Riley waved at me as I stepped into the loud cafeteria. She was already sitting at a table, and I smiled, walking to her. “Hey!” She spoke through a bite of her chicken sandwich. “I got you one, too.”
“Thanks, babe.” I settled opposite her and took the sandwich she offered. It was our thing. Sometimes, I would buy her lunch, and other days, she’d return the favor.
“So, what exactly do you need help with in Math?” I munched on my cold sandwich and watched Riley pout.
“Everything,” she mumbled, pouting even harder. “It makes no sense to me! The only genius who can help me is you.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Why do I have a feeling this friendship is only one-sided?”
“Bitch, yes, I’m using you for your abilities to teach me Math.”
It was a lie; we both knew that. Riley and I stared at each other for a second before we chuckled.
We became friends during junior year, after Jasper – another football star of Berkshire Academy -- broke her heart. That was a tamed way of putting it. They dated for six months; he was the perfect gentleman at first. When she finally gave him her virginity, he broke up with her two days later. She later found out Jasper had been cheating on her all along, and he only dated her to win a stupid bet. He spent the rest of the year spreading stupid rumors about her. She lost her cheerleader friends and sweet Riley…? She became another outcast. I was there and watched her crumble – going from Miss Popular to a nobody.
What happens when outcast number one meets outcast number two? Of course, they became best friends. I was the new student, and Riley was my first friend. It was a done deal.
“So… I heard whispers in the hallway,” she started, eyeing me closely.
“Huh?”
“About a girl who dumped coffee on Maddox Coulter this morning.” Riley left the sentence hanging before taking another bite of her sandwich.
My heart thudded in my chest, so hard and so fast. Choking back a cough, I quickly sputtered, “Dumped coffee on him? Excuse me! He bumped into me and spilled my coffee down the front of me.”
Riley sat back in her chair, taking the last bite of her lunch. “I didn’t say it was you, but thanks for confirming that,” she replied around a mouthful. “Your name was mentioned once, but I didn’t want to believe anything until I heard it myself from you.”
Sweet Lord! Rumors were already going around?
“So, he bumped into you?” Riley pushed, looking quite amused at this sudden turn of events.
“Yes,” I hissed under my breath. “He didn’t even apologize! My shirt got wet, but thank God, I had a spare in my locker.”
“Why am I not surprised? Do you think Maddox is the type of guy to apologize? Think again, babe. I’ve known him since elementary school. Coulter doesn’t apologize. Ever. Everyone bows down to him.”
I huffed in response, and Riley shrugged. “He’s the golden boy.”
To the people of Berkshire Academy, he was a god amongst mortals.
To me? He was just another boy who had too much power in his hands and didn’t know how to use it. Maddox was no hero to me.
If he expected me to worship the ground he walked on, like all of his fangirls, he was about to be thoroughly disappointed.
Riley leaned forward and tapped me on the nose with her index finger. “Stay out of his way, Lila. He’ll mess you up so bad and leave you broken. Boys like him can’t be trusted.”
Her voice was thick, and I could see the emotions playing on her face. Jasper really broke her. Her scars were not visible; she hid them with a pretty smile, but I knew she still hurt inside.
“Don’t worry. I have no plans to play his game.”
Riley squinted at me. “I don’t believe you. You’re competitive by nature, Lila. If he pushes, you’re going to push back twice as hard.”
I bit my lower lip and gave her a sheepish look. She was right…
“How about this? I promise not to fall for him.”
“One less girl in Maddox’s harem,” she agreed.
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, today is Thursday. How about we meet up on Saturday? I’ll go over whatever you need help on with you then.”
Riley nodded before her cheeks flushed. “You’ll have to start at the beginning. Don’t kill me.”
“This is going to be a loooong Saturday.” She kicked me