by Ruby Vincent
Olivia’s loser boyfriends tended to dip their hands into her wallet. We never had very much, but when a guy was around, we had even less, which meant there wasn’t much left over for Mom to buy me clothes to replace the ones with holes in them. It meant that when she had a job, she was working long hours and couldn’t get me ready for school, do something with my thick hair, or teach me to manage the pimples and acne erupting on my adolescent face.
It meant that except for when I danced, the looks my classmates gave me were ones I didn’t want to see.
“But that’s over now.”
I took down my dress and glided over to the vanity. My favorite song belted from my speakers and I couldn’t resist a twirl as I held the dress to my body. My musical taste spanned the world and right now I was obsessed with Spanish pop singer, Alvaro Soler.
I reached behind me and twisted my hair behind my head. Hair up today to show off my diamond teardrop earrings. Light makeup. Blazer. Silver tennis bracelet. White leather backpack.
I grinned at my reflection. Oh yeah, I was ready for my first day.
Sofia was waiting for me when I stepped out of the elevator. She whistled.
“Damn, girl! You look hot.”
“Hell yeah, I do.” I spun around and smacked my ass. “You could fry an egg on this thing.”
She snorted a laugh as I linked our arms, but it soon stuttered to a halt. “Wait... those earrings...” She scrunched up her face. “Aren’t those from the Exquis Summer Catalog?”
I faced forward, breaking our gaze. “Are they?”
“Yes. I begged Mom for them but she said they were too expensive outside of a birthday gift. How—”
Sofia cut off the question, but I could practically hear it go through her mind. How could I afford them?
I let it hang in the air between us as we stepped out into the quad. This was nothing like the serene quiet of the day before. Now there were students, lots of them, streaming all over the field. The air was filled with a riot of shouts, laughter, and too-loud conversations as Evergreen kids met up with their friends in the few minutes before the bell rang.
“Ready for your first day?” Sofia asked.
I nodded. “You made sure of it.”
Sofia was a treasure trove of info. After the tour, we spent the rest of the day stuffing our faces on contraband while she gave me all the details. We had only homeroom, chem, and English together as she placed in higher math courses, but she promised we could sit together and meet up for lunch.
We crossed the quad, keeping up a steady stream of chatter, until it became clear that something was up. I broke off and met the eyes of one student... then another... then five more.
Everyone was staring at me.
“I’ve definitely been picked out as the new girl.”
“Don’t stress,” said Sofia. “Last night, I hit the group chat and told them all about you. The freshies know you’re someone to look out for.”
I swung my head around. “You did what?”
She picked up the pace, tugging me along. “Come on. The bell’s about to ring and I want us to get seats next to each other.”
Told them to look out for me? I glanced at the faces as we ran past. To be fair, none of them were hostile. If anything, most were curious, and from a few of the guys, even appreciative.
The two of us burst into a familiar hallway and strode past the soda machine as we made for the door at the end of the hall.
Half of my homeroom class was inside, and when we walked in, a dozen pair of eyes turned to look at me except one. Professor Markham didn’t lift her eyes from her computer. I wondered if I should go up and introduce myself, but Sofia dragged me away before I could complete the thought.
We marched up to a wooden cabinet. “Cell phones in here.” She opened it and placed her phone in one of the numbered slots. “We can get them back at the end of the day.”
I nodded and placed my new cell in the slot with my student ID. I closed it, then followed her to the row of desks closest to the window. Sofia sat and pointed to the seat in front of her.
I plopped down and spun around to chat her up while the clock ticked down to the first bell.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
“Class, your attention, please.” The class immediately fell silent.
I faced forward as Markham rose from her seat and surveyed the room over the rim of her glasses. She was an older woman, early fifties I would guess, and everything about her screamed professor from the round-framed glasses, to the smart pantsuit, to the smudge of ink on her chin.
