"Maxine, don't even start with me!" I exclaim, rushing past my best friend. I can't believe I just kissed that low-life! This is not happening. This is a dream. No! This is a freaking nightmare. I've clearly been possessed. Maybe my dad was right... I should go to church more often.

Maxine grabs my hand and tugs me backward. "Dude! What the fuck was that?! I thought you were going to go talk to him, not make-out with him!"

"We didn't make-out! It was-uh, just a peck," I stutter, full-blown anxiety coursing through my veins. "Can we talk about this later? We have to go do campus tours. We can't leave the freshman to fend for themselves." I try to pull away but her grip is ironclad.

Maxine crosses her arms, her eyes ridiculously assertive. "Screw the tours! Explain yourself, woman!"

Grunting with deep-seated frustration, I drop my face into my hands. "I was just telling him to move his motorcycle and then we started arguing and then I saw Sawyer with Corrine, and I just...snapped." I jerk my head up. "Wait, you saw us kissing, right? Do you think Sawyer saw?"

It blows my mind that Sawyer, after years of telling how much Corrine annoys him, is dating her! I shouldn't be this surprised though, I guess with Corrine he knows he'll get some. Every other guy in our class has. They don't call her The Joint for nothing. Puff Puff Pass.

"Dude, everyone within a thirty-yard radius saw you two kissing. You were arguing pretty fucking loud." Maxine pulls out her phone. "I even got a video!"

My face pales. "You were recording us?! Max! That's so creepy! Why?" This is horrible. She has physical evidence of my momentary insanity. "You didn't post it anywhere...right?" If she did, my life is over.

Maxine smirks, forcing my heart to drop into my stomach. "Oh relax, Kenny," she laughs. "I didn't post it. I just wanted to document the wildest thing I've ever seen in my life. Imagine witnessing Santa Claus smoke crack- same energy."

I blink. Her analogies have never been on point but this one...kind of makes sense. "God, why did I do that?" I whine. "So stupid."

Maxine pats me on the shoulder. "Hmm...let's see...spite, jealousy, hormones, a not yet fully developed frontal lobe. Or! Maybe because you thought he was hot? Hmm?"

"He is not hot!" I scoff. "He is the rudest, most infuriating person I have ever met! If he didn't have an accent, I wouldn't be able to list any positive qualities, like at all!"

Maxine springs up, her eyes gleaming with intrigue. "He has an accent?"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, he's British or something," I mutter, his annoying voice ringing in my head. "He called me an idiot, Max! Me!"

Maxine starts laughing, looping her arm through mine. "Why did he call you an idiot?" she probes in an overly sweet tone.

I suck in a sharp breath and give Max a play-by-play of our conversation as we make our way to the group of lost freshmen. Oliver better be in a grade below us. I refuse to breathe the same air as that asshole.

After twenty-minutes of showing all the skittish and nervous fourteen-year-olds around the campus, Max and I scurry off to Building C for Homeroom with Mrs. Patella.

"Okay, remember what we talked about, right?" Maxine whispers in my ear. "Don't stare at Sawyer. It'll make you look desperate and creepy and we don't want that. Just ignore him. Pretend he doesn't exist. Okay?"

Easier said than done. With his classic good looks, sparkling smile, and never-ending entourage following him around like he's a king, Sawyer is pretty freaking hard to avoid. Everyone always thought it was odd that we were a couple; why would the jock fall in love with the brainiac? But those people didn't know Sawyer like I knew him. We shared the same goals, the same sense of humor, the same values- or so I thought.

A sour taste manifests in my mouth as soon as we turn the corner and Mrs. Patella's classroom comes into view. I knew Sawyer and Corrine would be in the same homeroom as us this year; what I didn't know is how sick I'd feel watching them hold hands and make goo-goo eyes at each other. Gross.

Lingering outside the classroom, Leon and Felicity both turn their heads when Maxine yells, "bitches!" at the top of her lungs and runs up to them, waving her hands in the air like a maniac. I follow closely behind, making sure to avert my gaze from my ex-boyfriend and his new toy.

"Kennedy! Maxine! My angels! Come here!" Felicity spreads her freckled pale arms and pulls us into a group hug, almost clonking our heads together. "How I've missed you!"

"Don't hog them!" Leon interrupts her aggressive embrace, tugging my arm. "Oh my God, Ken, your hair!" He eyes my botched attempt at a balayage. "It doesn't look too bad!"

I roll my eyes. "That's because I went to a salon and paid $500 for them to fix it. That YouTube video you sent me was completely useless."

Leon's jaw drops. "Brad Mondo is a guru! You probably just didn't follow his instructions correctly."

