Letterman Jacket

25 / twenty-six days before

Unknown number: it's cold again today.

Thea: oh, it's you again. why do you keep texting me about the weather? and why didn't you reply back?

Unknown number: just a reminder. don't want to throw a scarf in your face again.

*

Monday came and Sutton's name was being worshipped in the halls.

I knew the news article I came across this morning would spark gossip in school, but it wasn't because of her incredible achievement of passing all of the Sumac League schools while being on the top ten percent of each. It was because of the shocking revelation that she was, indeed, the daughter of Frederick Kirk and Devon Kirk.

Sutton was powerful.

When I entered the staff room after a long day of dragging classes, she was already seated against a bean bag with her laptop on her lap. If I didn't know her better, I wouldn't know that she'd been crying.

"Hey," I greeted softly, dropping my bag on the table. "How long have you been here?"

"I cut class," she answered stiffly, keeping her eyes on the screen. "Crazy, right? That a golden girl can cut class?"

I sighed. "How bad is it?"

"Worse than the normal days."

The normal days meant people looking at her like some kind of goddess. It meant people sucking up to her because she was 'popular' and 'perfect'. It meant guys asking her out insistently. I couldn't imagine how much worse it could be than that now that the whole school knew she was a part of one of the most powerful families in the whole country.

"It's not like I tried to hide myself or anything," she said with a shake of her head, "my last name's out there for everyone to see. They knew I was rich."

"They didn't know you were powerful."

"I'm not powerful," she whispered, looking up at me and shaking her head. Her dark brown irises looked so helpless. "My family is."

I scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her. Sutton immediately leaned into my embrace after setting her laptop aside. "I knew my parents liked to publicize me," she continued, "and honestly, it's a little long overdue, but I thought I would be okay when people here found out. But they didn't even let me breathe."

Not knowing what words could make her feel better, I stayed silent. Sutton seemed satisfied enough to find comfort in a friend's touch.

She exhaled heavily. "It doesn't matter. It'll all die down soon, like everything in this school does."

"Do you see them often?" I asked, pulling back a little to look at her. "Your parents, I mean."

Sutton swallowed hard as she turned her face away. "No. I haven't seen them since I left, and I'm not going back to Ashemark. To Modoc. To Austelle."

"But that's where your family is. What about college? Are you not going to Huxley?"

"That's where my family's power is," she corrected quietly. "If we weren't elites in Ashemark, they'd have fled the place by now."

I pursed my lips. "You talk like there's something wrong in Ashemark that you can't be bothered to go back there."

She stood up. "The memories are what's wrong. Right now, Huxley isn't an option—I'm not brave enough to go back there yet."

Looking like she shared more than she wanted to, Sutton sighed and rubbed her temple. "I'm sorry, Thea. I dumped all of this on you."

"No, don't apologize," I assured her with a smile and a shake of my head, "you're my friend. Of course you're allowed to dump things on me."