St Mary's Academy Series Box Set 1

by Seven Steps

  I shook the thought from my head.

  Joe was fifteen hundred miles away in Texas and Grant was here. No matter how much I wished it were the other way around. And it was unfair to compare every guy to him, especially since he couldn’t possibly be as wonderful as I’d built him up in my mind to be.

  Could he?

  “Wait. Sophia!”

  Grant finally caught up with me halfway down the block. His cheeks were red, and his breathing was labored. How fast had he been running?

  “Where are you going?” He panted.

  I turned to him, my face tight. “Home.”

  “You’re walking home?”

  “Nope. I’m taking a cab.”

  “Why? I can take you home.”

  “No, thanks.”

  His hand latched onto my arm and he pulled me next to a brick wall with a giant rat spray painted on it.

  I glared at his hand and he let go.

  “Don’t go home yet. Please. We were having such a good time.” He stepped closer, his gaze dropping to my lips. “I thought we could spend a little more time together.”

  There it was.

  The look.

  It was the look a boy gave you when he wanted to kiss you.

  The absolute nerve! How dare he give me this look when he could barely tolerate me speaking to him earlier?

  My gut rolled. I wanted to smack that stupid look off his stupid face.

  I took a step back and heaved in a deep breath before I did something I’d regret later.

  Stupid boys.

  Stupid look.

  Stupid hope.

  I turned away from him, snatched off my shoes, and closed the app.

  I didn’t need a cab.

  I needed a friend.

  I stood in my bare feet in the middle of the sidewalk and selected Purity’s number from my favorites list. All the while Grant was yelling behind me, demanding to know what I was doing and who I was calling.

  Purity answered on the first ring.

  “Hello?”

  “I need you.”

  “Where?”

  “R. Lupas Restaurant.”

  “Be there in five.”

  “Five? Where are you?”

  “We’re having dinner at Yum Yums.”

  Yum Yums? That was only a few blocks away. Thank God.

  “I’ll walk to meet you.”

  “No. Stay where you are. I’ll send the boys to grab you, then we’ll catch a cab to your place.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She whispered something I couldn’t hear, then spoke up again.

  “Yeah. The boys are already on their way.” She paused. “I take it the date isn’t going so well?”

  I wonder if she heard Grant still yelling behind me. I put one finger in the ear not covered by my phone to muffle the sound.

  “Not particularly, no.”

  “On a scale of one to ten. With ten being a complete disaster and one being a slight annoyance?”

  I sighed. “An eleven.”

  She gasped. “That bad? Drat! I had it on good authority that Grant was a sweetheart.”

  “Well, I guess it’s just one more song for my Sophia’s Suckiest Dates album. Coming soon.”

  I sniffled. Why was I so teary-eyed right now? Grant was not worth my tears. I sucked in a breath, letting the March air cool my throat.

  She clicked her tongue. “Oh, Soph.”

  “No, it’s fine. I think I just need to go home.”

  Grant had stopped his temper tantrum. Now he was leaning against the wall, looking equal parts pissed off and confused.

  Why was it that guys got so angry when girls told them no? Why couldn’t they just be cool about it and not act like the world was ending because they’d been refused something? It’s super annoying.

  “Okay. Look out for the boys. They’ll be there in a sec.”

  “Great. Thanks.”

  I ended the call and slipped the phone into my purse. Grant was still watching me. His intense gaze made me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t move since I told Purity I would be here. Unsure of what to do, I did what I always did when I was nervous. I put my hand on my stomach and started talking.

  “Why did you go out with me?” I asked.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. His eyes were laser focused on me. It was the first time all night that I felt like he was actually paying attention.

  “Why do you think?” he asked.

  My shattered pieces split in half. I didn’t know that it was possible to feel so broken.

  He pushed off the wall and walked over to me, stopping a few feet away.

  “Look, Sophia. To be honest, I liked talking to you. You’re pretty for a black girl, and a good listener. So, I’m going to give you a piece of advice. Free, from me to you. If you don’t want to be treated like a slut, don’t act like one.”

  Slut? I was a slut for going out to dinner with him and walking out? How? On what planet was that even possible?

  I hated that he’d listened to the rumors about me. I hated even more that I felt the need to explain myself to him.

  I swallowed.

  “Would it matter to you if I said I’ve never done more than kiss anyone?”

  “Honestly?”

  I nodded.

  He let out a breath. “No.”

  My chest went tight.

  “If I’m such a slut, what does that make you?”

  He looked away, then looked back at me. “A guy who knows what he can get.” He placed a hand on my shoulder.

  “And you think you can get me?”

  He smirked. “You’re here, aren’t you?”

  Blind rage took over my soul. That was not why I was here, and if he thought he could do what he wanted with me just because he took me out to dinner then he was a worse person that I thought.

  How dare he do this to me? How dare he do it to any girl?

  I took a step back from Grant, priming my knee for a kick that would ensure he would never procreate again when a familiar voice called to me.

  “Hey, Soph.”

  The back of my body heated as two warm bodies stepped up behind me.

  Cole Winsted and Eric Shipman.

