I stare at the ceiling for what feels like forever, counting the grooves in the tiles. Everything in this guest room is bare and untouched–exactly how it looked before our arrival.
Aunt Lilly assured me I can arrange it however I like, that it is mine to do what I want with, but my belongings remain tucked away in my cherry red suitcase, as though this is all just temporary. Maybe it is. I have no idea how long we're planning on staying; my mother has always been unpredictable.
After a little while, I rouse myself into action. The moment I step into the rainfall shower, some of the tension leaves my body. I rest my hand on the marble tiles, allowing the hot water to trail across my skin. Jamie will already be sitting in English right now, my empty desk beside him.
It takes me longer than usual to get ready. When I make it to the kitchen, Aunt Lilly is bent over the stove with a spatula, preparing our breakfast. My mother and the others are sat at the table, clutching their coffee.
Mom smiles when she sees me, indicating to the empty seat opposite. "You sleep okay, baby? Have something to eat. You don't want to start your new school on an empty stomach."
I take a seat opposite, piling my plate high with eggs, bacon, and toast. I thought maybe waking up to a mountain of food each morning was for our benefit in the beginning, but it is clear this is just a regular morning in the Applegate household.
"I know you're probably nervous," Tim says, shoveling down food while glancing at his watch. "Starting a new school and all, but Dylan and Olly are in your grade, and they'll both look out for you. Won't you, boys?"
"Yeah," Olly says, rather unconvincingly. Dylan just wolfs down his breakfast.
Fluffy, the Applegate's dog who lives up to his name, chooses that moment to jump onto my lap. My immediate instinct is to shoo him away, but Aunt Lilly and Tim are beaming as though this is the cutest thing in the world, so reluctantly, I pat his head.
"He's taken to you already," Tim says, grinning at Fluffy. "He usually takes a while to warm up to people."
I glance at Fluffy, scratching the back of his ear with my nails; I know the feeling.
Mom goes back to her room at some point. At eight, Aunt Lilly waves the three of us off. We walk down the street to where the school bus picks us up, and take a seat on the bench.
Each street looks the same as the one before it, lined with the same Victorian houses. Most would find it beautiful, but to me, it lacks character, like each house is simply a carbon copy of the one that precedes it. Still, I should be grateful I'm here at all. At least here, I'm safe.
Dylan glances over and takes out one of his AirPods. "You're not nervous, are you? It'll be all right. Just keep your head down today. The kids at West Riverly can be a little...volatile." My eyes widen, and he must realize that instead of reassuring me, he has achieved the opposite, because he adds, "You'll be fine."
When the bus finally arrives, Olly and Dylan completely ignore me and make their way to the back. I follow on after, taking the first empty seat I can find.
"I've never seen you before."
I look up to find the girl sat next to me already studying me intently. I regard her in the same fashion, taking in her shiny blonde hair and bronzed, high cheekbones.
"First time on the bus, or are you new?" she asks.
If I think the buildings are carbon copies, then the people are worse. Everybody here seems bronzed and tanned in a way only achieved by a tanning salon. Their hair is immaculate, twisted into the perfect glossy curls, like they might have to attend an award show after school.
I smile politely. "I'm new."
She raises a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "What's your name?"
"Maddie." I turn to the window, hoping that it's for conversation, but no such luck.
"I'm June," she says. "So, where are you from?"
"New York."
"Interesting. Why'd you move here?"
My stomach clenches. It's a simple question, but one I can't answer without raising alarm. I stick to my mother's own tried and tested method. "No reason, we just needed a change."
Towards the back of the bus, a chorus of cheers ring out. I half turn in my seat to see Olly and a few other boys laughing and hitting one another on the back.
"They're like zoo animals," June says, and I recall the grunting and bacon flinging I'd had to endure at breakfast.
"I know," I say, slinking further into my seat. "I have to live with two of them."
June raises an eyebrow again, seemingly intrigued. "Which ones?"
"Olly and Dylan. They're my step-cousins. We're living with them until my mom and I can find our own place."
She laughs now, a light, tinkly laugh that is half-drowned out by the boys' incessant jeering. "You poor thing. And to think they're considered popular here."
For the rest of the journey, June gives me a crash course on all things that are Riverly. Apparently, there are two main neighborhoods here, East Riverly and West Riverly. Both are gated communities and have their own private high schools full of rich, entitled kids, although according to June, the former is far worse.
I think she's about to say something else, but then the bus swiftly pulls up to the school gates. I climb off with the others and make a beeline for my Olly and Dylan, hoping they'll direct me to wherever I'm supposed to go. Olly catches my eye and, seemingly knowing what I'm after, hurries off in the other direction. So much for looking out for me.
I step forward, gathering up the courage to make it to the front entrance when a sleek black motorcycle zips past me. It pulls into the parking space I'm standing in, forcing me to jump back or risk getting my toes crushed.
"Hey!" I say.
Slowly, the rider takes off his helmet and glances over. He pins his icy gaze on me, and I try to silence the gasp in my throat. It's the same boxer from last night–the boy with the red gloves.
Hayden Walker.
Up close, I realize he has the manliest face I've ever seen on a high schooler, with a sharp-edged jaw and tousled black hair that seems to fall into perfect waves.
"Yeah?"
For a second, I forget what I'm saying. Then I remember the peril I'd just been in. "I'm walking here."
Hayden cocks an eyebrow, giving me a quick once over before meeting my gaze. "That's what the sidewalk is for," he says. Then he climbs off his bike, stuffs the helmet into the back compartment, and simply strides off.