Shay's POV

August 16th 2021 (Monday)

The whole way to my new school called Redwood Academy in Seattle, Washington I listened to my dad give me the rules that he wanted to me to follow. Halfway through I tuned him out and just stared at out the window. When we pulled up to the big campus then the main building, I shook my head as I saw everyone was dressed in the ridiculous uniform I was wearing.

"I mean it Shay; you mess up at this school and I will send you to military school." My dad said as I put my right hand on the door handle.

"No fighting at school or even outside of school. Please this is your junior year and I really rather to not have you expelled from another school." He said.

I just nodded my head and he shook his head at me.

"In one ear and out the other right? I mean it Shay this is your last shot and I don't want to get pulled away from my new job here to come to the school to talk to the principal. Please just keep to yourself and make it through this year and next year because I don't care if you want to go to college but you will graduate high school." He said.

"Yes commander." I said before opening the door and getting out of the truck.

I saw him shake his head at my nickname for him that he hates. I walked towards the main building then noticed a little seating area. I was heading that way when I took out my phone to see if any of my friends from back home (Minneapolis) texted me. I was looking at my phone when I ran into someone. I quickly stopped then looked up from my phone to see a very curvy girl with golden light brown hair was sitting on the ground. I saw her papers that she must have been carrying spilled out everywhere on the ground. I quickly bent down to help her pick the stuff up.

"Sorry about that I should have been watching where I was going. I'm Shay." I said smiling at her as I handed her some of her papers.

She took the papers without saying anything then she stood up. I stood up after that and I saw she was around 5'9 which wasn't bad to my 6'4.

She was putting the papers back in her notebook when I felt a hand on my right shoulder then I got jerked away from her.

"Stay away from her; don't even look or speak to her you got me?" A guy that was the same height at me with short blonde hair and blue eyes said giving me an evil look.

I looked him up and down and could tell he was a jock by the way he carried his self plus the muscles.

"Just being friendly and I didn't mean to knock her down." I said.

He got a really mad look on his face then he looked at the girl.

"He made you fall down?" He asked looking at her.

I saw her nod her head then before I knew it the guy looked at me and hit me right in right eye.

"Tucker break it up now!" Someone yelled right as the guy was going to hit me again.

We both looked to see a woman who had to be in her 50s with grey hair and brown eyes looking at us.

"Won't happen again Principal Owens." Tucker said looking at her then he walked towards the girl.

I saw him grab her left hand before walking away.

"You are new so you must be Shay Harcourt." Principal Owens said looking at me before motioning for me to come to where she was at.

"I really didn't mean to run into her. It was an accident." I said as I stopped in front of her.

"I believe you; Tucker can have a short fuse sometimes when it comes to people in his clique but I am sure you know what it is like to have a short fuse." She said.

I just nodded my head.

"So let me guess this is where you tell me it would be best for me to avoid Tucker at all costs including the girl." I said.

"I can only advise you to do that Shay; I believe you are old enough to make your own choices good or bad." She said.

"Follow me to my office and I will get your schedule for you." She said before walking away then I followed her.

Marie's POV

"Are you hurt?" Tucker (my cousin who is the same age as me who thinks he has to look after me) asked as we made it to my locker.

I shook my head before opening it.

"Ok good." He said in a relived voice.

I signed he must be new and he nodded his head.

I signed did you really have to hit him?

"Yes I did and you know it. That's the only language those thugs speak." He said.

I gave him a look.

"I know his type and don't let those bluish/ grey eyes fool you. He's nothing but trouble." He said.

I just nodded my head before closing my locker right as the bell for first period rung.

I was sitting in my AP English class 4th period and waiting for class to start when I saw the guy with short black hair and bluish/ grey eyes walk into the class room. He walked right past the first row and first seat (where I was sitting) and went straight to the last row then sat down in the last seat. I slowly turned to look at him because there was just something that intrigued me about him. I saw what looked to be a small hole in his left ear which meant his ear was pierced but since guys can't wear earrings at our school, he didn't have his earring in. I looked at his necklace which had a phoenix on it. He took out a notebook that had Green Day, Linkin Park, and Three Days Grace stickers on it. He looked up and looked around after that. He looked past me to begin with then he quickly looked back towards me. When our eyes locked with each other, he smiled a little bit then I quickly turned back around to face the front right as all the other kids walked into the class room.

Since it was the first day of school, most of the teachers kept repeating the same stuff and I just tuned it out. Since right before 5th period was lunch, I went straight to the cafeteria to eat.

Shay's POV

After getting my food, I looked around and quickly spot the girl with golden light brown hair. I sat down at the table where I had a good view of her face as Tucker and 5 other people sat down at the table. A skinny blonde hair girl sat down beside her and she signed something to her. I shook my head after that because she must be deaf.

"She's untouchable for guys like us." A guy with dark brown hair and brown eyes said sitting down at the table with me and in front of me.

I just gave him a look and he laughed.

"I can spot a trouble maker/ outsider anywhere. You must be new I'm Ryder." He said holding his left hand out towards me.

"Shay." I said shaking his hand and he nodded his head.

"She's in the popular clique and guys like us will never get near her especially with Tucker being her cousin and pretty much her bodyguard." He said and I nodded my head.

"What's her name?" I asked.

"Get her out of your head Shay it's for the best." He said shaking his head at me.

"She deaf?" I asked and he sighed.

"No; she's mute. No one here as ever heard her talk." He said and I looked back at her.