  Two of my best friends.

  Cole placed a protective hand on my back while he and Eric moved to either side of me.

  “Grant Richardson. Is there a problem here?” Eric asked.

  Grant eyed Cole and Eric. His face flushed, and he took a step back.

  “No,” he said. “No problem at all. I was just leaving.”

  I could feel the two boys tense next to me, like leashed attack dogs. I knew that all I had to do was say the word and Cole and Eric would end Grant. That made me feel powerful. And loved. To have friends who would defend me, even violently if necessary, was heady. I’d known these guys less than a year, and they would go to bat for me no matter what.

  Thank God for them.

  The three of us watched Grant scurry back to the safety of his restaurant. I couldn’t lie. It did make me feel a little better to see him scurry.

  “You okay?” Cole asked.

  I shook my head slowly and sighed.

  “Eventually,” I whispered.

  I turned to face the two towering boys. They were Bella’s and Ariel’s boyfriends, and two of the best friends and protectors a girl could ask for. They were both over six feet tall, though Cole was a little taller. Their matching black hair and muscled builds made them look almost like twins, though their personalities were vastly different. Cole was outgoing and loud while Eric was more reserved, dependable, and thoughtful.

  Their arms went around me, cocooning me in a double hug that left me warm and comforted.

  “Thanks for coming,” I said.

  “Any time, Soph,” Eric replied.

  A few minutes later, I was standing in front of Yum Yums, encased in more hugs.

  Bella French, Ariel Swimworthy, Jasmine Patel, and Purity Dubois surrounded
me.

  Each girl was different in their own way.

  Bella was the bookworm with big, brown curls.

  Ariel a fiery redhead and the fastest swimmer I knew.

  Jasmine was a painter with golden skin and long black hair.

  And then there was Purity. The Southern belle with rose red lips and snow pale skin. Her short hair was so black and glossy that it looked blue in the light. Out of everyone, Purity and I were the closest.

  This was my team. My tribe. My people. And I loved them with all my heart.

  “Oh, you poor thing,” Purity said.

  “We got you some deep-fried ice cream and sugar biscuits,” Bella said, shaking a white paper bag at me.

  “I knew Grant would be a jerk,” Jasmine said. “Alex Wells told me so.”

  “We should’ve had the guys beat him up,” Ariel said.

  I hugged them all back.

  It’d been a hard night. It was nice to have a soft spot to land. And my friends were my soft spot.

  “What happened?” Ollie asked, rubbing a hand through his dark, curly locks. “Did he do hurt you?”

  Ollie Santiago was Jasmine’s new boyfriend. We’d recently found out that Ollie was the crowned prince of Iyaria, a country near Italy. He was in our school incognito. We’d also found out that Ollie liked to spray paint graffiti around the city. Rats mostly. But that was a different story.

  “Only my pride,” I replied.

  “We should talk about this over dessert,” Purity said. “Is your place okay?”

  If my mom found seven extra people in our penthouse when she came home from church, she’d be pissed. She didn’t allow anyone in our house when she wasn’t home. Plus, I was supposed to be sick with a headache.

  But I was ready to risk a lecture about obedience and respecting the house rules for just a few minutes with my friends to talk about how stupid boys were. Well, any boy except for Cole, Eric, and Ollie. They were the rare few I actually trusted.

  “Yeah, my place is fine,” I said. It was nine o’clock now. Mom would be home by ten. At least I’d be able to finish the sugar biscuits by then.

  We piled into two cabs and headed across town to my building. Then we took the elevator to the top floor of what Mom and I called home sweet home.

  I pushed open my front door and we stepped inside my penthouse.

  It was decorated just like our old house in Gray Town, Vermont. Wood framed couches with floral upholstery. Pictures of family on the mantle over the fireplace. Enormous china cabinets filled with hundreds of knickknacks. Plants in every corner. There was even a large TV that no one ever used. It came with the apartment. Mom didn’t believe in watching television. She preferred to get her news from the radio like it was 1950.

  I touched my heart necklace and glanced at my dad’s picture on the mantle above the fireplace. He was a handsome brown-skinned man with dark eyes and hair and dressed in a marine’s uniform. I’d never met my dad, he died the day I was born, but when I saw his picture and touched the necklace he’d left for me, it made me feel close to him.

  We walked to my room, and I took in the familiar sight of my white, floral blankets, wood bed, and paintings of country scenes on the walls.

  Mom decorated my room just like she’d decorated the rest of the house. She called the style country chic. I called it archaic. That little quip earned me a lecture about respecting my elders, aka her.

  A few days later, when I asked if I could decorate my own room, she laughed and walked away.

  Not that I’d expected Mom to say yes to my request. After all, Mom wasn’t big on allowing me to have a say in my own life. Still, I didn’t realize how much it would hurt when she said no. How much it stung that she didn’t even trust me enough to design my own space.

  My friends and I found seats where we could. The bed, the floor, and chairs. Then we opened our desserts, and I told them all the gory details of my horrendous date.

