The Mystery Boy

Chapter 1

I glanced in the mirror and took one last look at my outfit. You can never go wrong with jean shorts and a crop top. I grabbed my backpack from the floor and rushed down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Just as I reached the bottom step, my foot caught and I was sent tumbling to the hard, wood floor. I rubbed my head and sat up only to be met with the humored expression of my twin brother.

"Let me guess, someone grabbed your foot?" Myles laughed, making fun of me once again.

"Let's just go before we're late for our first day" I groaned as I walked out to the car.

My family had just moved here from Denver, Colorado. Here being Coral Gables, Florida. Today was the first day of my senior year and the first day at my new school.

"Hey Kenz, relax. It's not like you don't know anyone," Myles pointed out.

I nodded and thought about who I would sit with at lunch. We moved here at the beginning of summer and I joined the cheer team so I knew some of the girls from practice over summer, but I didn't get close to any of them. I unlocked my phone and opened my photo album. I scrolled through, looking at all the photos of me and from friends from Denver. You'd think moving would get easier when you've been doing it your whole life. We haven't stayed in a place for more than 4 years. Our Dad was a well-known architect and our Mom was a pediatric nurse. They had promised us at the beginning of freshman year that we could stay in Dever for the 4 years of high school. Then dad got an offer to design and build some huge hotel in Miami and we were uprooted once again. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing the country and traveling, but making new friends every 2 years gets annoying. The only constants in my life had been cheer and my twin brother, Myles.

"Kenz? Hello Kenzie!" Myles waved a hand in front of my face, bringing me back to reality. "We're here, let's go."

I grabbed all my stuff and got out of the car. Casting a look sideways at my brother, we walked into the brick building together. Some lady in the office printed off our schedules and sent us on our way.

"I have football practice after school so you have to find a ride," Myles said over his shoulder as he walked into his class leaving me to find my first-hour class alone. I wandered down the hall completely confused as to where I was heading. I crashed into something hard and looked up to find a pair of ice blue eye piercing into me.

"Watch where you're going," the mystery boy said coldly. He was wearing jeans and a blue and white varsity jacket. He raked a hand through his brown hair and bent down to pick up the books and schedule I had dropped. "Mckenzie Olson...hey you're Myles' sister!" the strange boy responded.

"Yeah that's me, now can I have my stuff back? You're making me late," I rolled my eyes becoming more and more annoyed.

"Fiesty one aren't ya," he handed me my books back and looked me up and down.

"Whatever," I took my books and started towards my class, bumping his shoulder, moving him out of my way. I entered first-hour class thinking about who the mystery boy was. Glancing around the room, I noticed only two open spots. I moved toward the closer one, it was in the middle of the room and next to some boy who couldn't be bothered to stay awake. I was about to sit down when something thumped my shoulder.

"Ow, what the hell?" I muttered turning around to find the culprit. The boy in front of me smiled sheepishly and pointed behind me at two girls grinning and waving me over. I made my way over to the two girls.

"Hey so you're Kenzie, right? I knew I recognized you! We're the other two seniors on the cheer team, I'm Payton and this is Jess," the brunette started talking as soon as I was within earshot. I sat down next to them and smiled, maybe today won't be so bad after all. Both girls were gorgeous. Payton's long brown hair was pulled back into a french braid and Jess's strawberry hair was in a high ponytail. I tuned back into the teacher and started taking notes. The class seemed to drag on forever until finally, the bell rang. I got up and made my move hoping to find my next class without being late.

"Kenzie wait up!" Jess called, running down the hallway with Payton in tow. "I've been the new kid before and I know how much it sucks. So you're sitting with us at lunch and I'll give you a ride home after practice," Jess gave me a hug and smiled at me.

"Thanks, I was worried I would have to eat alone," I laughed in relief as we walked to our next class. Payton blew us a kiss as she headed to her math class while Jess and I continued on to History class. The teacher took attendance and then droned on the whole period about how hard the class would be and a paper we had due in a week. 'What kind of teacher makes an essay due the first week of school' I thought to myself. The bell screamed signaling lunchtime and everyone made their way to the cafeteria. I followed Jess like a lost puppy having no idea where I was going. She stopped abruptly at a table near the middle of the room and took a seat, pulling out a paper bag from her backpack. I sat down next to her and glanced around the room.

"You have to tell us everything about Colorado and your old school! What is snow like?" Payton questioned as she took the empty seat beside me.

"Umm, well the winters are pretty cold, but you get used to it. We lived in the mountains so I used to go snowboarding almost every weekend with my brother and some friends... I cheered for my high school and for the all-star team there. Snow is...I don't know, its cold and kind of wet," I trailed off thinking about Colorado and my old home.

"Please, you have to let me make this right," Austin pleaded with watery eyes.

"No, you need to leave. You need to get out of my house and go away. I swear to god Austin, don't ever talk to me again. You're disgusting and a pathetic excuse for a human," I hissed at the boy in front of me who I thought I knew. I had trusted him and it felt like he had ripped the rug out from under my feet.

"Kenzie? Hello? Earth to Kenzie?" A hand waved in front of my face, bringing me back to reality.

"Sorry I zoned out, what were you saying?" I mumbled, still slightly distracted.

"I was just saying that there's this huge party Friday night after the football game and you're coming with us. It's this huge tradition after the first game, everyone goes to the Castner's barn for a bonfire," Jess informed me. She continued on about players on the team and how we were supposed to win.

"The team is unstoppable this year with Blake, Hunter, and Grayson. There's no way Eastwood High can beat us, especially after the boys see our killer halftime routine," Payton giggled and raised her eyebrows.

"Whose Blake, Hunter, and Grayson?" I asked.

"Only the three hottest boys in school, they are best friends and all play on the football team together," Payton replied dazed as her eyes drifted to a table in the center of the room. A bunch of boys sat at the table but three stood out. I recognized one as the rude know it all from the hallway this morning.

"Hey Jess, what's his name? In the middle with the brown hair?" I asked suddenly interested.

"That is Grayson Castner, Palmetto High's resident golden boy. He's the quarterback and best friends with Blake and Hunter," Payton answered seeing as Jess was too busy staring at one of the other boys. I was about to mention my 'incident' with Grayson before school when the lunch bell rang. All the students filed out of the cafeteria and I lost sight of Payton and Jess. The halls emptied and before I knew it, I was standing alone in the hallway completely lost.

"Why is it that every time I've seen you today, you look like a lost puppy?" The familiar voice came from behind me.

"Not you again. Look I'm just trying to get through today so I can go to cheer practice and go home. Now can you please get out of my way so I can at least attempt to find my class?" My face deadpanned as Grayson took a good look at me. "You're disgusting."

"Hmm, never pegged you as a cheerleader. Aren't cheerleaders supposed to be fun and wild," he smirked.

This boy was really starting to get on my nerves. "Look just because everyone else bows down at your feet doesn't mean I will. Yeah, I'm a cheerleader, I'm also a snowboarder, and maybe it's stereotypical but yeah, I do party. Don't get me wrong bud. I'm not the typical cheerleader. Unlike most, I can actually hold my alcohol and I know how to keep my legs closed," and with that, I turned on my heel and walked away to my next class leaving the arrogant boy behind not sure what to do with himself. My last two classes dragged by and when the final bell rang, I couldn't be more excited to go to cheer and just forget about the stupid events of today.