"Shay, I mean it. She will bring you nothing but trouble. She is untouchable." He said and I looked at him.

"Part of the fun for guys like us right?" I asked and he laughed.

"Her name is Marie Ames." He said and I nodded my head.

"Tucker give you that shiner you are starting to have?" He asked.

"Yeah; I wasn't watching where I was going this morning and accidently knocked Marie down which sent her papers flying everywhere." I said before eating more of my hamburger and he nodded his head.

"Tucker is the star quarterback and a pitcher on the baseball team. Most people like him but I just think he's a jerk with a big ego that loves to look down on people like us." He said and I looked at him.

"So why put up with it?" I asked.

"You don't mess with the hierarchy at this school Shay. It will cause you more trouble than it's worth trust me I know. They are the popular/ untouchable clique and people like us just try to stay out of their way. Tucker's dad is on the school board here plus a big time lawyer." He said and I nodded my head.

"And her parents?" I asked.

"She lives with Tucker and them; always has and no one ever talks about or mentions her parents." He said and I nodded my head.

"You think you can distract Tucker long enough for me to talk to her?" I asked and he lowered his head.

"If you want to talk to her without Tucker around, your best shot is after 7th period since Tucker has football last period." He said looking at me and I nodded my head.

"I'll come with you because her main way of communicating is through sign language which I know and I am guessing you don't." He said.

"Not yet." I said before drinking some of my drink and he shook his head.

"So your type is an untouchable girl." He said before drinking some of his drink.

I shrugged my shoulders and he laughed.

The rest of lunch, we didn't talk and when it was time to head to our 5th period class it turned out we both had History together.

Marie's POV

I went straight to my locker after 7th period and started to put up some of my stuff when I saw someone stop beside me out of the corner of my right eye. I looked to see Ryder James leaning against the locker next to mine. He waved at me and smiled. I shook my head before looking away because everyone knows Ryder is a troublemaker and some people even call him a daredevil.

"Marie, you met Shay right?" Ryder asked as I put my AP English book in my locker.

I looked back at him then I saw the guy I had AP English with plus the guy who knocked me down this morning. It was then I remembered he had told me after we both stood up this morning that his name was Shay.

I signed what are you doing Ryder then Ryder smiled at me.

Shay looked at me then at Ryder.

"Just helping out my new friend; he wanted a chance to talk to you again." Ryder said then Shay looked at me again.

I signed so he has a death wish too then Ryder laughed.

I signed just tell him it's fine he apologized this morning for knocking me down and I'm fine.

Shay looked at Ryder after I got finished signing.

"She said you apologized this morning for knocking her down and she is fine so pretty much you are off the hook and you two don't need to talk." Ryder said looking at Shay.

"I saw you looking at me in AP English class. I thought you might have wanted to talk to me again." Shay said looking at me then Ryder looked at me.

I looked at Ryder before signing you two need to go before Tucker or Samantha (Tucker's girlfriend) shows up.

Ryder looked around then nodded his head at me.

"Let's go before Samantha shows up." Ryder said looking at Shay.

Shay looked at him.

"Tucker's girlfriend." Ryder said and Shay nodded his head before looking at me again.

"I'll see you around school Marie." Shay said before winking at me and Ryder shook his head before pulling Shay away then they both walked away.

Samantha showed up two minutes later and when we both walked out of the main building, we saw Ryder and Shay sitting on top of the railing on the ramp. They also had cigarettes in their hands but they weren't lit.

"Figures you thugs would already be looking to get in trouble and suspended." Samantha said looking directly at Ryder then at Shay as we walked past them.

"Just being myself Princess unlike you!" Ryder yelled and Samantha rolled her eyes.

Shay's POV

"What was that about?" I asked after Samantha and Marie got far away from us.

"She use to be a nobody until she dyed her hair light blonde and lost weight then she did everything in her power to get the attention of Tucker. She's fake as can be." Ryder said before jumping off of the railing.

I jumped down too and grabbed my bag.

"I'll see you later; I need to get off this campus and smoke this cigarette." He said and I nodded my head.

My dad showed up not long after that. I got in the truck after putting the cigarette in my bag.

"How was your first day?" He asked.

"Fine." I said as I buckled up and he nodded his head.

As we drove past the football field, I saw Marie and them in the parking lot around what I am guessing is Tucker's truck.

"Can we go by the library?" I asked.

My dad gave me a shocked look.

"Sure." He said when the shock wore off and he nodded his head.

When we got to the library, I went inside while he stayed in the truck. It took me almost an hour in there but I ended up checking out every book I could find on learning sign language. The librarian told me I had 2 weeks to return them and I nodded my head before walking away. Since the librarian had put the books in the bag, my dad just raised his left eyebrow at me when he saw the bag filled with books.

"Sign language?" He asked grabbing a book out before I could stop him.

"Let me guess a girl?" He asked before putting the book back in the bag.

I shook my head before looking out the window. He backed out of the parking space after that.

"I think it's nice you want to learn something because you like a girl." He said and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't get it twisted dad; I just want to be able to communicate with her." I said pushing down all my good feelings.

"Is she hot?" He asked.

"Dad no don't do that." I said shaking my head without looking at him and he laughed.

"Well I'm just happy a girl has you wanting to learn something new now maybe she can influence your grades to." He said and I shook my head.

"No one is changing me haven't you learned that by now?" I asked.

"That you are dead set in your ways that will get you suspended from yet another school yeah." He said in a mad voice.

When we got home, I got out and walked directly to my room before locking the door.