“The media room is having technical difficulties so I will relay the announcements before you begin silent reading.” Her eyes shot to a group of boys sitting in the back and they quickly lost their grins. “The votes were tallied and this year the theme of the Halloween ball will be a masquerade.”
“Yeah!” The class erupted into whoops and cheers. Sofia grabbed my shoulders and shook me like a rag doll.
“This is going to be epic!” she squealed.
“That is enough.” Markham’s soft reprimand quieted the class quicker than a shout. “As I was saying, students will be given special permission the weekend before Halloween to leave campus to purchase your outfits and masks for the ball. If you’re not—”
Bang!
The class door flew open and all eyes snapped to the entrance.
It’s hard to describe the first time I saw him. I think I was a bit dazzled because it’s the only reason for the words floating through my head whenever I think of that morning.
“Gorgeous...”
His rumpled uniform shirt hung completely open, buttons undone to reveal a toned, pale chest. The guy’s blazer was slung over his shoulder, hanging off the crook of his finger while his backpack was clutched in the other as it trailed the floor. My eyes left his belly button and skimmed the natural dips of his abs as they made their way past the strong chin, full lips, and finally stunning blue eyes—and saw they were staring right back at me. The sun streamed through the high windows, reflecting off perfect teeth as his lips curled into a grin.
I knew right away he had caught me checking him out and I tore my gaze away as heat rose to my cheeks.
“Mr. Van Zandt!” Markham cried. “How dare you walk in here looking like that? Button that shirt at once and get in proper attire!”
“My bad.” The words flowed from his lips smooth as honey and I snuck a peek at him through my lashes. He didn’t look the least bit cowed by Markham’s fury. “I had to rush to get dressed. I was handling some... official business.”
The professor lifted her chin. “Be that as it may, official business is no excuse for being late or out of uniform.”
Clicking his tongue, he gave her a two-finger salute as he crossed the room. “Right you are. Won’t happen again, mama.”
My mouth dropped open.
Markham turned so red I thought she would pass out from the rush of blood to her face. “It’s Professor Markham to you!”
“Oh, snap,” the guy said lazily. He didn’t bother to look at her as he turned down the row next to me and Sofia. “Isn’t that what I said?”
I sat up a little straighter in my seat. I couldn’t help it; Mr. Van Zandt was staring right at me. He loped up to my desk and stopped, towering over me as my breath caught.
Then he turned to the kid next to me and snapped his fingers. “Nah, playboy. You need to hop out of that seat. I’ll be the one sitting next to the new girl. We need to get to know each other better.”
“Right. Sorry, Jaxson.” To my complete shock, the boy snatched up his things and scrambled to a free desk at the back of the room.
Jaxson Van Zandt.
The name slipped into my mind and spread like smoke, invading every corner as he plopped down next to me and gave me another grin. It was hard to believe a mere mortal could be as handsome as the boy sitting in front of me. The only thing that came close to an imperfection was the growing, blond peach fuzz sprouting from a r
ecently shaved head.
“What’s your name, new girl?”
“Umm...” I looked toward the front but Markham had gone back to her computer. From the way she was stabbing the keys, I could tell she wasn’t happy, although she didn’t say another word to Jaxson. I turned back to him. “It’s Valentina Moon.”
He inclined his head as he did up the buttons of his shirt. I fought to keep my eyes on his face. “Cool name. Where you from?”
“I’m from a town called Wakefield.”
“No joke?” He pointed over his shoulder. “That’s my girl Claire’s town.”
I followed his finger and got my second shock of the morning. Claire gave me a small smile as she waved. “Hey, Val. It’s good to see you.”
“Claire Montgomery? Oh my gosh. How did I not know you were here?” A better question might have been why was I surprised she was here. Claire Montgomery had gone to my middle school and it was obvious to everyone that she was going to be the first of us to get out of our neighborhood. I wasn’t a child prodigy, but she was. She had been leaving school early to take classes at the local community college while the rest of us were still goofing off in English. “This is amazing. We should—”
“You can have your little reunion later.” Jaxson brought my attention back to him. “You and I are talking now.”
