The wheels of the BMW crunched along the gravel drive as it fell into line with all the other sleek cars. The gray stone building lay ahead, the stately structure looking of old money and history. Manicured lawns spread out on all sides, all encased by a tall, stone fence. Atop the fence were security cameras at distinct intervals.

Donovan pulled the car out of the line and turned into a parking lot. He swung into an empty spot. Around him, doors slammed and friends met up and walked together. He looked over at Link. Link's attention was on the school before them, his brown hair sticking up in odd angles.

Donovan looked at back to the school. "How are you doing?"

Link adjusted his glasses. A nervous habit Donovan had become accustomed to in the six years of knowing Link.

"What is the likelihood that I have any classes with Mason?"

Donovan's eyes narrowed in thought.

"It's a school of about 300 hundred students; there's a small margin. But the chances of never running into him are extremely low."

Link nodded, still surveying the school. Donovan opened the door and stepped out. Link paused for a second then followed. In silence, they joined the flow of students moving towards the school. As they walked, Donovan memorized faces and studied body language, looking for the signs that would tell him of their emotions, struggles and personalities.

The bell rang as they entered the school hallways. Link glanced at Donovan and he pointed to the right. Despite the dense crowds, Donovan noticed the gazes of girls that latched onto him. Eyes burned with curiosity, intrigue and desire. He ignored all of it, his customary blank mask in place.

A girl stumbled and bumped into him. Reflexively he caught her and stopped her from falling. Before she could offer a smile and thank you, they were moving on. Link looked at him, his eyes flickering back to the wide-eyed girl.

"Keep moving," Donovan said, his voice quiet.

"Are we playing this as usual?"

Donovan gave a single nod. Link ran a hand through his hair, managing to make it look more rumpled than before. They stepped into a classroom, filled with tall tables and stools. Most spots were taken. Link walked over and took an open seat by a girl with brown hair, who was frowning at the teacher. Donovan settled onto the stool two tables back, with a blonde haired girl.

By the time he had unhooked his bag from his shoulder, Link was in conversation with the girl beside him. She waved her hand towards the teacher and Link frowned, glancing over. Donovan followed his line of sight, registering a hint of a smirk in the teacher's expression.

"Hi!" the girl next to him said.

Donovan looked at her. Her face was made up and her smile was eager as she took in his face and body. He turned away, pulling out a notebook. Calculating the brightness in the girl's light blue eyes, he expected three more attempts at conversation before she resigned to silence.

"Are you new here?" she asked.

Donovan didn't answer. The second bell rang and the teacher smiled.

"Alright, class, let's get settled," he said.

The room slowly quieted as students turned towards the front. Donovan watched, seeing who was drunk and who was still half asleep.

"I have a surprise for you. Pop quiz!"

Groans echoed through the classroom. Donovan's gaze fell to the girl beside Link and he saw her give Link a knowing smirk. It struck him that she knew that the pop quiz was coming.

The door to the classroom opened and a blonde haired guy walked in followed by a large man in black suit.

"Mr. Douglas, so pleased you could join us," the teacher said.

The guy gave the teacher a smug grin and slid into a seat. Donovan's gaze darted to Link. He noticed the way Link tensed. The girl spoke and Link looked over, startled. After the few words they exchanged, Link's posture relaxed. A question to who this girl was and what she had said zipped through Donovan's mind.

***********************

The bell rang and the students rose, the volume of voices following their lead. The blonde beside Donovan grabbed another piece of courage and looked to him.

"What do you have next?" she asked, her voice still bright, though there was doubt in it.

Donovan gave her a single, blank look and turned away, picking up his bag. When he turned back the girl had gone. He glanced back at Link's spot and found it empty. He lifted the strap of his bag over his head, heading for the door.

Link was waiting just outside. Walking to him, Donovan slid his hands into his pockets.

"You ready to go? AP History is in the North Wing," he said.

"First, I'd like you to meet Carter," Link said, motioning to the girl who had sat beside him.

Donovan looked to her. She leaned against the wall, her hands shoved into her pockets. His gaze skimmed over her, memorizing her face and reading her body language. She had an air that said she could care less, but there was an intensity in her gaze that said nothing slipped her notice.

She was attractive with tan skin, slender face, cool blue eyes, straight nose and bow lips. Donovan noticed that she did nothing to enhance her looks. In fact, she went the opposite, choosing to wear a rumpled blazer and her hair pulled back in a rough pony tail. Whether it was intentional to draw attention away from her looks or not, he couldn't tell yet.

"Carter, this is my friend Donovan Keller," Link said.

Carter looked between them, her eyes narrowing as she studied them.

"You two are friends?" she asked, not masking her skepticism.

"We live in the same building. He keeps people from beating me up," Link said.

"In turn, he helps me with homework," Donovan said.