Max snorts. "If anyone can follow instructions, it's Kenny. I'm with her on this one."

"See!" I cross my arms. "Maybe you should dye your own hair and show me how it's done."

Leon tilts his head, his eyes alight with humor. "If I bleached my hair, I'd look like Chris Brown circa 2011, that's not a good look, for anyone."

Leon and I glare at each other for a second before Felicity sighs. "Okay, enough children. We have more important things to discuss, like Kennedy losing her mind half an hour ago."

"What're you talking about?" I ask her slowly, side-eyeing Maxine.

"Maxie sent us a video of you devouring that leather jacket-wearing stud!" Felicity exclaims, shoving her phone in my face. "You almost look feral!"

"Max!" I whine. "You said you didn't post it anywhere! What the hell?"

Max purses her lips, sheepishly kicking her foot against the wall. "I didn't post it. I just sent it to Leon and Fel."

Leon smirks, watching the video on Fel's phone. "My soul almost left my body when I watched it for the first time. Who knew our little Ken-Ken has such high libido."

"Guys! Will you stop? Please! It's not what you think." I crane my neck over my shoulder and sneak a peek at the new It Couple. "I thought maybe I could make Sawyer jealous," I admit timidly. "And then he'd realize how much he loves me."

"Seeing as his tongue is so far down Corrine's throat that he could probably touch her tonsils, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it didn't work," Leon notes casually.

Felicity's elbow flies into his ribs. "Leon! Don't be such a dick, she's still fragile!"

I laugh nervously, trying to cover the gut-wrenching pain in the pit of my stomach. "It's fine, Leon's right. It was...stupid."

The loud clicking of orthopedic high heels echoes through the hallway. Oh, thank God, Mrs. Patella is here. We part like the Red Sea to make room for our sixty-one-year-old teacher.

"Alright, everyone." Mrs. Patella unlocks the door. "Take a seat. Quickly now."

Max, Felicity, Leon, and I rush to the far end of the classroom and sit down. Max always chooses to sit behind me in every single class we share so she can text behind my back, or cheat off of me during tests, both reasons have merit.

"Alright, welcome back, everybody," Mrs. Patella begins, pacing back and forth in the front of the classroom. "I take it everyone had a relaxing vacation?" A sea of nods and yeses fill the room. "Excellent. Let's start with some housekeeping then."

Mrs. Patella drones on about this year's schedule, academic clubs, and social events; emphasizing the importance of extracurriculars on our college application forms. When she's just about finished listing off every club available at Hilton, the classroom door springs open and Oliver comes sauntering inside, holding a note in his hand.

Despite my hatred for the boy, I'd be lying if I said he doesn't clean up well. Even though his tie is haphazardly looped around his neck and his button-up shirt is not tucked into his pants, he looks more tame and approachable now than he did an hour ago. I don't know why he even bothered showing up this late, Homeroom is only for thirty-minutes.

"Apologies," Oliver says lazily to Mrs. Patella, handing her the folded piece of paper. "I had mechanical problems." I turn my head away, hoping he doesn't see me.

Max pinches my side. "Oh my God! Isn't that the guy?" she whispers.

Leon and Felicity both lean towards me like the nosy fucks they are. "That's him, right?" Leon murmurs.

"Will you guys shut up!" I sneer under my breath, waving them away, my heart racing. Shit! He's in our grade! A sheen of sweat forms on my palms when Oliver's eyes flicker in my direction, cold and calculating. He tosses me a wink before sitting down at an empty desk in the back of the classroom.

Mrs. Patella places his note on the table. "It seems as though we have a new student joining us from overseas." She gestures towards British-boy. "Why don't you give us an introduction and tell the class an interesting fact about yourself."

Most of us have been going to school together since we were six years olds so a new student is a rarity, especially since Hilton is an exclusive prep school. A part of me wonders how he even got accepted. Every head turns towards the new kid with the shitty attitude, an air of curiosity permeates the room. The only person not looking at him is Sawyer; instead, he's scrolling through his phone under the desk.

Oliver runs a hand through his messy hair and sighs. "I'd rather not," he says flatly.

Mrs. Patella smiles, an action that outsiders would interpret as friendly, but Hilton students know better. "That was not a request," she states. "Introduce yourself. Right now."

"Fine!" Oliver rolls his eyes and stands up begrudgingly. "I'm Oliver Knight, obviously I'm from England and uh-" He lip twitches as if speaking hurts. "An interesting fact about myself is that I'm ambidextrous." He collapses back into his seat.