I bristled at his smirk. What is with this guy? Where does he get off acting like he runs the place?
“I heard you were hot,” he continued. “I also heard you can dance like no one’s business and you’re going to challenge Isabella’s spot as head of the Diamonds.” He slumped back in his seat, shaking his head. “That’s bold, baby.”
My niggle of irritation grew into a full-blown wave. “I’m not your baby,” I snapped. “And I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
Multiple intakes of breath made me look away from Jaxson. The rest of the class was staring at me with wide eyes, even Markham had stopped assaulting her computer long enough to watch our exchange.
The only one with a smile on their face was Jaxson. He tossed his head back and laughed. “This one’s tough,” he said between chuckles. “That’s cool. I like my ladies feisty, but—” His mirth dried up in a flash and he gave me a look that pinned me to my seat. “I don’t like ’em clueless. You need to learn how things work around here, baby.”
“You need to—!”
Hands seized me. Sofia’s nails dug into the folds of my blazer, bringing my tirade to a halt. “I’ll tell her, Jaxson,” my friend said quickly. “I’m her student guide. I’ll take care of it.”
He nodded curtly and turned back to the front. We were dismissed.
I pounced on Sofia the second we stepped out of class. “What was that?” I shot a glare at Jaxson’s back as he strode down the hall. “Why did you stop me from telling that asshole off?”
Sofia grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the crowd. “Because you can’t tell that asshole off,” she hissed. “That’s Jaxson Van Zandt.” She sighed. “Look, this is my fault. There’s a lot more I need to tell you about this school, but I can’t now.” She glanced at her watch. “I have to get to trig, but we’ll talk at lunch. Until then, stay away from Jaxson.”
This situation, and the deadly serious look on her face, had me confused, but I nodded all the same. “Fine. Lunch.”
She gave me one last smile before walking off. For the time being, I pushed thoughts of rude jerks aside and consulted my schedule. I had Spanish and Algebra I next and then it was lunchtime. I had gotten pretty lucky in that I was placed in all the same classes I was taking at Joe Young High. Evergreen Academy was a competitive place and I couldn’t afford to fall behind.
Three hours later, I stumbled out of Professor Rossman’s class in a daze.
Polynomials? What in the flip, flipping hell are polynomials?! And that was just the word I could make out among all that nonsense.
It was like Rossman had slipped into another language. I couldn’t understand him or the hieroglyphics he had written on the board.
I trudged to my locker and threw my books inside. What was I going to do? Were all my classes going to be this advanced? How would I ever keep up?
Those questions plagued me as I followed a crowd of students to the cafeteria. Sofia had showed it to me on the tour. I had seen the marble floors, glass dining tables, leather upholstered seats, and the dais at the front of the room which held one single table. I had seen it all, so I didn’t pause my moping to goggle over it again.
I was standing in line for lunch when someone grabbed my arm.
“Hey, girl. How’s it going so far?”
I shook my head. “I’m sunk, Sofia. I didn’t have a clue what was going on in Spanish or algebra. My first day and I’m behind.”
She put her arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “Don’t look like that. Evergreen is tough, but you’re just as good as anyone. If you really need help you can sign up for tutoring. Head to the library after classes and they’ll hook you up with someone who’ll help you.”
I lifted my head, perking up. “Okay. Good idea.”
I asked about her classes while we stepped up and accepted our trays of brown rice avocado rolls, miso soup, and crunchy green bean salad. Sofia was right, I have never seen so much green on my plate, but I had a feeling I would appreciate my meals a lot more than she did.
“Come on. My friends already grabbed our table.”
Sofia led me across the polished floors to a table in the middle of the cafeteria. Three faces looked up as we got closer, one of them familiar.
“Hey, Claire.”
She smiled over the top of her book. “Val, it’s so awesome you’re here,” she said as I pulled out a chair. “We never got to hang out much at Joe Young, but I hope we can now.”
