The Enemy - Kelsey Clayton Page 0,1

was just fine with Francois, the chauffeur, driving me everywhere. It’s what we pay him for, right? It worked for a little while, but the longer I go without driving myself everywhere I need to go, the more my dad seems to press the matter. He says that Francois is his employee, and he needs him during the day. Whatever.

“Sure, Dad. Sounds great.”

I’m lying. The thought of getting behind the wheel of any car is enough to send me into a panic, but it’s not like he wants to do this right now. I’ll pacify him long enough for me to think of an excuse. Until then, I have school.

FRANCOIS PULLS UP TO Haven Grace Prep—my home away from home the last four years. I’m only two weeks from graduation, and trust me when I say, it cannot come soon enough. It’s not that I don’t love it here—I just have a serious case of senioritis. Summer vacation, here I come.

The front of the school is filled with students, and the public school across the street is no different. I walk through the crowd of people as I head up the stairs and inside. Conversation fills the hallways as I navigate my way toward my locker. The second I turn, however, I stop. A huge smile spreads across my face.

Wrapping paper and balloons cover my locker, with a big “Happy Birthday Lennon” sign hanging above it. The culprit, who also happens to be my best friend, stands beside the display. She’s looking down at her phone—probably texting her boyfriend—and her long, brown hair is tied back into a ponytail. It looks like she rushed out the door this morning to make sure she’d get here long before me.

“I take it this was your doing?”

Tessa jumps and drops her phone. “Don’t scare me like that, brat.”

I chuckle and pull her into my arms. “I love you. Thank you.”

“Happy birthday!”

Carefully, I rip a little hole in the wrapping paper to reach the lock. I put in the combination and open it up. Confetti streams out, and Tessa laughs as I roll my eyes. Everything inside my locker is covered in glitter. Clearly making the outside of my locker look like a party wasn’t enough, so I have to walk around looking like I just came from a strip club.

The feeling of someone pressed against my back grabs my attention and makes me breathe in their scent. I don’t have to turn around to know who it is. His hands find my waist, and his face nuzzles into my neck.

“Hey, you.”

Kellan hums. “Happy Birthday, babe.”

I turn around in his hold and look up at my boyfriend. His chiseled jaw is sharp enough to cut glass, but his smile could melt it. He’s the hottest guy in school, and while self-esteem isn’t something I struggle with, sometimes I’m surprised he’s with me. It took two years of me crushing on him before he finally got a clue and asked me out. Now, it’s been two months of being official, and I couldn’t be happier.

“Thank you.”

Stretching up on my tip-toes, I press my lips to his, and he smiles into the kiss. Tessa mocks disgust with a groan and laughter breaks Kellan and me apart.

“You know,” I say to her. “You were a lot more cheery when your boyfriend was our teacher.”

Tessa rolls her eyes, but I can see the amusement behind them. “I was a lot more cheery when I didn’t have to watch you two suck face all the time.”

Little does she know, we were sucking face occasionally then, too, but she was too focused on Asher. The two of them met last summer for what they both thought was just a one night stand. It turned out Asher was our new English teacher, and Tessa wasn’t exactly honest about her age. After more drama than a teen soap, he ended up choosing her over everything else, and I’ve never seen either of them happier.

“Yeah, well, now you know how I feel whenever I come over.”

She smirks. “Liar. You and Colby are too busy making fun of us to care what we’re doing.”

Kellan stiffens at the mention of Colby Hendrix. Famous NFL player, voted Hottest Man Alive two years in a row, and a total ladies’ man—Colby is everything a girl would kill to have. Every girl but me, that is. It’s not that I don’t find him attractive. Anyone with eyes can see that he’s gorgeous. I’ve just been around him enough