Special thanks to my advanced readers for the edits and end of chapter questions.
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"Holly, I'd like a moment to speak privately with Luke." Mr. Davies rubs the bridge of his nose. "Could you please wait in the hall?"
I feel a sudden wave of panic. I have to do something before Mr. Davies tells Luke about Mom's email. He'll never look at me the same again—no one at school will. Tears spring to my eyes, because there's absolutely nothing I can do. If I make a scene, Luke will just be more likely to believe Mom's crazy lies. He'll probably believe them anyway, so there's no point even trying.
"Holly?" Mr. Davies prompts.
I clutch my textbook tightly against my chest and spin around. Once again, my heels click against the linoleum, and I feel Luke and Mr. Davies staring at my back as I leave. With each step, I remember how Mom's too tight skirt clung to her backside. I let my backpack slip low like a shield and, feeling extremely self-conscious, race out of the classroom as quickly as my heels will carry me.
The hall is crowded with students, but no one pays me any attention. They're too busy talking, laughing, or rushing past me on their way to class. It would be so easy to join the crowd and slip outside. I could just keep walking; pick a random direction, ditch Mom's heels, and put one bare foot after the other. Then, I could finally be free.
I hold onto that dream for as long as I can, but if I had anywhere else to go, I would have ran away a long time ago. Maybe I should just ditch Luke and go to class by myself. After Mr. Davies is done reciting Mom's list of rules, and my supposed transgressions, he'll be glad I did. Mom made me sit and listen to a recording of her voice reading out the email on a loop for three straights days, so I know every horrible word by heart. One of the rules is that I should stay away from boys, and I would, if it weren't for rule number one. Holly needs to be watched at all times. If Mom finds out I walked to class on my own, she'll assume something crazy. I know she will. She'll convince herself I was off in some corner, injecting drugs, and there'll be no convincing her otherwise. Forget that I don't do drugs, own drugs, or have any way of getting drugs.
When I was still talking to my parents, I pointed out that if I were on drugs, I'd be going through withdrawal. When Mom didn't believe me, I said she should Google it, which resulted in a lot of incoherent yelling. Afterward, any time I did anything my parents didn't like, they said I was going through withdrawal. Talking back? Withdrawal. Not speaking for two solid weeks? Withdrawal. Staring at the ceiling? Withdrawal!
"Hey, Holly," Luke says, startling me. "What class do you have next?"
I take in his concerned face as he joins me out in the hall and start to feel a little sick. Does he believe all the horrible stuff in Mom's email? Does he think I need to be watched? Is he going to report back my every move? With trembling fingers, I unzip my backpack and take out the blue piece of paper. I don't even look at it, I just silently hand it to Luke and wait.
"Let's see here..." he runs his finger over the page. "English with Mr. Levi. I heard he does these dramatic readings—" Luke starts to lead me down the crowded hall. He slows his pace to match mine and keeps up a steady stream of conversation as we walk. He doesn't seem to notice that I haven't said a word, he's too busy sharing little tidbits about each of my teachers. I get lost in the comforting sound of his voice, and the panic slowly ebbs away, until I start to relax.
"Hey, Luke, wait up!" a guy shouts from across the hall. There's something about the deep timbre of his voice that pulls me to a halt. I spin around, the urge to look at him overwhelming me. It doesn't take long to spot the familiar-looking guy rushing toward us. He's moving his tall, broad-shouldered frame through the crowd with a lot more coordination than he showed this morning. As he gets closer, I notice that there aren't any bumps or bruises on his flawless face. The only proof of his collision with the tree is the small tear on his right sleeve.
This time, he doesn't crash into anything, or so much as glance at my outfit. His eyes lock on mine and stay there. They're a beautiful light brown, framed by the sort of thick, long lashes that I could never manage, even before Mom threw out my mascara.
"Hi," he says with a practiced smile. I stare, mesmerized, and his smile widens. "I'm trouble."
"Huh?" The word just slips out. After not saying anything for weeks, I honestly wasn't even sure I could talk, and I know my face registers my surprise. He winks, and I do something totally embarrassing. I let out a dreamy sigh.
"Leave her alone, Trouble," Luke warns. I wonder what sort of parents would give their kid a name like that. It's probably a nickname, or he somehow got his hands on Mom's email of rules and saw that it's her favorite word to describe boys.
