04

Skylar dragged me and Cody towards the cafeteria doors, strands of purple hair swirling around her face, and I glanced back one last time at Aaron.

For a moment, Aaron’s words came back to me : My stupid cousin is moving back to town.

I had no idea who he was talking about, then.

And for seven more days, I would be completely oblivious to the girl that would ruin my life.

Ignorance, it turned out, wasn’t bliss.

But it was a lot fucking easier than meeting Monroe Kingston for the second time.

Skylar was skipping into the school parking lot, Cody was knocking his shoulder against mine, and the rain was beginning to fall―ruining the perfectly straightened hair I had spent an hour on.

It was the first day of eleventh grade.

These four years will pass by so fast, they said.

Blink and all of it will be gone, they said.

I didn’t believe it. How could I ?

Every day felt like an eternity, but in the end, I just wish someone would have told me not to blink.

I WAS LAYING ON MY BED, DEBATING whether or not to time travel three thousand years back in time to murder the founder of trigonometry, when I heard about the new girl.

It was Sunday night, and tomorrow, I could officially say that the first week of eleventh grade was done.

« What’s a better music band name ? » I asked. « The Flying Pigs or the Tyrannical Lagoon Monsters ? »

« Neither, » Cody said. « Those are both awful. »

« Hey ! » I threw my pencil at him. « I thought those were both artistic. »

My sister’s head popped into the doorway of my room. « How about the Superstitious Bing-Bang-Bongers ? »

« Claudia, do yourself a favour and go to jail. »

My sister only grinned in response, closing the door to my room.

Cody set down his phone. « Talia, there’s a reason you’re a drummer and not an artist. Anyways, have you heard the news yet ? »

I rolled my eyes at him. Knowing him, it was probably something like, Do you think Shannon Callaghan got a boob job over the summer ?

And if we were being honest, the answer to that was probably yes.

Not that I had noticed.

Focus. I looked down at my paper again, trying to ignore both Cody and Skylar.

Kenny goes to the store to buy 87 watermelons, which is five times less than Spencer has. If they are driving in their Maserati at a speed of 245 km/h, how much pink icing is required for 12 cupcakes ?

« This is impossible, » I groaned. And as if in answer, my pencil snapped in half, splintering against my palm. It was a bad habit―my drummer’s grip. My fingers tended to be stronger than average.

« I know ! » Cody fell back on my bed, holding my stuffed bear to his chest. « Isn’t Aaron so fucking annoying ? »

Slowly, I unfurled my hand. Letting the pencil halves roll onto my notebook. « What about Aaron ? »

« Haven’t you been listening to me ? »

« No, not really. »

« Aaron isn’t here tonight because he’s helping his cousin get settled in. She’s moving back to town after two years. »

Oh. That made sense. Every weekend, we spent Friday at Skylar’s, Saturday at Cody’s, and Sunday at my house. On school days, we frequented The Indie Queen, a shadowed velvet parlor that was half an actual café and half a fortune-teller scam.

Aaron was usually always here―he lived directly across the street―but all he’d said to me today was that he would be late.

He’s helping his cousin get settled in ?

Skylar fell out of the desk chair. « You’re not talking about . . . »

Cody nearly chewed on the words. « Monroe. Fucking. Kingston. »

« Am I supposed to know who that is ? »

« Talia, you don’t remember ? » Skylar’s gasp was one of pure disbelief. « When we were in grade nine, she was in grade ten. And she was a fucking legend. »

« This isn’t ringing any bells, » I said. « And I have trig homework, I can’t really be― »

« Monroe Kingston, Captain of the Blairmount Wildcats back when we were freshmen ? » Skylar pressed. « Monroe Kingston―President of the Debate Team, Captain of the Soccer Team, and Principal’s Award for Highest Academic Achievement ? The one and only Monroe Kingston who set the record for forty-two shots drunk in under sixty seconds, who once drove her car into the wall of the English classroom, and who reportedly made out with Mrs. Winters under the gym bleachers the day she was allegedly arrested ? »

Cody blinked at her. « You know a scary amount of information about Aaron’s cousin. »

« No, I don’t ! » Skylar said hotly. « I just know what everyone knows. And that girl was my icon back when we were freshmen. »

« What happened to her ? » I asked, prying out a splinter from my palm. « Why’d she move ? »

« Legend has it, her parents found out she was gay, » Skylar said. « And they shipped her across the country. Or she got sent to juvenile detention. Or, my personal favourite, she was in hiding for murder and arson. »

I rolled my eyes. Again. « Then I’ll just stay far, far away from her. »

« But she’s so hot, » Skylar said. « It’s like . . . if Jennifer Connelly and Bella Hadid had a leather-jacket-wearing, motorcycle-riding child. »

Something had just occurred to me.

« Did you say she has a motorcycle ? »