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Chapter One

"Are you sure you’re up for this? You know after everything that happened last ti me off My best friend, one of two ofto let me pretend this was Ok

Which hy I loved her

Even if my blood pressure could not even handle this situation

"Obviously not," I snapped I took a breath, and then another one and then counted to five in my head to calize to Exie; she would know she wasn’t the reason for my temper Well, at least this tio back to school, so she is hteen"

"Like that will make any difference," Sloane, the final third of our threesome remarked bitterly

"Focus on the trust funds ladies, we have a plan," I repeated our lifelongit would soothe all of our nerves Only two o until that e of the dearly departed biological father I never got to h to ive up his fight with cancer

Thanks a lot Daddy Dearest

That’s what made him such a phenomenal fatherly candidate The cancer that is, and all of the money of course

And it didn’t hurt, I’m sure, that before his illness had nearly finished the job ofhim slowly and the chenity that he happened to be a very attractive man

Or so my mother says

I’ve never even seen a picture of hiruth blonde hair over her shoulder "I feel like I’"

"You’re such a snob, public school is not contagious," I laughed

"Are you sure about that?" Sloane clarified, narrowing her big brown eyes on the don campus

Since I actually wasn’t sure, I didn’t answer It could be contagious, what did I know?

"You guys better go anyway We’re going to get mobbed if you don’t and I ah school boys this early in the irlfriends" I twirled a loose auburn curl aroundto res I mean, sure I was probably a little bit feisty with my temper, but other emotions bothered the hell out of ether- yep, all e to tell them, Ivy?" Exie asked with just the tiniest tone of syirls hated feelings just as much as I did I couldn’t say that’s ere best friends Honestly, ere friends because we had no other options, but it did surprisingly bond us together in a way that didn’tto tell the to let theetting to graduation day" I sighed, knowing that whatever ru, but it was a routine I was familiar with

"If that’s what you want," Sloane sympathized I had been down this road before, but a six month absence fro spread around about me

"If you have a better idea S, I’irls will hateboys So it doesn’t reallyas they leave ain

Sloane let out a very long, exaggerated sigh and nodded her head in agreehed feeling guilty for etic smile She raised a slim shoulder casually and sent ainst e At least she understood where I was coe boy approached confidently Oh great here we go

"Oh hey, uave him a little head nod and prompted him for a name

"Uh… I’ether last year," Chase’s confidence started to fade under the scrutinizing gazehim to

"Oh, yeah, I remember," I lied, and forced my lips into a smile It was alood," he s smiles that popular boys reserve for their next conquest

Lucky for hiether

But I was looking for a boyfriend I know that sounded trashy, but to be fair it wasn’t like I was sole animal on the prowl It was just safer to be committed to someone Plus, he was cute in that all-American ith his floppy sandy brown hair and perfect, white teeth He even wore a letter jacket which was a major bonus for him even if he didn’t know it yet A letter jacket er than this school day he would at some point offer it to me and in turn I would wear it every day to supportme as "taken" for the whole school to see

On closer examination he had dimples

Another point for… um… Chase?

Yes Chase

"So you’re back?" he asked breaking the silence andto go, Ivy, before you knoe need a prescription for this or soirl iht, pickeach of theive me It was moments like this that ere perfect imitations of our mothers And that annoyed the hell out of me

"Oh, do you need a ride?" Sloane asked barely containing her sive you a ride if you need one," Chase gallantly offered

What a gentleman

"Really? I don’t live far Thank you That would be such a life-saver," I played upinside me felt dead

"Sure, it’sout his identical dimples

"Ladies, I’ll call you later," I told the set of stairs that led to the school building

"Just breathe, Ivy," Sloane called out knowing I needed some last minute advice "Two years, that’s all, just two years!"

I continued walking backwards, taking each step in stride and watched Exie and Sloane cliine and then cut across traffic dangerously

Central High School was located exactly don Oe, which ran almost exactly down the middle of the city It was also the most traffic ja Exie was lucky she didn’t nick her brand new car in the onslaught of onco horns and a confused but angry homeless man who screamed obscenities at her froed for her and her lack of driving ability But then again, she probably didn’t even notice

"So, Chase, are you a junior or a senior?" I asked, dropping aze to my future boyfriend as he followed me up the stairs like a loyal puppy

"A senior," he s with a s to a proble the happy ones’ hearts