Page 18 (1/2)
PROLOGUE
“I CAN’T BELIEVE you got caught kissing Beau Prescott’s girlfriend under the stairs!”
Josie Witherspoon and her best friend, Colin Fairgood, alking hoe mansions, which lined both sides of the street, bore stately and placid witness to their conversation
“Everybody on the bus was talking about it!”
Colin shrugged his skinny shoulders, like string-bean violinists stole the hearts of popular cheerleaders every day “I can’t believe you can’t believe a girl like Mindy wouldn’t rather go out with me than that dumb-ass quarterback you live with”
“I don’t live with him,” she said, exasperated “I live in his parent’s house withdifference We barely talk”
“Whatever Just because you can’t see what a catch I am doesn’t mean Mindy don’t”
Josie pushed her cat-eye glasses up on her nose, and looked at Colin sideways She could never tell if he was joking or serious when he insinuated that she washim as a boyfriend
They’d been friends since elementary school Really, it had been a friendshipelse Josie was one of the few black kids in the Forest Brook school system, and definitely the only black nerd, while tall and skinny Colin had been the only kid playing concert-level violin Plus, despite the fact that she was black and he hite, both of their mothers happened to be live-in help for affluent families with homes on the same street, so technically they had more in common with each other than with other kids ere their own race
Back when they’d first oing to an elite school that valued its wealthy student body and athletics over diversity andout with each other, who else would want to hang out with them?
But lately Colin had beenhe wanted more than friendship from Josie, and she didn’t kno she felt about that
“It’s not that I don’t think you’re a great catch,” she said “It’s h to realize it”
Really surprised On the few occasions she’d talked to Mindy, when she’d co for Beau, Josie didn’t think there wason between her pretty ears
“Jealous?” Colin asked with an irin
“More like scared,” Josie answered “I’ets”
Then, as if she had su his nae, shiny blue pick-up truck screeched to a halt on the other side of the road And Beau hi out with Mike Lacer, their school’s starting wide receiver and the son of the faht behind him
Most girls, including her—though she’d never ad With his thick black hair, contrasting silver eyes, chiseled body, aquiline nose, and All-A eht now, he looked a lot less preppy and a whole lot ht at Colin, his er
“Fairgood,” he said, pointing at the ground halfway between theht now”
“Aw man,” Colin said under his breath But nonetheless, he put his violin case down and removed his backpack
“Are you kidding ht them They’re, like, twice your size!”
Colin eyed Beau and Mike warily “I don’t think I have much of a choice”
“Run, fool!” she said, stating what, she felt, was the obvious sol
“I’ his fists at his sides “I ht be skinny But I’m not a coward”
“How about your hands? You can’t be getting in fights You’ve got the Youth Symphony concert at the ASC this weekend”
She could tell that thought gave hie of four, and he’d been taught to protect his hands above all things for ain: “I’”
And then it was too late to run Beau was standing right in front of theht fist covered with his left hand His silver eyes alht “Tiet out of here, Josie”
He and Mike reeked of alcohol
“Now, Beau, just calainst the two of us? You and I both know that ain’t a fair fight”
“It isn’t two against two,” Beau answered with a sood on my own Mike just came to watch the beat down”