Luke suddenly moves closer and wraps his arm around me. His skin feels warm and his touch makes me feel safe. It also makes me forget all about staying away from boys, or the fact that Luke knows about the rules, and he should be the one staying away from me.
Then, Trouble takes a step forward, and it's all too much. He's too close—they both are—and I push Luke away. Of course, Trouble gets the wrong idea. He quickly takes Luke's place, pulling me into his side, and I wonder if this might all be some kind of dream. Maybe my parents have finally managed to drive me insane, and I'm still at home, mumbling incoherently as I slobber all over the couch.
"It's Trouble," Trouble repeats. "T-r-e-b-l-e. Treble." He waits for a few seconds, and when I don't say anything, he adds. "Treble Summers."
"Don't you think you have enough fangirls already?" Luke glares at Treble.
"Can't help it if girls fall all over me, man." Treble grins back, and I realize that he means me.
I turn beet red and slip out from under his arm. Luke immediately moves closer, but I quickly back away. When there's a safe distance between the three of us, the boys look at each other, and then at me. Luke seems concerned, while Treble responds with another practiced smile.
"There you are, Treb." A small blonde throws herself at him literally from out of nowhere. She wraps her arms around one of his, squishing her boobs into his bicep, and lifts her phone up to take a selfie.
Treble responds with that smile of his while she rubs herself all over him, but as soon as she lowers her phone, his gaze returns to me. I wait for her to disengage herself and leave, but she gets up on tiptoe instead and starts whispering who knows what in his ear.
"Holly?" Luke asks in surprise, and I realize that my hands are clenched into fists and that I'm glaring at the blonde like I plan to rip out all her hair.
"Um, Angel..." Treble disengages from her with a sheepish smile aimed at me. "Now's not a good time."
"Oh." Angel pouts. She finally realizes Treble is staring at me, not at her, and her eyebrows furrow in confusion. "So, um... I'll see you at lunch?"
"Yeah, sure..." Treble says absently. He doesn't turn to look when she throws her hair over her shoulder and sashays away, hips swinging. He doesn't even notice when she raises her phone, smirks, and takes my picture right before she disappears. Neither does Luke. For some reason, they're both too busy staring at me.
They don't even seem to react when the bell rings. Treble rubs the back of his neck and finally asks, "So, um, what class do you have next, Holly?"
My mind goes blank. Why are they both staring at me like that? Luke probably thinks I'm some sort of freak after everything Mr. Davies must have told him, but what about Treble? Does he know, too? Did Luke text him about it? Is that why they're both so fascinated with me?
"I think she's star-struck." Luke sighs.
"Something like that." Treble smiles happily, and I can't help blushing.
"Look, Holly, I know Treble's sort of famous," Luke frowns, "but he's just a regular guy."
"I am," Treble, who's apparently sort of famous, agrees. "Now, about your next class?"
"She has English with Mr. Levi." Luke frowns.
"Me too!" Treble gives me another one of those smiles. "I'll walk you."
"Mr. Davies asked me to walk her." Luke moves to stand next to me.
"Then we'll both walk her." Treble wraps an arm around my shoulders and starts leading me down the hall. Luke rushes to catch up, and I decide that I'm most definitely still at home, slobbering all over the couch.
"So, Holly, where are you from?" Treble asks as we enter the empty stairwell.
"B-brooklyn." I slip out from under his arm so I can hold on to the railing. Heels and stairs do not mix.
"What's it like?" Luke asks, taking the stairs backwards since—unlike me—he got to pick his own shoes this morning.
"Brooklyn's epic." Treble mirrors him, since I'm going so slowly a turtle could probably take the stairs faster. "My parents had a concert there this summer and we all went to Conney Island. Mom ate so many hot dogs she almost threw up on the Cyclone. It's so awesome, right Holly?"
I nod, but it's hard to match his enthusiasm. How can I, when that used to be my life, too? I mean, sure my parents were always kind of strict, but we had our fun times, too. We went on roller coasters, talked and laughed over family dinner, went shopping at the mall. Things normal families do. I had friends back home too, or I thought I did. Just thinking about Meli and Jules hurts so much I want to cry.
"Do you miss home?" Luke picks up on my sudden mood change.
