dirty looks continued. Olivia kept slicing her gaze in my direction, like she was trying to figure out what her brother could