“Definitely.”
“Claire you know,” said Sofia, “and this is Paisley Winters, and Eric Eden.”
The two gave me a wave. Paisley was as pretty as her name. Her long brown hair was piled on top of her head with little wisps hanging around her face. When she smiled, her elfin nose wrinkled.
“I’ve heard so much about you and we’ve just met,” remarked Paisley. “I hope you live up to the hype.”
I grinned. “I do.”
She laughed. “For sure, I like you already.”
Eric stuck out his hand for me to shake. “Not sure if I like you yet,” he said with a smile playing at his lips. He was equally as handsome and I was starting to think everyone here was a special brand of attractive. He kept his coarse brown hair cut short, but had the cutest dimples. “My bet was that you were like a chess grand master or something. I lost good money on you.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” I teased. “What else did people bet?”
“Some thought royalty,” Sofia spoke up.
Paisley raised her hand. “That was my guess.”
“A few put their money on Pulitzer prize winner.”
“And then, of course,” Sofia went on, “there were those who thought you sucked the headmaster off.”
I choked on my brown rice roll. “W-what?”
Eric shrugged. “It was more a dig on him than you. The guy is a tight-ass. He desperately needs to get laid and anyone who can unravel that wound-up, stuffy old jerk would deserve a reward.”
“Right. Cool,” I replied easily. Underneath the table, I placed a hand on my squirming stomach. Time to change the subject. “All I can do is dance, but I think my skills at that have been greatly exaggerated.”
“What do you mean?” Claire lifted her eyes from her book. “I remember you in middle school. You were seriously good.”
I shrugged. I knew I was a good dancer. We didn’t need much money for me to flip on the radio or dance along to music videos. I loved to dance and I taught myself to be good at it, but still...
“I don’t know if I measure up to people here who could afford dance lessons and coaches and formal training.”
A look passed between me
and Claire. “I get that,” she said softly.
“I don’t know about that.” Something in Eric’s voice made me look up. His eyes were narrowed into slits. “Even the mediocre can rise to the top at this school.”
I blinked at the venom in his voice. Sofia twisted around to see what he was looking at and then spun on him. “Careful, Eric. Don’t let anyone hear you talking like that.”
“About what?” I looked over my shoulder and my eyes fell on Jaxson Van Zandt immediately. His blazer was nowhere in sight and his shirt was buttoned but not all the way. I was certain the peep show he was giving the cafeteria was against the rules, but he didn’t seem to care any more than he did this morning.
Jaxson didn’t head for the lunch line. He strolled across the room, collecting stares as he went, and climbed the dais. I scoffed as he sat down in one of the four empty seats.
“So you don’t like that jerk either?” I kept my voice low. “Why not?”
Eric made a face at Sofia. “You mean you haven’t told her?”
“I was getting to that,” she said through gritted teeth. She shifted away from him to face me. “Look, Val, I should have told you all of this yesterday, but you looked so freaked after I told you about the murder that I didn’t want to scare you off this place.”
“Okay, so what did you leave out?”
She took a breath. “Jaxson Van Zandt... is a Knight.”
I looked from her to the grave faces staring back at me. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“It means,” Paisley cut in, “that he’s in charge. There may be a whole administration office with little worker bees banging away at their computers, but Jaxson and the other Knights are the ones who really run this school—at least in the ways that matter.”
I made a face. “Excuse me? You guys are messing with me, right? There’s no way a fifteen-year-old boy is running anything.”
“That fifteen-year-old boy is,” Eric spat, “and it’s not right. My dad and my grandmother were Knights. I should have been chosen.”
My head was spinning. What were they talking about? No one was making any sense.
Sofia grasped my shoulder. “Val, do you remember that arch in front of the school? ‘Tradition is everything.’ Well, about a hundred years ago, Francis Evergreen founded this school and the Knights. This was back before guidance counselors and suggestion boxes when students were expected to settle problems among themselves.