Chapter 1
Freshman Year
When I was a freshman, my parents had just divorced, leaving me a bit depressed and reckless. I was now living with my dad, and my mom had split from us. My parents thought I was old enough and didn’t need two parents, so they decided for me.
“Myla!” my dad called out.
“Yeah!” I yelled back.
“I’ll be out tonight, so dinner’s in the fridge!”
“Got it!”
I heard the door close as I grabbed my phone and texted my friends.
Hey, do you want to come over?
Should I bring my cigarettes? Scarlett replied.
Yeah, sure, my dad’s gone anyway. It’s fine.
Alright, cool. I’m coming.
Scarlett and I became friends in middle school. We were both going through things, so we just decided to stick together. Scarlett can be bossy, sassy, and, to be honest, a bit of a bully. But she’s the only one who truly understands me, so yeah, we’re close.
About 30 minutes later, I heard the doorbell.
I rushed downstairs and opened the door.
“Who’s ready to get high with me?” she said excitedly.
“Me, of course!” I screamed, matching her energy. Scarlett always had dark brown hair and beautiful skin, and whenever she’d come over, she’d always wear her pajamas so she could spend the night after she—or we—got high.
As I opened my bedroom door, she ran in and started jumping on my bed.
“Why is your room always so clean?”
“My dad’s a clean freak,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I can tell. Hey, did you hear about Clara and Dawn?” she asked.
“No, why?”
“They broke up. They had this big fight at Jason’s party last night,” she said while lighting a cigarette and taking a puff. “I thought you’d be thrilled—you like Dawn.”
“I know. It’s just… they seem to break up and get back together,” I said as she handed me a cigarette.
“Well, screw them. I’ll just help you steal him.”
We both chuckled.
“I don’t even want to go to school tomorrow,” I said, puffing smoke.
“Same.”
Scarlett grabbed my hand as we both lay down on the bed.
“I’m going to go brush my teeth,” Scarlett said as she got up.
I heard the faucet running, and as I lay there, I started to drift off to sleep.
Beep. Beep.
I rolled over in bed and groaned. Suddenly, I got slapped by a pillow.
“Ow!”
“Your alarm clock is so annoying,” Scarlett said.
I got up to turn it off and looked at the clock.
“Crap! Scarlett, come on, we’re late for school!” I said, throwing a pillow at her.
As we both rushed to get ready, we heard a knock on the door.
“Myla! You’re going to be late for school!” Dad yelled.
“Coming!”
We both made our way downstairs.
“Myla, don’t forget to—”
My dad paused as he looked at Scarlett.
“Scarlett, what have I told you about coming over on a school night?”
“Good morning, Mr. Richardson. It’s great to see you too,” she said with a smile.
My dad rolled his eyes. “Alright, let’s go.”
On our way to school, Scarlett got a message.
“Oh my God,” she said.
“What?” I asked.
“There’s a new teacher this semester for science,” she said. “His name is Mr. Brown, and some people have already seen him. They said he’s hot.”
“Give me a break. That’s what people said about the English teacher, and he isn’t.”
“You never know,” Scarlett said.
When we arrived at school, the bell rang, and we rushed to our classes. As we sat down, I didn’t realize the teacher standing at the front of the class was looking at us.
“It seems like we have some late students,” a deep voice echoed throughout the room.
I looked up and saw a tall man with black hair and facial hair outlining his jaw. Broad shoulders, the outline of muscles under his professional teacher wear, and a peek of his left tattooed hand tucked in his pocket.
Wow, I thought, getting lost in his hazel eyes.
“Ahem.”
I snapped out of my trance as he cleared his throat.
“You’ve got a tardy slip for me?”
“Wha—what?”
“A tardy slip. You two were late,” he said impatiently.
“Oh, um, no, we don’t have one.”
He sighed. “Get one next time you’re late. I’ll let it slide this time.”
I nodded.
“Okay, class, my name is Mr. Brown. I’m going to be your new science teacher from now on,” he announced.
