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PROLOGUE

THE NIGHT WE MET

RHODES

Then

I heard her laugh before I ever saw her. A wild, carefree burst of sound that managed to still be delicate. I turned to find the face to that laugh and when I did, I tried not to gawk. She was beautiful with long, black hair, dark brown eyes, and cherry red lips…dressed in an oversized dress that went all the way down to her ankles.

Somehow she still made that dress look sexy.

I was about to go introduce myself, when a guy walked up to her and handed her a red Solo cup. I frowned when she took it without hesitation, and I moved in closer when she looked disgusted after a sip.

Doesn’t she know you don’t take a drink from someone without seeing where it came from?

But the next second, I relaxed, laughing to myself when she handed the cup back to the guy and shook her head like it wasn’t for her. He downed it in three huge gulps and then burped loudly. A slight flicker of distaste crossed her face before he took her hand and led her through the crowd to dance.

I found myself looking for her throughout the night, but people kept coming up to say hi, and every time I saw her, she was still with that dude. He was getting sloppier by the second, and the later it got, the more she looked like she wanted to escape. A bunch of us were out by the bonfire and the guy sat on the ground next to her chair as she stared into the fire. Next thing I knew, he tried to pull her out of the chair, his voice rising to an obnoxious whine.

“Come on, I’ll take you home,” he said.

“I’ll get another ride,” she said.

“Come on, I’m fine, Elle. Let’s go.”

“No.”

I stood up and was there to block his path when he tried to walk away with her.

“Hey, man, can I give you a lift home?” I put my hand on his shoulder and he swayed into me.

He held onto my arm to keep himself standing. “Nah, I got it. ”

“Well, why don’t you stay longer? The party’s just getting started. Here, why don’t you stretch out on this chair?” I led him to an open lounge chair and helped him sit.

He stretched out his legs and leaned his head back. “Thanks, man. I’ll stay a little bit longer.”

Within seconds, his eyes closed and his mouth gaped open as he fell asleep.

“You’re good,” the girl said as we looked down at him. “I’ve been trying to hide his keys from him for the past half hour, but he was onto me.”

“Looks like he’ll be out for a while. You okay?”

She turned and looked at me directly for the first time, and damn, I liked her smile.

“Much better now, thank you. I was trying to step out of my comfort zone…go to my first college party, say yes to Logan since he’s asked me out every day for two weeks straight…but I have horrible luck with guys. Next time I think I’ll just stay in my dorm room.” She laughed that tinkley laugh and it made me feel warm all over.

“Aw, now, let’s not make rash decisions like that,” I said. “Come on, let’s turn this around. Why do you have horrible luck with guys?”

“Uh…because they either cheat on me…or put me down…or get drunk and pass out on the first date.” She laughed.

“Damn. Guys are assholes, what can I say?” I crinkled my nose. “How about you tell me what would make your first college party experience better? It’s my first college party too, by the way.” I leaned in conspiratorially. “Did you try the Jell-O shots?”

She laughed again and I wanted to keep them coming.

“So Jell-O shots aren't just a college myth?” she asked.

“Nope. They're very real. Come on. I'll show you. There are even different flavors.”

“Well, anything has got to be better than the beer I tried earlier.”

I laughed at the face she made. “You don't like beer?”

“Turns out, not at all. I didn't know that until tonight either, but—” She lifted a shoulder.

“You tried it for the first time to have the full college experience,” I finished for her.

“Exactly.” She grinned. “It’s not like I’m new to everything …but a lot of things.” She made another face, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

“I’m Rhodes, by the way.” We walked into the house and into the kitchen.

“I’m Elle. Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“Do you know who lives here?” she asked. “Logan told me who was throwing the party, but I forgot the name…”

I paused and gave her a sheepish smile. “I actually live here with a few guys, but Shep is the one throwing the party.”

“Wow, it’s a really nice place.”

A few girls walked up and I could tell what was coming next by the way one girl’s mouth parted when she saw me.

“Oh. My. God . You’re Troy Archer’s son, aren’t you?” she asked.

“I am,” I said, glancing at Elle.

Elle’s eyes widened. Fuck. I wanted a little more time to get to know her before she found out who I was. It inevitably made people weird around me.

“And isn’t Amara your mother?” the other girl asked. “She’s so beautiful. And your dad is so hot.”

My eyes narrowed when she reached up and touched my hair. I’d been growing the curls out for a while, but that didn’t mean I wanted just anyone touching them.

“I can’t get over your eyes. So unusual ,” she said, moving even closer.

I took a step back and her hand dropped from my hair.

In my opinion, my hazel eyes weren’t that unusual with a blond-haired, blue-eyed dad who was white, and a black-haired, brown-eyed mom who was Black, but I didn’t bother saying that. I looked at Elle and lifted two Jell-O shots.

“Red or blue?” I asked.

“Red, please,” she said.

“Excuse us, ladies,” I said to the girls.

They still stared at me like I was an exhibit as I motioned for Elle to follow me.

I leaned in toward Elle’s ear. “Want to see a fun part of the house?”

“Where is it?”

“The roof.”

Her eyes widened and I hedged.

“It’s safe, I promise. And it’s not the highest part of the roof…it’s just outside my bedroom window. We can sit out there and pretend to be gargoyles, checking out the party from up above.”

She snorted but looked hesitant for a moment.

