I saw so much of myself in the girl. Not in the family living situation, but when they described her as a person. My entireworld is filled with people with too much money and power. What if I needed the law to save me? Not from my dad—he would never do anything to hurt me. But what if something happened to him and I was left with my mom? She could marry someone who hurt me. Who would help me then?
Walker confided in me that night. We talked about his reasons for wanting to be a lawyer. He, too, has parents who are mixed up in money and power. He’s seen the unjust world where the rich bought their way through business deals and illegal activity.
He wanted to become a force of good.
And throughout all of it, I couldn’t stop staring at his lips. The way his muscles flexed when he talked so animatedly.
It was the first crush I had that made me realize the effect a guy could have on my body. And I’ve been in love with him ever since.
We talk all the time now when he visits. He’s become a friend. I love the way his face lights up when I walk in the room. It makes my heart race and my chest feel like there’s a brick on top of it.
I spot Eva across the lawn, standing underneath the tent that her parents had set up for the party. It’s being catered by the number one–rated company in the city. Only the best for their daughter. I’m just happy to be along for the ride. My dad does well, but not as well as her father.
She’s arguing with her mom about something—I can tell. The way she waves her arms around so dramatically. She doesn’t talk to her mom like that unless she’s upset.
The entire night, my eyes are peeled, looking out for Walker. I’ve been such a mess that I’ve barely spoken to any of our friends, just walked circles, like a vulture waiting for its prey.
I feel his presence before I see him. Every nerve in my body feels like it’s on fire. I turn around and spot him talking to his dad and mine. They are all laughing about something. I find my legs moving before I can stop them. I should play it cool—not seem so desperate, but I’m powerless to these feelings that he ignites in me.
Before I get there, his tall, leggy ex-girlfriend, Natalie, pops up on his right. She makes a big show of kissing Mr. Harlow on the cheek and wrapping an arm around Walker’s, linking them together.
Ugh, I hate her.
She was around a lot when I was younger. They dated on and off in college, both attending Columbia. She’s home now, likely desperately looking for a man with money to marry. Little does she know, Walker isn’t like the rest of the men in this town. He isn’t after money and power.
I can’t watch her worm her way back into his life. I shift my weight to my heel and peek to the right, where I spot some high-school friends. I don’t even want to talk to them right now, but it’s better than my heart shattering piece by piece as I lose the man I’ve dreamed of to someone older and prettier.
I finally decide to get another Shirley Temple at the bar, tempted to beg them to put a shot in it, when all the hairs on my arms begin to stand.
“Congratulations.” His warm breath tickles my ear.
I momentarily close my eyes, unable to comprehend how something like that makes me feel more than any of my high-school boyfriends were able to invoke.
I turn around and smile up at Walker, no doubt with adoration in my eyes. “Hey, you.” I reach up on my tippy-toes and give him a hug. “Thank you.”
“I can’t believe you two are going to college in different states,” he says as he sticks his hands in his pockets. “How are you going to survive without each other?”
I tuck a piece of hair nervously behind my ear. “Well, I’ll have one of the Harlow siblings in the same city as me.”
He chuckles. “That’s true. NYU—that’s a huge accomplishment, Jessie. I’m so proud of you.”
I begin to fidget with the gold necklace that hangs between my breasts. His eyes immediately fall down to my hand, then home in on my chest. I specifically wore this dress because my boobs look awesome in it.
This is the first time I think I’ve ever caught him ogling me. I want to do a celebratory dance but need to be cool.
Instead, I run my fingers up the inside of his forearm and take a step closer. “Are you going to make sure nothing happens to me in the city this year? It’s a scary place.”
His throat bobs as his eyes move to my lips, where I bite down on my bottom lip.
Before he can respond, Natalie appears like a ninja in the night. “I lost you for a second,” she says to Walker.
He doesn’t take his eyes off me. “Yeah, looks like it.”
She looks me up and down with disdain. I know that look from a girl when I get it. She’s threatened. By me. I feel like a million bucks.
“Congratulations, Jessie. Aww, you are so cute. Going off to college. Still so young though.” She pulls on Walker’s arm. “Hey, let’s go say hi to my parents. You haven’t seen them in ages.”
He doesn’t look like he wants to go, but Natalie has him falling backward away from me without his response.
