Chapter 48

Mary ignored the commotion behind her. She didn’t need to look to see what was going on. The popular people were screaming and dancing about the end of the year, and then there was Nathan Briggs’s little clique of people who would be preparing for a night of partying. She’d never been to a party, never been invited to a party. Not that she wanted to go. There was no point in going anywhere where you weren’t invited.

She tugged the band out of her hair, letting her hair fall around her. The strands were long and heavy. No matter what she tried to do with the length, it wouldn’t do anything but stay straight. Maybe over vacation she’d get it cut. Her parents had told her they were planning a trip to Italy this year. It had been a couple of years since they last had a vacation with work keeping them busy. Her parents were both doctors, experts in their fields. For most of her life they’d been working in gaining respect and notice within their fields. It had worked, and now they were able