“We can tell your friends where you’re going in case you’re worried about going to the roof with me.”

“Maybe if I had any friends.” She giggled. “I don’t really know anyone but Logan and look how that turned out. I’m not worried about going with you. I’m just not the best with heights. I mean, I probably should tell someone where I’m going, but you feel safe.”

I lifted my eyebrows. “Not what everyone would think when they see me coming. ”

She giggled again and it was so fucking cute. “You are ginormous. But have you seen your dimples? I could be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that guys with dimples are harmless.”

I smirked. She was adorable, and I liked how she seemed exactly the same as she did before she heard about my famous parents. Don’t get me wrong, I’d benefited from having a movie star father and a supermodel mother my entire life, growing up in a mansion in LA and going on fancy trips all over the world, never lacking for anything.

Except anonymity.

But people knowing who I am wasn’t the worst thing, I guessed.

I just never knew for sure who wanted to get close to me for me and not my parents.

I started walking toward my room and she stayed close.

“I hadn’t read that about dimples before, but you’re safe with me,” I said over my shoulder.

When we got to my door, we walked in and I went straight to the window, opening it. I turned, and Elle was looking around my room and then paused near my bookshelves. She rubbed her arms as she shivered.

“Do you need a sweatshirt?”

“Yes, please. I’m from Colorado, so I’m used to colder weather than this, but Palo Alto at night is chilly to me, for some reason.”

“I grew up in Southern California, so it’s chilly here for me too.”

I grabbed one of my Stanford sweatshirts and handed it to her.

She pulled it over her head and beamed up at me. “Much better. ”

“I don’t believe you don’t have any friends. You’re so nice and smart and cute.”

Her cheeks flushed. “I’m pretty sure my roommate thinks I’m the biggest nerd she’s ever met, and she’s not wrong,” she said.

I grinned and climbed out the window, stepping aside to make sure she got out safely.

“Can nerds dance like you do? I don’t think so,” I told her.

She looked at me in confusion. “You saw me dance?”

“Uh, is it creepy to admit that? Earlier…with Logan. You’re good.”

“Thanks. I love to dance. Love it. That’s what got me to this party…I wanted to dance.”

“You could be a cheerleader. Stanford’s cheer team is pretty great.” I motioned for her to sit on the ledge next to me and she did, both of our feet dangling from the roof. The sounds of the party drifted up there, but it was slightly muted. “I guess you’ve already missed the cutoff for this year. But you should try out in the spring.”

She looked at me with an odd expression and my eyebrows lifted.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m actually on the team. I guess I look quite a bit different when I’m off the field.”

I grinned. “You don’t wear your crop top everywhere you go?”

She laughed and shook her head. “I’m still trying to get used to that.” She scrunched up her nose. “Wait…you’re on the football team, aren’t you?”

“Yep. Sure am.”

“Oh, gosh. I totally should have known that. ”

I chuckled. I hadn’t heard anyone say gosh in a long time.

“I’ve been so nervous about doing all the right steps that I’m not paying close enough attention to the game yet,” she said. “But I know you’re a big deal!”

“I do all right.” I shrugged.

I just signed another NIL deal this morning. I was doing more than all right.

She laughed at my cocky grin.

“Tight end’s my thing.” I tilted my head in a slight bow.

“It totally makes sense, now that I think about it. You’re so tall and you have muscles on top of muscles.” She smirked when I laughed but didn’t seem embarrassed. I liked how she said what she thought. “You’re nicer than most jocks I’ve met. Well, I guess I haven’t met that many, but…you’re definitely nicer.”

“I’m not that nice. It’s you bringing it out in me,” I admitted.

She let out a derisive sound. “Right. And why would I bring that out in you?”

“You haven’t acted any different since finding out who my parents are,” I said, ticking off my fingers. “You seem very genuine and down-to-earth.”

Her shoulder bumped mine. “That’s such a kind thing to say. See? You can’t tell me you’re not that nice.” She sighed contentedly and looked over at me, her eyes crinkling with her smile. “I didn’t know I was going to make a friend tonight.”

My heart both warmed and cracked a little. I didn’t think I’d ever had such an easy conversation with a girl and I’d certainly never been friend-zoned before. But the thought of having her as a friend suddenly seemed like the best possible option. I didn’t just want a hookup with this girl and then never see her again, and the thought of starting out our freshmen year of college in some sort of relationship didn’t seem smart or realistic.

I bumped her shoulder back. “I’ve really needed a friend,” I told her.

Her face softened and she gave me that smile that felt like it was shining from the inside out. “Me too.” Her lips puckered and her eyes narrowed as an idea formed. “We should make a pact.”

“Okay,” I drew the word out. “What would this pact be?”

“That this will be a legit friendship…we’ll talk like this always.”

“Okay.” I nodded.

She had me intrigued. Talking like this always sounded pretty damn nice.

She snapped her fingers and pointed at me. “Oh, and we won’t let anything come between us…not other guys or other girls or love. Just pure friendship for the rest of our days.” She laughed. “Or at least throughout our four years at Stanford…and we won’t even let ourselves get in the way. Friends, no matter what.”

I nodded. “I can agree to all that. Should we shake on it?”

“I think we should.”

She held out her hand and I took it, shaking it firmly.

“That settles it. Friends forever,” I said.

Now, if I could just lose this crush on my newfound best friend.