Will or his crowd. They were trouble makers and bad students, and Will Scarlett—who reportedly still held a grudge against his parents for the name—was infamous around their school for being wild and out of control. He was completely different from his older brother Trevor, who was a senior, straight-A student, and quarterback who everyone loved… including her.
Trevor ran with the popular crowd at school—the jocks and the cheerleaders and the country club members. She remembered waiting for him to come home from practice when she went to her private school, watching longingly through the window as his long legs carried him up to his house and out of sight. She had never been able to gather the courage to approach him, until she had found herself at his school and a member of his elite group of friends.
She hadn’t always been so lucky, though. She had been in private schools until her parents decided she needed to expand her horizons during her last few years of high school—transferring her to the local public school for her sophomore year. When her parents suddenly joined the country club where all the popular kids were members, she couldn’t help feeling like her parents were trying to help her fit in at her new school, giving her a chance to meet some kids her age before the year had even started.
And, she mused thoughtfully, with a dull ache in her heart, she had been alone for a long time. She had spent every weekend at home her entire freshman year.
Not wanting to disappoint her parents, she had dutifully gone along with her mother to Sunday tea at the country club, astonished when the girls her age began to talk to her. Her parents had been delighted she had made friends and was finally coming out of her shell, and Annabelle had been overjoyed to discover every weekend filled with exciting plans and parties.
It had been over a year ago, but sometimes it all still felt brand new. Too good to be true. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for the adopted family who had made her one of them, not only rescuing her from loneliness, but guaranteeing the last three years of high school would be filled with parties, attention, and friends.
…including waking up at unearthly hours on a Saturday morning. The five core girls in the group all had hair appointments at the most expensive salon in town starting at six the next morning, and if she didn’t get to bed soon, she would be too tired to hear her alarm clock go off.
She reached over and clicked off her bedside lamp, sliding down in her bed to get comfortable. As she rested against her large, plush pillows, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d get to see Trevor tomorrow after she had her hair done.
Chapter Two
“Parker is way hotter this year,” Claudia was saying as Annabelle joined her friends in the cluster of chairs in the salon’s waiting area. With her long, waist-length black hair, olive skin, stunning features, and model-like body, Claudia was the girl’s second-in-command. She was also the resident expert on all-things boys, often having at least two boyfriends at the same time, and another three or four chasing her. Claudia was constantly showing off some new piece of jewelry from a desperate admirer.
“Definitely,” Erin agreed quickly. Erin, a petite, mouse-brown haired girl with tiny features, was the most agreeable person Annabelle had ever met. She was sweet and friendly, and always eager to please. She had started hanging out with the group late last year, when she and Claudia had shared a history class together, and had quickly ingratiated herself into its inner ranks. “He’s totally hotter this year.”
“Are you going to ask him to drive you to Rainstorm?” Mary asked. Mary had been part of the circle of friends since before Annabelle, having grown up with the others. She had long, dark brown hair, large brown eyes, and perfectly bronzed skin that gave her an exotic, eye-catching appearance. She was also the hardest partier out of all of them, always the first to suggest the latest hot spot or house party location for a weekend night.
“Speaking of…” Claire started, lowering her voice so the group of girls had to lean in close to hear her. Claire, the leader of the clique, was astonishingly beautiful, with blond hair always curled into big, bouncy waves, perfectly tanned skin, and a lean, toned body from hours of cheerleading practice.