James

There were definite benefits to having clout, not only in school, but in Geneva Key in general. Once I'd decided Cora Chase owned my soul that night on the beach, it had taken a matter of days for the student body at Harbrook to fall for her as well. She'd even captivated my best friend once he'd spent time with her and got over the changes. Cora was magnetic, and she had a personality that drew people in once she let down her guard.

Cora had only been in school two weeks before we were out for Christmas break, and in that time, it was no secret that the five-foot-three-inch Yankee had me wrapped around her little finger. And by the time we returned after the new year, we were a solid couple everyone stopped to admire and tried to befriend. She joined the track team in the spring and shined like the star I'd known she was from the moment I'd met her. The other students quickly figured out she was a force to be reckoned with in the classroom as well. This girl had it all. And there wasn't a soul on campus who didn't either envy me for having her or wish they were her. A year ago, that would have fed my ego, yet a few weeks with Cora and that part of me dissipated.

I wanted to be better for her, she needed a soft place to land, and I was determined I would be that security in her life. In order to do so, my pride had to take a back seat to her needs. Neil had been the only person who continued to keep his distance. All he saw was her changing me, although he didn't recognize what she did was make me a better person. Cora dulled my hard edges. She loved the things about me no one else saw: the way I listened when she talked, my ability to be silent when she needed company, my need to show her how special she truly was. It didn't seem like much at the time, but for a girl who'd just lost both of her parents and had a tumultuous relationship with her new guardians, it was huge.

For the first time in my life, I breathed for someone else. My heart pumped to fuel my body to make her day better. She gave the same in return. There was nothing about our relationship that was one-sided. As soon as Neil recognized that and realized Cora wasn't going anywhere, he got on board and fell for her just as hard as everyone else who ever came into contact with her. Despite the tragedy she'd faced, Cora had a smile that won over rooms. She was friends with people in the band, on the varsity track team, and in the debate club. Her acceptance had no limits, and truth be told, she made Harbrook a better place to be.

Our senior year, I found myself sitting with people at lunch that I'd gone to school with for a decade and didn't know their names. That was Cora's style—she never wanted anyone to be excluded. Everything about her was beautiful—inside and out.

"Have you decided on a college, Carp?" Jordan was one of the many people Cora had made friends with when she first got to Geneva Key, and they'd become close since.

This was a sore subject between Cora and me, and I hated for people to ask about it when the two of us were together. "The University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina both offered me a basketball scholarship."

Cora, Jordan, Neil, and I all sat together during study hall. Having finished our homework, we had nothing better to do than chit chat. Unfortunately, this topic occupied the minds of most seniors in Geneva Key—we all wanted out. Cora hadn't applied to the same schools I had, and we now had to make the choice of one following the other or try the long-distance thing.

"Are you going to take one of them?" Jordan kept digging, though her curiosity was innocent.

"I'm not sure. They're both good schools with great basketball teams."

"Except he can't live without Cora within arm's reach." Neil's sarcasm grated on my nerves, and I shot him a glare to demonstrate just how irritated I was.

The bell rang before the discussion could get heated. Neil knew I wouldn't put up with his shit where Cora was concerned. She was my world, and if I had to give up a scholarship, then I would. I didn't need it anyhow. My parents had plenty of money and didn't give a shit where I went to college as long as I went.

I kissed my girlfriend goodbye with a quick peck on the lips and parted ways, then Neil and I headed to our next class together.

"You're too young to be making decisions based on a girl, Carp."

"Says the guy who has never gotten laid." I rolled my eyes without looking at him.

"Dude, do you have any idea how much pussy you will be abandoning if you two go to school together? I get this is great in Geneva Key where there are no options, but you're a fool if you let that girl dictate your life."

I stopped and stared at him like he'd lost his damn mind.

"Don't look at me like that. I'd say that to any guy about any girl. If she's it, she'll still be it after college when you've had a chance to enjoy freedom."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Neil? It's not like I have parents breathing down my back, or hell, even a chaperone. I certainly wasn't a fucking virgin when I started sleeping with her. You don't get the connection because you've never felt it. I don't have a desire to be away from her."

"That'll change." His matter-of-fact tone pissed me off.

"No, dude, it won't. I don't care if my dick never meets the warmth of another pussy. She's it for me."

"You're an idiot."

Neil was once again saved by the bell signaling the start of our next class. By the time the period was over, my anger had calmed and he'd forgotten about the conversation entirely. And when I saw the inky hair and bright smile of the girl I loved, I no longer cared.

I stopped at her locker while she exchanged books. Cora closed the metal door, and instantly, her hands met my hips, her body pulled into mine. She stared up through the fourteen-inch height difference and waited for my lips to touch hers. This was her MO—she did it every time she saw me. I probably should have been embarrassed by her affection and my need to reciprocate it, but I never was. I loved showing the world who I belonged to, and I refused to ever let distance stand between us.

I escorted her to our last class of the day. After, I knew what was coming. I couldn't avoid the conversation. We neared a time we'd both have to make decisions, and it couldn't be put off any longer.

"You coming over?" she asked like it was really a question. Her refusal to assume my time belonged to her only served to keep me interested.

"Of course. Anyone going to be there?"

"Is anyone ever there?" Her chest heaved in frustration.

Cora had made a life in Geneva Key, even though she felt slighted by her grandparents. She never came out and said she would have been better off with her mom's friend Faith in White Plains after her parents passed away, but I knew she thought it. Losing that relationship had almost been as hard as losing her parents. Her grandparents had insisted she live with them, the only problem was that they only maintained a residence in Geneva Key; they didn't actually live there. All they'd done was ensure she was alone without any adult supervision—not that she'd needed it—or guidance, which she craved.

She hadn't shared a lot about Gwendolyn and Owen Chase with me. Her father had written his parents off when Cora was just a baby, and whatever had happened in the family left an indifferent taste in Cora's mouth. Her grandmother tried to connect with Cora, but Cora remained loyal to her father and the legacy he'd left behind. She was never rude—she just wasn't inviting.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to my chest to kiss the top of her head. While she missed having adults around, it didn't bother me in the least. "I'll follow you home. I don't have any homework, so I'm free for the night."

"Good, me too." She released me, took my hand, and together, we left Harbrook.