1
ASTRID
“I’ve seen the new guy!” Gwen’s enthusiastic squeal matches the excited glint in her eyes. “Oh my god, Azzie,” my bestie adds, fanning her pretty face with her hand. “He’s so hot, and wait until you hear his Irish accent!”
I grab the books I need for my afternoon classes from my locker as one of my oldest and most cherished friends swoons over the newcomer. “I wasn’t the only girl drooling all over my desk. The entire cheerleading team is gonna freak out when they see him. It’ll be Armageddon on a scale we’ve never seen before.”
Gwen is practically frothing at the mouth as I close my locker, almost stumbling over my feet when she threads her arm through mine and drags me along the emptying hallway like a woman on a mission. “We need to get to the cafeteria and snag prime viewing seats.”
I work hard not to roll my eyes. My bestie definitely has a flair for dramatics, but she’s not entirely wrong on this occasion. Ryemont High has a big cheerleading squad because they support the soccer, football, and basketball teams. I don’t think it’s normal for most high schools to have cheerleaders supporting the soccer team, but soccer is a big deal in oursmall town in Vermont, and the acquisition of a new striker to replace Matt Stevens was, apparently, the subject of much gossip and speculation over the summer. The new guy is all anyone has been talking about since school started back today, and it’s probably going to get a lot worse. In a small town, where we have all grown up together, the arrival of a new student is a pretty big deal.
“I think his family moved into the old Jenkins’ place,” I say.
Gwen slams to a halt a few feet in front of the cafeteria. Laughter and raucous conversation tickle my eardrums through the doors as students catch up after summer break. “Shut. Up.” She folds her arms and pins me with one of her looks. “Why am I only hearing this now?”
“You know why.” My answer is barely louder than a whisper as pain whips through me, slicing through skin and bone as effectively as a knife.
“Oh, babe.” Gwen immediately pulls me into her warm embrace. “That was insensitive. I’m sorry.”
“S’okay.” I sniffle as I pull back and force myself to get a grip. I swore I would not fall apart on the first day of senior year.Mormormade me promise, on her deathbed, I wouldn’t be sad after she was gone. She lived her life to the fullest, doing it her way, despite what anyone thought or said, and she approached her terminal illness with the same veracity and stoicism.
My grandmother was my idol, my biggest inspiration, and greatest champion, always encouraging me to follow my heart and pursue the things I’m passionate about. Her passing has left the biggest void inside me.
“I can’t believe she’s gone.” Gwen rubs my arm, and her face is flooded with compassion. “She was always so fun.”
“She was. I miss her so much already.”
“Has your mom decided what to do with the house yet?” Gwen links her arm through mine, escorting me through the doors and into the noisy cafeteria.
I shake my head. “It’s too soon to make those kinds of decisions.” Mom was an only child, and she never knew her father, so it was just her and her mom growing up. They butted heads a lot, but they were super close, and this has hit my mother hard.
“I hate the thought of her selling it.” I have to raise my voice to be heard over the ruckus. “I have so many cherished memories of summers in Ystad, and that house hasMormor’s spirit stamped all over it. I can’t bear the thought of anyone else living there.”
“There’s no rush, and maybe you could keep it as a vacation home. I might finally get to see it.”
“I don’t know if I could be there without her,” I admit, despite my previous comments. “It would be so weird. Lonely and empty.”
“I’m sure you guys will decide the right thing.” Gwen extracts her arm from mine. “I have a date with the salad bar. See you at our table.”
I head for the burrito bar as if on autopilot. I’m lost in thought as I make a chicken burrito, still struggling to accept the loss of my belovedmormor. We had a special bond, and I’m torn up inside imagining a world where she’s not in it.
Taco sauce sprays all over my hand and the lower part of my bare arm when someone shoves me from the side. My plate drops onto the serving trays as I grab the counter to stop myself from falling.
“Fuck, sorry.”
My head snaps up at his husky lyrical tone. Stunning hazel eyes latch onto my face as we stare at one another. Gwenwasn’t exaggerating. The newbie is drop-dead gorgeous, and the cheerleaders will definitely be going to war over him.
Dark hair falls into his amber-flecked eyes as he checks me out the same way I’m checking him out. His plump lips part a little as they crease his mouth at the corners. High cheekbones, tan skin, and a strong nose create a perfect canvas. His chiseled jawline is covered in a fine layer of dark hair, which only adds to the appeal. Irish towers over me, making my five-foot-eight frame seem small.
I lower my gaze, shamelessly drinking him in as he does the same. Broad shoulders stretch the white and black T-shirt he’s wearing, clinging to his stomach and slim waist. Muscular thighs hug his khaki shorts, leading to toned calves encased in black Nikes.
“Well, this is interesting.” Thor Goodrich waggles his brows as his gaze dances between his new teammate and me. “Hey, Astrid.”
“Hey, Thor.”
He loses the grin almost immediately. “I was sorry to hear about your nana.”
“Thanks. She’d been sick for a while, but knowing it was coming didn’t make it any easier.”
