Page 1 of Sinful as They Come (Sinful Trilogy #1)

HOLLY

Summer had gone by far too quick, but I was so excited for my senior year.

Did it make me a bit of a loser? Maybe. But I didn’t care.

I kind of reveled in school work, in being organized and on top of my schedule.

And I loved all the small things that came with it, like stationery shopping a week or two before the semester started so I could get the best planner for the rest of the school year.

Pens, folders, crisp notebooks. All of it made me oddly happy.

Stationery shopping was the best way to wind down after all the balmy nights of summer.

I also laid my outfit out last night so I didn’t have that ‘I don’t know what to wear’ travesty in the morning.

It was nothing too fancy, just a pink, floral dress that I topped off with some brown sandals.

The Texas heat still lingered, so the light cotton was definitely a good option to get through the warmer days.

My eyes landed on the clock before me. I was in the principal’s office – a place I was very much used to.

Not because I was a bad student, but because Principal Yorke and I often met up to discuss what extracurricular activities I was up to.

I was head cheerleader and head of the school newspaper.

The newspaper especially required some guidance from him.

Some students in the past liked to plaster their personal drama across the pages, but I tried to make sure The Chronicle was gossip free.

I checked out the clock again. I thrived on being prepared. And being on time. Something Principal Yorke was often incapable of. He was a good principal and a nice guy, but thanks to our many meetings, I had discovered that being late was one of his worst habits.

Principal Yorke had mentioned us having a meeting when I spotted him in the halls a little while ago. He insisted that it wouldn’t take too long, but he had to meet up with a new student and show them around before he could get to me.

But I should have known better. Principal Yorke always knew how to talk your ear off. Especially when he was passionate about something. The new kid was most likely standing there in the hallways, utterly bewildered at all the words being thrown at him.

The door opened up just an inch behind me, and I could hear Principal Yorke with someone.

Probably the new student. I craned my neck to see what they looked like, but the small gap in the door wouldn’t give me a clear view of them.

All I heard was a muffled voice. And Principal Yorke who seemed to be naming every club, group and society Britton High had to offer.

I let out a sigh, twirling a few strands of my dark brown hair with one finger.

It was almost a quarter past nine. Which meant I was going to be arriving at English class at least at nine thirty.

I truly hated being late for class, especially for Mrs. Edwards’ English class.

A new school year meant a new seating plan.

Mrs. Edwards always insisted on every student sitting in the same place all year once she designated us our spot.

It was easier for her to remember names like that, apparently.

I just hoped Annie saved me a seat next to her.

That was what best friends were for. We got the chance to have almost a dozen sleepovers during the summer.

Which didn’t feel like nearly enough. But the rest of my days had been spent with Carter.

I smiled at the thought of my boyfriend.

We had celebrated our one-year anniversary just before summer break.

I heard footsteps behind me, my thoughts of my boyfriend shaken away.

I smiled at Principal Yorke, finally getting a proper look at him after our rushed encounter in the morning.

He would have been in his early fifties.

Once upon a time – according to photos around school – he had bright red hair.

That hair had since turned white and contrasted wildly against his permanently pink cheeks.

“Hi Principal Yorke,” I greeted him.

“Miss Sutton, hello.” He held the office door open. “I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting. You must be bored out of your mind. I was with a new student.”

“That’s okay. I understand.” I gave him a casual wave of my hand. “Who’s the new student?”

“I want you to meet him! When he first enrolled, he was quite curious about any writing opportunities here. He was thinking of joining the newspaper team. It seemed someone already filled him on some of the clubs here at Britton High. That’s why I asked you to visit me this morning – he’s new, but I know you’ll take him under your wing.

I took a look at some of his old grades, and English seems to be his best subject.

Any chance you could use his creative input? ”

I raised an eyebrow at the man and watched as he waved someone in. Someone who I had never seen before, but still looked oddly familiar...

The new student looked to be around my age.

His dark hair was long and shaggy, stopping just below his shoulders.

A crooked smile formed on his face as he saw me, his green eyes bright as he sent me a wave.

He was dressed in all black, his clothes looking a little worn out.

But I focused on his face and waved back slowly. He looked a lot like…

“This is Brodie. Brodie Westbrook,” Principal Yorke said brightly.