"Ambidextrous?" A girl from the middle row asks. "Is that like British for bi?"

Oh, Lord... My friends and I exchange a look of pure disbelief before Leon laughs and corrects our ditzy classmate. "No, Marcie, that has nothing to do with sexual orientation. It means he doesn't have a dominant hand."

"Oh..." Marcie's eyebrows knit together as she turns around and faces Oliver. "So, like you can write with both hands?"

Oliver smirks at Marcie then his eyes briefly find mine. "I can do everything with both hands," he says. I roll my eyes. Gross.

Mrs. Patella claps her meaty hands to get our attention. "Alright, thank you for that, Oliver. On behalf of everyone here, I'd like to officially welcome you to Hilton."

Oliver doesn't say anything, just nods. Mrs. Patella doesn't seem to mind his silence because she continues without missing a beat. "The last item on the agenda today is introducing this year's Student Liaison Officer. Kennedy, would you like to come up and say a few words before I dismiss you all?" Mrs. Patella retreats to her desk and begins typing on her computer.

I take a breath to steady myself. I wasn't nervous until Oliver stumbled into the class. Straightening out my shoulders, I get up and make my way to the front of the class. Based on everyone's scowling expressions, I'm not expecting an applause afterward.

"Hi everyone, as you probably already know I'm Kennedy Carmichael and I'll be the SLO this year for our class-"

"Snitch!" A voice calls out and my eyes dart to Ezekiel who's sitting beside Sawyer and Corrine. Really? Zeek was a good friend of mine when Sawyer and I were dating but I guess lines have been drawn and he's on Team Sawyer.

Mrs. Patella peers up from her computer to say something but I shake my head. "It's fine," I assure her.

Glowering at Ezekial, I clear my throat. "Despite what you all might think, my primary duty is not to be a snitch, as Zeek so eloquently put it, but to ensure that my peers have access to the resources they need to be successful this year. And yes, I do have the authority to hand out blue slips if I deem your behavior or actions violate our school rules, but with that said, I'm confident that as Seniors we will try our hardest to abide by the standards set forth by the Academy. Right?"

I scan the room trying to make eye contact with all my peers in an attempt to gain their respect and boost my confidence. I know they must hate me but I honestly don't give a shit. My future is far more important than their opinions. When my eyes land on Oliver, a rolled-up piece of paper ricochets off my temple and lands on the floor. Dread washes over my body. Oliver's mouth opens slightly, his eyes bright with amusement as he turns to face the culprit. Corrine.

"Oops! I was aiming for the recycling bin," she smirks, batting her fake eyelashes. She turns to face Sawyer. "Maybe you can give me a few lessons in throwing, baby?"

Sawyer tenses, his eyes flickering between me and his new girlfriend. "Not cool, Corrine," he says flatly.

Corrine slumps back into her seat, crossing her arms. "It was an accident," she mutters.

"Well, you'd know all about accidents, wouldn't you Corrine?" Max pipes up, her tone saltier than the Atlantic Ocean.

"Shut up, Maxine!" Corrine sneers, her face turning pink. "You're such a freak."

Maxine laughs, completely unaffected. "It's actually quite funny if you think about it. My family had like a .01% chance of winning the lottery and your daddy's condom had the same odds in breaking." She bites her lip and blinks. "It's just super sad how my family got money and your family got you."

Corrine's face turns crimson, her jaw tightening. "Go fuck yourself, Max."

Maxine fakes a frown. "Aw, are you mad?"

Oh, dear Lord! Why am I still standing up here and why the hell isn't Mrs. Patella intervening? Even though Max is probably going to get detention, I can't help but grin at my best friend. Corrine should know better than to fuck with Max. I can't believe we used to be friends.

"Miss Chen! Miss Davis!" Mrs. Patella stands up from her desk, glaring at the two girls with disapproval. Finally! "Corrine, you should be abhorred by your language."

"See?" Maxine says, smirking at Corrine. "Even Mrs. Patella thinks you're a whore."

I slam my hand over my mouth. Either she's trying to be funny or she literally misheard Mrs. Patella.

"Maxine Chen," Mrs. Patella says through her teeth. "Headmaster's office now."

Max rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Corrine grins smugly at Max who collects her notebook and heads out of the class. "Miss Davis, you may join her," our teacher adds. "Everyone else you are dismissed."

Mrs. Patella turns to me. "Miss Carmichael, please stay behind." Her eyes dart to Oliver. "You too Mr. Knight."

Seriously? Worst first day ever.

___________________

This is is going to be a fun school year. Look out Oliver, these kids are savage.

Corrine, Kenny, and be Max be like: