Chapter 1

The moment consciousness flooded back into my brain, the first thing I saw was Vivian standing in front of me. She was shielding Blake, whose eyes were bloodshot and brimming with tears.

Hadn't Blake already gotten the spot he wanted by turning on the waterworks? What was he crying about now?

"Derek, the results are final. Stop acting like a child."

Acting like a child?

Right, before I fully took control of this body, the previous Derek had gotten into an argument with Vivian over the spot.

The honors program at this high school had the absolute best resources in the entire city. It was also the only track whose students were eligible for the school's direct-admission program with elite universities. The original Derek had spent an entire year working toward that place, only to lose the peer vote by a single vote to Blake.

That deciding vote came from his childhood best friend, Vivian.

"Derek, listen to me..."

"I get it. Fair is fair. I lost. I'll go to the regular track."

I forced my voice back into working order, cutting off Vivian mid-sentence as I began packing up my stuff.

Surprise flickered through Vivian's eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately, replaced by obvious relief.

"I knew it. You're the sweetest guy. You always listen to me, right?"

She reached out to ruffle my hair, but I jerked my head back to dodge her palm.

Her hand hung awkwardly in the air for a few painful seconds. She smoothly pulled it back, awkwardly changing the subject.

"Come on, let me help you move your stuff to the new classroom."

"Vivian," Blake mumbled from behind her, tugging lightly at her sleeve with a pathetic pout, "I hurt my arm helping my mom with her food truck a few days ago, and it still hurts pretty badly. Could you...?"

He trailed off, flicking his teary eyes toward me before ducking his head again instantly. He acted like I was about to swallow him whole.

"Never mind, you should probably help Derek. He lost his spot in honors, so you should spend time comforting him."

Vivian bit her lip and thought it over for a second. "Oh please, he's a grown guy. He doesn't need to be babied. It's fine, I'll help you."

She rubbed the side of her nose and turned back to me. "Derek, wait for me, okay?

"I'll help Blake first. You saw it yourself, he can't carry everything with his injured arm."

Before I could say a word, Vivian aggressively ruffled my hair into a mess. "Be a good boy. I know you're always so obedient. Just wait for me."

If this were ancient times, she'd be running a full-blown harem from the throne.

She turned around, ready to walk into the classroom to carry Blake's heavy textbooks.

A thought flashed through my mind, and I surged forward to grab her arm. Giving up the honors program was one thing, but I had zero intention of taking a severe beatdown from Derek's parents.

Vivian thought I was trying to stop her, her brows pulling into a tight knot.

"You..."

"I can move my own books," I said, keeping my voice dead even, "But you're walking home with me after school. You're going to explain to my parents why I lost my place in the honors program."