I open my mouth to tell her I’m not interested, but I’m distracted when I hear the bus screech at the end of the sidewalk and three passengers step off. The new students are easy to spot with their wide eyes that try to take it all in.
It’s like this every semester. A bunch of kids from the inner city with big dreams and a scholarship come from different backgrounds but somehow always seem the same. Damn near carbon copies of the batch from the previous season.
Then I take in the last girl, and every muscle in my body tenses.
Sam?
It’s not her… it can’t be.
But the closer she gets, the clearer I can see. It’s been nineyears, and the dorky eyeglasses have now been replaced with large, stylish ones that accentuate her face. She’s no longer the little pipsqueak who followed me around the hospital.
She’s all grown up, and the way those tattered jeans fit on her, every guy with a heartbeat will see just how filled out she’s gotten. Her outfit sticks out among the crowd, a sore thumb next to the Gucci loafers and Prada backpacks. She’s just a simple pair of jeans and an old Adidas hoodie, but it works for her.
She drags behind her two large suitcases and a duffel, and something tells me that’s all she has with her. Why else would she take the bus instead of being dropped off with all her things?
If the pinched brows are any indication, she’s lost. I take her in as she glances between her phone and the buildings. She looks innocent, a feeble fawn in a den of lions.
She’s also the only other person who knows about my mom. Not even my best friends know what I’ve been dealing with all these years. I never wanted them to, and I did everything possible to keep it that way. I never invited them over to play video games or watch a movie. It was easier when I started playing hockey. All the practices and games made it so that I was rarely at home anyway. And if we wanted to hang out, we did it at Alex’s place since he had an entire game room in his house.
But now, with her here, they could find out. And once they learn about my mother’s condition, it’ll lead to more questions that they could never know the answers to.
I struggle to tear my gaze away, but it’s dragged back against my will. Our eyes lock.
Her face shows shock at first; then she waves. I don’t respond. I stare at her, my mind racing a mile a minute. Her sweet smile slowly gets pulled down into a frown, and I force myself not to care.
Her face twists into a grimace, and I know it’s because of me.It’s for the best. I’m not the guy she used to know. My world is dark, and she needs to be far away from me.
But right now, she’s close enough that I can’t help but notice the small details about her. Like the way the halo of tight, dark curls frames her face. Or how flawless and soft her golden-brown skin appears from here. Her expressive, almond-shaped eyes are framed by perfectly arched brows, and her full, glossy lips add to her allure.
Hell, she even looks like she smells good—like vanilla and cocoa butter or some shit. And even though she’s wearing glasses, they don’t hide the sadness in her stare.
For a brief second, I want to know how she’s been. But then I remember I don’t care—at least, I’m not supposed to—about her or any of the other students on this campus.
“Think they’re freshmen?” Alex’s voice slices through my consciousness. I don’t even bother looking at him. Instead, I continue to watch Sam as she turns and walks away. I shrug. She’s only two years behind us, so she would be a sophomore, but I agree anyway.
“Probably. They usually are.”
He nods in agreement. “That’s true. Are you ready for the new semester?”
“No.” The word comes out more like a growl than an actual response, but he gets it.
“Yeah, well, neither am I, but at least we have some fresh meat to play with.” He smirks and wiggles his brows suggestively.
I roll my eyes at his antics. If there is one thing you can count on when it comes to Alex, it’s that he never misses an opportunity to make things about sex. It’s how he’s always been, and I doubt he’ll ever change.
Not when every girl on campus throws herself at him. And who could blame them? He’s the golden boy and captain of the hockey team. Not to mention, his father runs the school.
“Have fun with that,” I tell him, not bothering to hide the lack of interest in my voice.
“Oh, come on, Kane. Don’t act like you won’t be trying to get a piece, too. Last time I checked, you were pulling just as much ass as I was.”
I shrug, unsure how to answer him because he isn’t wrong. We both ran through our fair share of women last year, so I can see why he’d assume that nothing had changed.
But it has. At least for me.
I’ve spent the break trying to figure out who I am outside of this life I’ve been handed.
“Seriously, bro, what’s up? You’ve been a little off lately.”
