THE NEW BOY
Hi, guys! My name is Ivy Pete. I’m fourteen years old, I’m in 11th grade, and I attend Boston High School.
My besties are James and Josh Brian. They’re twins, and we’ve been best friends since childhood because our parents have been friends for as long as I can remember.
Basically, where you find one of us, you’ll probably find the other two.
Dear Diary,
“Mum! I’m off to school!” I shouted as I grabbed my bag.
“Come and eat something first,” Mum called back. “Stop skipping breakfast. You’ll wear yourself out one of these days. Please, Ivy. You’re my only child.”
I rolled my eyes and walked into the kitchen.
“Mum, you know I have to prepare for the pageant coming up. I need to stay healthy and focused. I really want to win it for Dad.”
Her expression softened.
“I know you do, sweetheart. Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself too.”
“I promise.”
I smiled, grabbed my bag, and hurried toward the door.
Oh, right.
I forgot to tell you guys something.
My dad is sick, and my mum passed away a long time ago.
The woman I just called Mum is actually my stepmum.
She’s really nice, though. She’s always been there for me, and she even lets me call her Mum.
So, yeah...
I love her.
IN SCHOOL
“Vy! Vy!”
I turned around just in time to see James and Josh running toward me.
“Jamie! Josh! Hi!”
“How was your weekend?” Josh asked.
“It was fine. What about yours?”
“Normal,” James said. “Although Josh nearly destroyed Mum’s kitchen.”
“I was experimenting!” Josh protested.
“You almost burned the house down.”
“Details.”
I laughed.
Then Josh suddenly became serious.
“Oh, we almost forgot. We told Mum about your dad’s condition.”
My smile disappeared.
“And?”
“She said the hospital bills are on her.”
I froze.
“What?”
“If it’s okay with your mum, of course,” James added.
Tears immediately filled my eyes.
“Are you serious?”
They both nodded.
I threw my arms around them.
“You guys are the best besties ever!”
“Vy—”
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Everyone in the hallway turned to stare at us.
James and Josh immediately covered their faces with the books in their hands.
“Why are you embarrassed?” I asked between laughs.
“Because you’re literally screaming,” James muttered.
“And everyone is staring!”
I grinned.
Obviously, they’re shy.
They just forgot that their best friend is CHARISMATIC.
I danced between them as we walked toward class while they desperately tried to pretend they didn’t know me.
We finally reached the classroom.
And then the teacher walked in.
With someone.
A boy.
And suddenly, the entire classroom went silent.
The boy looked like he had walked straight out of a K-drama.
He had fluffy dark hair falling over one eye, five small earrings on his right ear, and an expression that made half the girls in the classroom forget how breathing worked.
“Class,” the teacher said, “we have a new student.”
The boy stepped forward.
“I’m Jason Henry.”
Whispers immediately erupted around the room.
“He’s so cute.”
“Did you see his hair?”
“I think I’m in love.”
I glanced around.
Every girl seemed completely fascinated.
Except me.
Well...
Not exactly.
I wasn’t drooling in his presence.
But if I had to dream about him later, I couldn’t guarantee the safety of my pillow.
The teacher continued.
“Jason is also one of the top students in his previous school, so I expect everyone to make him feel welcome.”
Great.
Cute.
Smart.
Mysterious.
Humanly perfect.
This was going to be interesting.
DURING RECESS
The moment the bell rang, James and Josh disappeared.
“First one to the field wins!” Josh yelled.
“Wait for me!”
They were racing again.
As usual.
I sighed.
“I’m not participating in whatever nonsense they’re doing.”
I found a quiet spot outside, put my earphones in, and started listening to one of my favorite songs.
For once, I could relax.
No pageant.
No hospital bills.
No worrying about Dad.
Just me.
Until—
Someone suddenly covered my eyes.
I froze.
Then I heard several voices nearby.
“Wow... are they dating?”
“Say yes!”
“Come on!”
I blinked.
Wait... what?
My heart started beating faster.
Who was standing behind me?
For one ridiculous second, a thought crossed my mind.
Could it be Jason?
Maybe he’d finally noticed me.
Maybe he wanted to talk to me.
Maybe he was going to flirt with me.
Maybe—
Okay, Ivy.
Calm down.
I reached up and grabbed the person’s hands.
“Who is that?”
The voices around me suddenly became louder.
“Say yes!”
“Just say yes!”
I frowned.
Say yes to WHAT?!
I slowly turned around.
And the second I saw who was standing behind me...
My jaw dropped.
Because it wasn’t Jason.
Not even close.
And somehow...
That was much, much worse.
