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“Don’t even think about eating those in my car, Dante, or you really will see what torture devices I have on me,” I warn him.

I love my car. My dad bought her for me. She’s a custom baby-pink Mercedes G-Wagon with white leather seats and matching pink trim. She’s mine. And Dante is not getting his fucking orange Cheetos dust all over my clean seats.

“Fine, but just so you know, I’m starving. I didn’t eat lunch today,” he groans, dropping the packet back into his bag.

“Why’d you miss lunch?” I purposely missed lunch. I didn’t want to chance running into Connor in the cafeteria.

“I was busy.” Dante looks out the window as I pull out of the school’s parking lot.

“Busy chasing Josie around? Has she even said two words to you yet? Other thanfuck off?”

“She has, actually. Just today she said:Stop following me, Dante.”

“Wow, that’s almost like a marriage proposal. Did you hand her your dick along with your balls?” I ask him.

“Fuck off.” Dante switches on the radio. Blasting it and effectively cutting off any chatter we might have had.

I’m not going to lie. It is fun to see my cousin so twisted up over someone. Dante always gets what he wants. He’s literally a spoiled rich kid who’s never heard the word no. Until now, it seems.

Chapter Six

All of last week I looked for her, waited for my chance to get her alone. That chance didn’t happen. I’m not in any of her classes. And she’s spent the week ignoring my existence the best she could.

Aurora’s good. I’ll give her that. The few times I’ve caught a glimpse of her, she won’t make eye contact with me and thenvanishes as if she wasn’t there to begin with. Not anymore. I’ve decided I’m done waiting for her to acknowledge me.

Which is why I’m currently standing in front of the student services changing my AP class to general math. It’s just the excuse I need to be near her. A place she can’t turn the other way and run.

“All set, Connor. Are you sure you want to drop back? Your grades from your previous school are impressive,” Miss Kemp asks me.

“I’m sure. It’s a lot settling into a new city and all.” I smile at her before walking out of the office. My eyes immediately scan the crowd of students, looking for a mass of blonde hair. When I don’t see her, I keep walking.

“Yo, bro, where you been?” Kenny asks from where he’s leaning against my locker.

I shove him out of the way. “Student services. Why?”

“Not just now, this past weekend. You didn’t come to the party,” he says.

“Da had me doing shit for him,” I lie. My father hasn’t had me do much of anything since the move. He’s been oddly quiet about what he’s doing here. And that’s fine by me. I don’t care if they’re here to burn the city down, as long as we eventually return to Boston.

“All weekend?” Kenny raises a brow.

“Ever think I just don’t want to hang out with you?”

“No. That’s impossible. I’m fucking lovable,” he says. “Ask around. You love me, right?” He questions a passing girl, who blushes and nods her head. He then turns back in my direction. “See? Me, loveable.” He gestures a finger to his chest before throwing it at me. “You, bullshit.”

“You off your meds or something, Kenny?” After dumping my AP math textbook into my locker, I slam the door closed and click the lock into place.

“Nope, took them this morning. My mam makes me,” he says.

“Sure.” I laugh.

“Meet for lunch?”

“Don’t you have a cheerleader’s skirt to be crawling up or something?”

“Not today, cousin. Today, I’m gracing you with my company.” He salutes me as he backs away.

The bell goes off, and I wait for the hall to be empty before I head to my first class. Math with Aurora. A smile spreads across my face. This is going to be fun.