Be still my heart.
He has dark hair, but it has streaks of light brown throughout it. He either dyed it, or he spent a lot of time outdoors this summer. I’d go with the latter, because he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would dye his hair.
“Phoenix B... uh... Phoenix Underwood,” I say. “I’m new.”
He smiles.
Those dimples.
Seriously.
“I’m Brooks Remington,” he says, then nods his head towards his friend I completely didn’t notice was standing there. “This is my friend, Reed Livingston.”
“It’s too bad you’re going to East Raven,” Reed says. “I have a feeling you and I would’ve been real good friends.”
I look at him, feeling confused.
“We go to West Raven,” Brooks says. “Don’t tell. We’re rivals.”
West Raven? I didn’t even realize there was a West Raven.
“But you’re at our party,” I say.
“Nobody’s noticed us yet,” Brooks says. “We decided to crash.”
“I don’t know how nobody has noticed you,” I say, then feel foolish for even saying it. I’m pretty sure my face is bright red, right now.
“That’s my cue to find a hot girl and leave you two alone,” Reed says to Brooks, then walks off.
And my level of mortification just rose to a new height.
Could I be any more awkward?
“What brings you to East Raven Academy?” Brooks asks. “I haven’t seen you before, and you don’t look like a freshman. Did your family go here?”
“No. We’re from the West Coast,” I answer. “I mean... my family was from the West Coast. I live with my uncle in New York, now. ’Cause my parents are dead. That sounded really awkward, I’m sorry. And I’m definitely not a freshman. I’m a junior.”
“I’m sorry about your parents,” he says, looking at me sympathetically. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s totally okay. I was a baby,” I say. “I don’t remember them. And my uncle is kind of awesome, so it’s all good.”
So elegant. I’m pretty much nailing this whole first impression thing.
“Still,” Brooks says. “It’s got to be hard.”
I just shrug and smile.
“I wish your uncle had sent you to West Raven, instead,” he says.
Me.
Too.
Wait, what?
Seriously, I meet one cute guy and my brain turns to mush. I like East Raven Academy. I’ve already made friends, and I love it here.
“Well, I wish your family had sent you here. But then again, you’d probably be a major distraction during class. I’d be staring at you instead of...” I say, my voice trailing off. I immediately want the words back. That was such an awkward thing to say.
Brooks laughs.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I promise I’m not always awkward. Just, like, fifty percent of the time. Apparently you bring out the weirdo in me.”
“I like your inner weirdo,” he says. “So, who is your family? Maybe I’ve heard of them.”
“My uncle is Matty,” I answer. “Matty Underwood. You’ve probably never heard of him. My cousin Jake lives with us, too. They’re the only family I have.”
I want to tell him about my real family. About my dad, and how proud I am of him for joining congress. How happy I am that he and my stepmom are pregnant. I’d tell him about my mom and stepdad. About Charlie, who has been my stepbrother since I was ten. I’d tell him how much I miss Charlie. About how we were separated for our safety. I’d tell him how much it kills me to be away from him.
I hate lying. My whole life right now is a lie. And I just want to tell somebody the truth.
‘Don’t tell anybody at East Raven Academy anything. If word gets out that you’re there and the terrorists find out, they could kill a lot of people. Innocent people.’ Uncle Matty’s words run through my head, reminding me of exactly why I need to keep quiet. I’ve made friends here already, and I don’t want any of them dying because of me.
“I don’t know any Underwoods,” Brooks says.
I just smile, because what else am I supposed to say? If he didn’t know who my real family is, I’d tell him. My dad’s a self-made billionaire. My mom is an heiress to a large fortune. Her great grandfather started one of the biggest banks in the US. One that her brother, my uncle, now runs. My stepdad is a producer. He produces movies, and I’ve gotten to meet a ton of famous people because of him. I know he’d recognize the movies if I named a few. But I can’t do that.
“We’re not that special,” I say. It kills me to say that, because I think my family is pretty special.
“It probably won’t be long before somebody notices we’re here. I would kick myself if I spent the evening talking to a beautiful girl without getting her number,” Brooks says.
I smile.
One good thing about this is that I will know he likes me for me, and not for my family connections.
I pull my phone out of my back pocket, unlock it, and hand it to him so he can program his number. He does, and even takes a selfie with my phone, and hands it back. I look at his contact and see his picture.