INICIAR SESIÓNMy phone was buzzing before I even opened my eyes.At first, I ignored it. I was too comfortable, too warm, and far too exhausted to care who was trying to reach me at whatever ungodly hour it was. My entire body still ached from yesterday, and the memory of spending an entire day following Sean around the city was tiring me out physically.The phone kept on buzzing nonstop.I groaned and reached blindly across my bed until my fingers finally found it.I squinted at the screen. It was Ivy. Finally. My eyes widened and slept left me immediately. There were lots of messages from her. I unlocked my phone and immediately started reading. There were nine texts where she just typed my name over and over again dramatically. IVY:REBEL. Please tell me you're awake.IVY:I am so sorry. My phone died yesterday morning and I didn't even know what happened until lunch.I sat up against my pillows as I scrolled through her texts. IVY:When everyone started telling me you got suspended, I thou
I sat across from Sean at the long dining table, scrolling through the tablet in front of me, "You have to be joking."He looked up from the tablet in his own hands, "About what?"I turned the screen to him, "This is today's schedule?""Yes."I scrolled again, there were meetings, calls, documents, appointments, more meetings, another call. Wait bunch of call with topics: Something involving a hotel, something involving a construction company.A meeting with the head of security. Calls with people whose names I couldn't pronounce. A discussion about a new shopping complex.I looked at him, "Do you actually do all of this?""Most days."I dropped the tablet onto the table and bluffed, "Most days. What happens on the other days?"He cleared his throat, "You'll find out."I didn't like the sound of that. The first thing Sean made me do was organize his morning meetings.Apparently, three people had already called to reschedule, two had requested private meetings, one had canceled, and a
The ride home felt endless. Nobody spoke. Susan sat perfectly still, her back straight, her jaw so tight I thought she might crack a tooth.I sat watching Maryville disappear behind us.Every minute gave my mind more time to replay everything that had happened.Academic dishonesty, they said!. Suspended, they said. Vanessa had framed me. She paid Mrs Holloway to frame me. My Dad had left without telling me. I closed my eyes. What a disaster!. The gates of the Kane mansion finally slid open. Sean parked the car in front of the entrance before turning off the engine.Susan was first to unbuckle her seatbelt. She stepped out briskly like seating beside me had been torture. Sean and I followed. The front door had barely closed behind us before Susan spun around.I instinctively braced myself. Here comes the lecture. She's going to yell, make accusations, tell me I'm a disappointment to my dad who's working hard for me to go to Maryville even though I didn't ask for it.Instead, she lo
The walk to the principal's office felt longer than it should have.Every step echoed through the nearly empty hallway, making my heartbeat sound even louder in my ears.What could this possibly be about?I mentally replayed everything I'd done since transferring to Maryville High.I hadn't skipped class. I hadn't gotten into a fight. I hadn't even talked back to a teacher.The woman from the principal's office stopped in front of a large wooden door.She knocked twice before opening it, “Rebecca is here.""Thank you, Mrs. Briggs. Come in Rebecca" the principal said. As I stepped inside, my stomach dropped immediately. Susan and Sean sat in front of the principal with a third seat beside Sean. The principal sat confidently on his seat while my calculus teacher stood beside him. Why was everyone looking so serious?Susan sat with perfect posture, dressed elegantly as always. Even seated, she somehow managed to radiate authority.Sean sat beside her in a charcoal suit, looking calm.
I woke up before my alarm could ring. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling for a few seconds, not remembering why I felt so uneasy and lost sleep quickly. Then it all came rushing back. The necklace Dwayne gave me, the party, me accidentally convincing Vanessa that Chris was secretly in love with her, Vanessa and Chris's argument. Vanessa's threat, “Game on.”I groaned into my pillow, "Happy Friday to me."I reached for my phone on the bedside table. There were no new messages from Ivy. I climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. The mirror greeted me with bed hair and dark circles."Lovely."After a quick shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and walked back into my room.I reached automatically for the long-sleeved undershirt I'd started wearing beneath my uniform. The scars, I almost forgot. My fingers lingered on my forearm for a second.The raised lines hid beneath my skin like memories that refused to disappear. I quickly pulled the sleeves into place before buttoning my
I couldn't stop smiling.I stared down at the little velvet box resting in Dwayne's palm before looking back up at him."...What's this?"He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking much less confident than the easygoing guy I'd been talking to moments ago."Open it."I carefully lifted the lid, a smile still playing at my lips. Inside the boy was lay a delicate silver necklace with a tiny crescent moon hung from the chain, wrapped around a small crystal that caught the fairy lights beautifully every time I moved it.I simply stared at the necklace. It was really pretty."It's beautiful” I commented. Dwayne stared back at me with a smile, "You like it?"I nodded. "I do” I dangled the pendant between my fingers. "It's adorable."He rubbed the back of his neck, "I saw it yesterday and it reminded me of you."My brows lifted, "Me?""You've had a rough few weeks. I figured everyone deserves something nice once in a while."My heart softened.Nobody had given me something simply
I couldn’t breathe.One second, Dwayne was dragging me through the packed crowd with his hand wrapped tightly around my wrist, and the next, Chris punched him so hard his head could have snapped sideways. Girls screamed.A table crashed over.I stood there frozen, staring at Chris Kane. I thought
He wore dark clothes that made him stand out above all the other brightly dressed guys, band aids still decorated his face. “Hey Dwayne, I thought you said you wouldn't make it,” I said and he shrugged. “I came for you. You look good. Want a drink princess?” He yelled above the noise. “I’m not a
Dad wasn’t alone. A woman sat opposite him, smiling warmly. She had long gray hair and bold green eyes, she sat confidently with her legs crossed. I felt immediately intimidated by her calm but bold presence. “Rebel,” my dad said, getting up to give me a hug. “Meet Susan, she's going to be your st
The door suddenly barged open. All fours of us watched as a guy with band aids decorating his gorgeous face stepped in. He paused when he saw me,“What's going on here?” He asked in a deep voice, turning his gaze to the three guys. “Dwayne?. You're alive?” Brown curl began to laugh, “I thought Ch







