"It's only for a year. I'll survive. I don't want to talk about it. Tell me about you. How was the first day?"
"Awesome. It's so good to be back. Not that I didn't like my school in France but it's good to be home, you know?"
I don't, because I'm not there anymore.
Jane notices my silence and rushes to say, "Sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"It's okay. It's going to take me awhile to get used to it. I woke up this morning and forgot I'd changed schools. It was only for like a minute but it was strange, being confused like that. It's like my mind hasn't accepted it yet."
"If it helps, Chad looked really sad today. It's obvious he misses you."
"He must be busy. I haven't heard from him since this morning."
"Really? I saw him at lunch. He was just talking to the guys. I'm surprised he didn't call you."
I'm surprised too. But I'm sure he'll call me tonight. He probably wanted to catch up with his friends at lunch after not seeing them much over the summer.
"William asked me out," she says, sounding annoyed.
"Again?" I laugh. "That guy doesn't give up."
He's been asking her out since freshman year and she keeps turning him down.
"He said we'd be going out as friends but it's obviously a date."
"Why don't you just do it? Go out as friends and see how it goes?"
"Are you serious? This is William, the guy who hides out in the library, writing code."
"Code that could make him millions. Given your shopping addiction, you might want to give him a chance."
"I don't date computer geeks. And my dad pays for my shopping addiction."
My dad used to give me shopping money too. But those days are over. Now his money goes to pay for his new wife's shopping.
"I need to get going," Jane says. "I'm missing the meeting."
"Yeah. Bye."
With school starting, she won't have time for me. She's in a ton of activities and the rest of her free time is filled by her parents' social calendar. Weekend charity events. Dinners at the country club.
That used to be my life.
Now I have a new life. A new reality. And it's all because of my dad.
I trusted him. I believed he'd always be there for us. And now he's gone.
I'll never trust a man again.
Chapter Four
Dean
"Jake, I'm home," I say, knocking on the door to the bedroom. "I got groceries."
He doesn't answer. He better be in there studying and not roaming the streets.
"Jacob." I open the door and see him with headphones on, playing on his phone.