  When I was done, half of my friends wanted to hunt Grant down and give him a piece of their minds, and the other half were hugging me close.

  “I can’t believe he was such a jerk,” Purity said, placing one hand on my upper back. “Hasn’t he ever heard of the MeToo movement?”

  “Apparently guys like that don’t think it applies to them,” Bella said.

  “Yeah, until they get caught,” Cole added. “Then they do what they always do. Go on TV, say how sorry they are, quit whatever TV show or business they’re a part of, and pop up a year later as a new person fresh out of rehab and ready to share their new enlightenment with the world. It’s disgusting.”

  “You should totally say something to him tomorrow,” Jasmine said. “Something to let him know what a jerk he really is.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I just want to forget this date ever happened. From now on, I’m leaving boys alone.”

  All seven pairs of eyes widened.

  “By leave boys alone, do you mean all boys or just the crappy ones?” Ariel asked.

  “All of them. From this day forward Sophia Johnson is officially on a boy ban.”

  “Like forever ever?” Eric asked.

  “Yes. Forever ever.”

  He shook his head. “That’s a long time.”

  “Are you saying I can’t do it?”

  “No. I’m just saying you shouldn’t write off every guy because you had a few bad experiences.”

  “More than a few,” I muttered.

  “I, for one, am all for this boy ban,” Jasmine said. “Every pallet needs to be washed from time to time.”

  “Agreed,” Ariel said. “They can keep their dates and body odors and especially their kisses.”

  “No kissing?” Ollie grimaced. “You guys are monsters.”

  We all laughed, but the idea did make me pause.

  When Mom and I moved to New York, I purposely reinvented myself. No longer was I the shy, sheltered girl who was afraid to talk to guys.

  On my first day of school, I rolled up my skirt and cut my shirt into a belly bearing crop top. A week later, I snuck out the penthouse after Mom went to sleep to attend my first party. A week after that, Xavier Gatz kissed me under the bleachers during gym class.

  It was nothing like kissing Joe, but I was so excited that I’d been kissed in this new place that I didn’t think twice. I was like a spring that had finally been released and was bouncing all over the place.

  Maybe that was my problem. I was so focused on what I could do that I didn’t stop to think about what I should do. I’d made a lot of mistakes. I wasn’t afraid to admit that. Was this my chance at redemption? Could I keep my life boy free?

  I thought about Grant and our horrible date. If I could spare myself from ever experiencing such misery again, it would be worth it.

  “It’s settled,” I said. “No more dating or kissing for me. From now on, consider me a nun.”

  A mixture of cheers and laughter filled the air.

  “Here’s your habit, Sister Sophia.”

  A pillow hit me square in the face.

  Cole’s manic chuckles told me he was the culprit.

  I grabbed the pillow and threw it back as hard as I could, but it went wide and hit Eric instead.

  “Hey!”

  Suddenly, a full-blown pillow war was in effect.

  Feathers were everywhere.

  Laughter filled the air.

  And, for that moment, sitting with my friends, I felt happy.

  I was about to go through the biggest challenge of my life. And I knew my friends were going to be beside me. Helping me succeed.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I hid behind the computer chair while I checked it.

  Cayden: Hey. Want to hang out on Thursday?

  I sighed. When I thought about my top ten kisses, Cayden was number two. Soft lips, not too much tongue. He was an expert. I stared at the phone, my fingers hoovering over the keyboard. A feather from one of my pillows floated onto the screen.

  You can do this,
Sophia. You can do this.

  I blocked Cayden’s number. Then, I blocked every other guy’s number. If I was going to change my life, I had to do something different. And that something different started with removing temptation. I would focus on my music and myself.

  No boys allowed.

  When I was done purging my contacts list, I stood back up, feeling clean and new.

  I could do this.

  I could spend the next three months kiss free.

  A pillow hit me square in the face, nearly crushing my nose.

  I dropped my phone and glared at Purity.

  “Hey, no fair!”

  She grinned. “Distracted, Soph?”

  “Never!” I screamed.

  Then, I grabbed my pillow and headed back into the fray.

  2

  The gym was a lush garden. Fresh pink and red azaleas, yellow daffodils, and violet blue ipheions cascaded down the walls. Tiny glowing lights peeked between long-woven stems, and white silks stretched across the ceiling, fashioned together to look like an overhead view of a gardenia.

  The Spring Fling was in full swing and my band, Blue Persia, owned it tonight. We’d even recruited a few extra members to give ourselves a fuller sound, though Cole, Bella, and I still sang the main vocals.

  A horn rang out and we smoothly transitioned from Cardi B’s “I Like It” to “The Rascal King” by Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Oddly enough, it wasn’t that hard to mix those two songs together.

  Not that we had a choice. A major stipulation to our being the official Spring Fling band was that we’d allow Mr. Mann’s nephew, Louis, to play with us. Not a great fit, since Louis played the trumpet. But, since we didn’t plan on adding mariachi music to our set list, we had to be creative. That’s where the nineties ska music came in. I loved all music, but I thought of ska like I thought of Brussels sprouts. I’d eat it if I had to, but I would not enjoy it.