I almost choked when I heard the last name. Oh, God. Please tell me... Not another one.

“Westbrook?” I finally managed to let out. Did that mean…?

“Yes!” Principal Yorke excitedly clapped his hands together. “This is Sawyer’s cousin. Isn’t that fun?”

“Yes. Fun,” I deadpanned, nodding at the dark-haired boy standing before me.

“Brodie might not be an artist like our Sawyer, but he loves to write. That’s why I thought he’d be a great addition to the team!” Principal Yorke explained.

Brodie kept staring at me sheepishly. He seemed a little anxious, maybe even a bit reserved.

Funny, because Sawyer Westbrook was so obnoxiously loud and in my face all of the time.

I hated Sawyer Westbrook with my whole heart.

He hated me too, which was fine, because Sawyer was the worst person I had ever met.

Impressing him or getting on his good side had never been on the top of my to do list. All Sawyer ever did was get into fights, smoke, and swear. And, of course, get on my nerves.

“Nice to meet you, Brodie,” I finally said.

“Hey,” he said with a little chuckle.

“Brodie here is in the twelfth grade as well, but you two have a slightly different schedule. You only have a couple classes together,” Principal Yorke continued, handing the both of us our late slips. “Brodie has math first period. And Holly, you…?”

“English.” I nodded, suddenly reminded of the fact that I didn’t just go to school with Sawyer, but that I unfortunately often shared a few classes with him. Standing there, I silently hoped and prayed that Sawyer wasn’t in any of my classes this year.

“Amazing. Brodie, I’ll leave you alone, then. But feel free to pop in here anytime if you’re in need.” The older man smiled. “And I’m sure Holly here will be glad to help as well. You two are going to make such a terrific team for the school newspaper!”

God. Please. If he was anything like Sawyer, there was no way I could even be in the same room as him to work on the newspaper together. Sorry, Brodie – but your cousin could be blamed for that. I didn’t trust any Westbrook.

I stayed quiet as me and Brodie exited Principal Yorke’s office. Brodie surprisingly held the door open for me, and I whispered out a quiet “thank you” as we moved into the hallway. Thinking about his cousin ever doing that for me almost made me laugh right then and there.

“Welcome to Britton High,” I said with a nervous smile. Was he going to argue with me like Sawyer always did ?

“Thanks! I’m actually excited to start. This school seems a lot better than the last one I was at.”

“What was your old school?”

“Maine High. That’s in Kansas,” Brodie explained. “My parents are kinda having… issues. It was easier to just come out here and live with Sawyer instead of dealing with their drama. I turned eighteen over the summer, so that made it a little easier.”

“I turned eighteen as well,” I said. Brodie sounded like he didn’t want me prying into his family issues too much, so I was doing my best to change the subject. “I hope you like it here. Britton High is a good school.”

“It’s pretty big, huh?” Brodie asked with wide eyes. “I’m gonna get lost for sure.”

“I can show you where your math room is,” I offered quietly. “It’s on the way to my room.”

“Oh, cool. That’d be great. Thank you.”

I couldn’t believe how polite he was. There was no way he was related to Sawyer. I needed to investigate as I led Brodie to his room. “So… Sawyer’s your cousin? Sawyer Westbrook?”

“Yup. That’s him. Are you guys friends?”

I couldn’t hold back my laugh at that point. “Uh, no. No, we are not.”

Brodie looked over at me with a grin. “He can be kinda… moody sometimes. Maybe it’s an artist thing.”

“Sometimes?”

“Okay, maybe all the time. But once you get to know him, he’s pretty cool. He’s my favorite cousin, actually.”

“Either Sawyer is your only cousin or all your other cousins are terrible.” I couldn’t imagine Sawyer being my favorite anything. Well, maybe he was my favorite person to argue with.

“It’s the second one,” Brodie said, his voice light. “What’s the deal with you and Sawyer?”

I looked over at Brodie, not quite sure how to answer his question. Sawyer and I met back in elementary school. When he had somehow managed to be an absolute monster even at the age of nine .

I didn’t move to the area until grade four, which meant I had no friends when I first started. I could envision Sawyer’s young face in my head so clearly. He always had something to say to me, even back then. Always.