I nod. "Tell me about this place?" I croak, my voice is still hoarse from lack of use. My throat feels dry and I long for the water bottle in my bag, but there's no way I'm risking it given Mom's rules.
"You mean Thomas Clarance?" Treble asks.
I shake my head and wobble my way up the last few steps. I already saw the school's name on the sign out front.... It just didn't tell me the city, or the state, or the country. For all I know, my parents dragged me all the way to Canada.
"Do you mean Lewis?" Luke lowers his voice as we enter the vacant second-floor hallway.
Lewis? My parents moved me somewhere called Lewis? Or is Lewis a person? It's not like someone would call an actual place Lewis... I mean, what happens if your name is Lewis? Are you Lewis from Lewis?
Before I can ask, Treble stops in front of a classroom door on the left. "We're here."
"I guess I should go..." Luke hesitates, making no move to actually leave. "I'll um... see you after class?"
I blush and nod. We stand awkwardly for a few more seconds, while I stare down at my textbook and Luke stares at me. Then, Treble throws his arm over my shoulder and pulls me into class.
The door bangs shut behind us and everyone looks up. Since I did my best not to make eye contact in my first class, I don't recognize anyone. Not that it matters if it's mostly the same group, or I'm entertaining a whole new set of classmates with Mom's idea of a first-day outfit.
I focus my attention on the teacher, who's probably in his 20s. He looks up, sees Treble and me, and frowns. "You're late."
"Sorry, Mr. Levi. This is Holly." Treble quickly removes his arm. "She's new. I was showing her around."
"Is that right?" Mr. Levi raises an eyebrow, then shakes his head with a slight smile. He seems like an okay teacher so far, and I figure he probably hasn't had a chance to read Mom's email. Treble responds with a sheepish smile and heads for an empty desk, so I start to follow. "Hold up, Holly. I'd like you to introduce yourself to the class."
Which drives home a very important lesson that I really should have learned over the last three weeks. You can never trust anyone.
I stare at a sea of expectant faces as Treble slides into a seat by the window. Girls shoot him longing glances and try to catch his eye, but to my relief, he doesn't seem to notice. Instead, he gives me an encouraging smile.
"Hiimhollywejustmovedhere," I finally get the words out, but they blend together, barely above a whisper.
Confused whispers go around the room as I shift my weight from shoe to ugly shoe. I can picture the judging looks on everyone's faces and silently beg Mr. Levi not to make me repeat myself.
"Class, this is Holly." Mr. Levi saves me from having to say anything else. "You can sit down now."
The only empty seat is next to the window, in front of Treble. I rush toward it, drop my bag beside my chair, and slide low in my seat.
Mr. Levi picks up a novel from his desk. "We left off at chapter three." He walks up to my desk and hands me the book. Then he raises an eyebrow and I get the sinking feeling that he expects me to read. Aloud. To the whole class. When I'm pretty sure I've forgotten how to speak.
"Can I start?" Treble asks from behind me, and a few girls let out dreamy sighs. Mr. Levi nods, and the roiling nausea in the pit of my stomach loosens, only to be replaced by a possessive rage.
Before I can act on it, Treble starts to read. He spins words like magic. His strong, confident voice mesmerizes me, and soon all I can think about is him. Well, him and Luke, who probably knows all the details from Mom's email. And Miles, who looked so hurt when he stormed out of the office this morning.
❀Questions?❀
❀Comments?❀
✿What did you think of this chapter? 👍/👎?
❁ What did you think of Trouble? I mean Treble? Who's apparently sort of famous...? Is he a player? And what about that name? I am in love with that name!
❁ Between Luke, Treble, and Miles, who do you think made a bigger impression on Holly? I keep going back and forth on which guy I personally like best, and we haven't even met Mate #4!
❁ Do you think the teacher told Luke all the instructions from Holly's mom? Or did he say something else? Hmmmm....
❁ Think that girl Angel will cause trouble for Holly? Do we even have time for mean girls when we've got *Holly's Mom*?!?!
❀SHIFTER ANIMALS❀ So far, from all your suggestions, my favorites have been: black panther or hawk for Miles; wolf or bear for Luke. I also loved some of the other suggestions, like otter (def unique), kitty or bunny (adorbs), and various cats. Now that you've met Treble, what animal would you suggest for him?