I eyed the quaint and colorful stores along Maine Street, wondering if any of them had side jobs available that paid in cash. It was the only way I could save a little money since Aunt Tess wouldn’t let me get a job. The only thing she’d finally caved on was letting me have a car earlier this year.
But I needed more money. That way, I’d be ready to strike out on my own the day I turned eighteen, the day I’d been counting down to for the last three years.
My trusty Honda traversed the windy roads with ease, allowing me to continue dwelling on my thoughts. Aunt Tess had been right. Things had looked brighter in the morning, and I’d put the red eyes in the woods incident behind me. I was determined to believe they belonged to a neighbor or hunter wandering the forest. Although, if they were attempting to shoot the doe, that was so not cool.
Besides that, everything else had been normal. The locals were direct yet friendly, which was refreshing. The town itself had less than six thousand people, which should put my aunt at ease. She hated cities—or crowds of any sort, really.
I would miss my morning runs to Starbucks though. The closest one was fifty miles away in Bangor. Guess I’d have to make do with Aunt Tess’s poor attempts at coffee-making. The woman had amazing design skills, but she could barely toast bread. One thing she excelled at though was spoiling me on my first day at a new school. It was like her way of apologizing for uprooting me yet again.
Not only had she showered me with baked goods this morning—that she didn’t make—but she’d bought me a brand new outfit. Thin beige crop-top sweater, ripped stonewashed jeans, and new ankle boots. Large hoop earrings completed the outfit, plus the silver charm bracelet that I never took off. I didn’t usually get all dolled up for school, but I was a sucker for first impressions—even if my relationships didn’t last long.
When I spotted the school five minutes later, first day jitters kicked in—although it was technically a month into the fall semester, which sucked. Rosewood High was a typical flat-topped, red brick building with a few newer wings branching off to the sides. But what made the jitters do backflips in my stomach was the fact that a graveyard resided next door.
I was getting some serious bad omen vibes.
So distracted by the sight, I took the turn into the school parking lot a little too fast. A tall figure was suddenly there, standing right in my path. “Fates!” I slammed on the brakes, tires squealing. Stop, stop, stop! Squeezing my eyes shut, I braced for impact. The seatbelt dug into my sternum as the car jerked to a stop, and my head snapped back to hit the headrest.
Dazed, I stared at the dashboard for an undetermined length of time, then unbuckled my seatbelt. Pushing the door open, I stumbled out, expecting to see blood and innards splattered over the road. I registered distant shouting and pounding feet, but all I could focus on was the patch of road in front of my car.
The empty patch of road.
There was nothing there. Absolutely nothing.
“Are you okay?” Someone touched my sleeve and I immediately pulled away, blinking several times to orient myself. Unfamiliar faces crowded around, some concerned and others confused.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine. I just . . .” I pinched my thigh as hard as I could. “I don’t really know what happened actually.” So much for first impressions. This had to be my worst one yet.
“McKenna Belmont?” A short, curvy girl with skin a couple shades lighter than my olive-toned complexion elbowed her way inside the growing circle. Her mouth formed an O as she took me in from top to bottom. “Why, hello there. You McKenna?”
“Uh, yeah. Or just Kenna.” Did she just check me out? Her wide, dark blue eyes were still openly roving without shame.
She stuck out her hand, flashing pink nail polish that matched the dyed tips of her blonde shaggy bob. “Isla Andrews. I’m part of the Welcoming Committee at Rosewood High. Looks like you’ve already met some people, good for you. If you’ll just park over there, I’ll show you to the administration office.”
Her handshake was firm and confident, which made me like her immediately. This girl was the real deal, not an ounce of fakeness about her. I did as instructed and maneuvered my car to a parking spot at a snail’s pace, which saved me from further embarrassment. The other students started to disperse, although a few leaned on cars and continued to watch me from afar. I supposed in a town this small, a new student was cause for gossip—especially one who had a freakout in the school parking lot.
“So where’d you move from?” Isla asked the second I emerged from my car.
Um, everywhere. “South Carolina.”
“Oh, is that why you’re so tan? I’m jealous.”
A laugh snorted out of me. She was so candid. “No, I don’t spend much time in the sun. Must be my Mediterranean roots.”
“So it’s natural? Double jealous. And your eyes are like molten silver.” She must have noticed my rising blush, quickly adding, “Sorry if I’m creeping you out. Most people just tell me to shut up when I get too personal. You don’t have to tell me anything.”
“No, I don’t mind.” I didn’t mind at all, actually, which surprised me. It felt good to have someone so genuinely interested