It was a lie they had told countless times, and one that everyone believed. Until now. Carter smirked, the expression clearly showing her disbelief.

"Yes," she said, her tone mocking. "because naturally anyone who is freely taking advanced chemistry needs help with homework."

Link's cheeks colored, but Donovan kept his face impassive, though his mind kept recalculating the intelligence of the girl. Carter frowned slightly, and Donovan could see questions passing through her mind.

"Keller, like the Senator?" she asked.

Donovan knew what she was implying. "Yes, like the Senator."

A curvy girl who had just passed paused and turned back to him. She had bouncy black curls and a look he had seen many times before glinting in her eyes.

"Hi, you're new here, right? I'm Elena," she said, her voice dripping with seduction.

"Hi," Donovan said, his tone flat.

Elena blinked, the shock of his disinterest startling her. From the corner of his eye, Donovan saw as Carter's lips twitched at a smirk. She pushed herself off the wall and started walking away.

"Do you need someone to show you around?" Elena asked, grasping for anything.

Donovan gave her another empty look and walked away, Link following. They fell in beside Carter.

"So, what brings you here to Hamilton Prep?" she asked.

Her gaze never seemed to settle on one thing, constantly moving, taking in data.

"We used to go to Jefferson Private High School but something happened," Link said. "The school had to close down for repairs so we got sent here."

"What happened?"

"The building wasn't structurally sound," Donovan answered.

Carter gave him a look like he was a puzzle she was determined to solve. It was a look he had gotten often, but it was the first time he wondered if someone would get close to succeeding. He kept his expression clear, a trait he had learned a long time ago.

"Wasn't structurally sound?" she asked.

Her tone was amused and Donovan knew he would have to watch his words around her.

"I think something with mold in the basement," Link said.

"Fascinating," she said.

She directed them through the chaos of the school. Up clogged staircases and down mobbed hallways. They were about to head into the history classroom when she stopped. She turned back to the flow of students, her eyes searching. Link looked at her, puzzled as Donovan scanned the hallways trying to see what she saw.

"Aren't you going in?" Link asked.

Carter rested against a set of lockers, her eyes still roaming over the students. A smile creased her lips. The look softened her features.

"Not yet," she said. "I'm going to watch the fight. Jonathan and Macy are going to break up. Wait for it."

Link took a step closer to her. "Who?"

She pointed to a couple down the hallway. Donovan looked and saw what Carter was seeing. The distance between the couple was too far to not be intentional. The girl's shoulders were tense while the boy worked at not looking at her. When his gaze lingered on a passing girl, the girl beside him spun on him.

"I knew it! You're cheating on me! How could you!" Macy screamed.

The fight dissolved into tears, hysterics, pleas and angry shouts before two teachers broke the couple apart. Carter chuckled as Macy was escorted to the office, her makeup smeared down her face.

"How did you know?" Link asked.

Carter shrugged. The gesture was natural on her.

"Easy," she said. "I noticed her stiff shoulders, tight lips. The distance between them. His scowl and wandering gaze. Besides, it's Monday and that's what they always do."

She hoisted herself off the lockers.

"Seriously?" Link asked.

"Yeah, I figure it's their way of keeping the romance alive. 'Cause really, after the first initial attraction, what do they have in common? Other then the fact that neither of them can send a text with out an abbreviation or an emoji."

Link started laughing. Carter smiled and Donovan studied her. Though his face remained uncaring, his thoughts whirred with each new piece of information, figuring out what she must know and what she could possibly guess from Link, his looks and their connection.

"Come on, the bell will ring in one minute, thirteen seconds," Carter said, ducking into the classroom.

The young teacher in his mid thirties barely glanced up as they walked in. He was about to look down when his eyes landed on Link and Donovan and his head snapped back up. Donovan caught the touch of surprise in the man's face, but in a breath it was gone.

"Morning, Mr. Philips," Carter said.

The man gave her a short smile.

"Hello, Carter. New students, I see. Find a seat anywhere," Mr. Philips said.

The bell rang as they found seats and slid into them. Link ended up by Carter while Donovan took the spot right behind him. Throughout the class he studied Mr. Philips, noting the edge in his voice when he spoke of politics and the slight downward turn of his mouth.

When the bell rang again, Donovan had formed a working theory of the man and his history with politicians. Students stood, grabbed backpacks and clustered together as they exited. Donovan followed Link and Carter out. Beyond the door they stopped and Link shifted towards Carter.

"What do you have next?" he asked.

"A.P. Calculus with Harris," she said, her eyes darting over passing groups before resting on Link.

"We have A.P. English with Ross," Link said.

Carter gave a single nod.

"We'll see you around," he said, encouragingly.

She gave no indication whether she liked this comment or not.

"That's entirely up to you," she said.

She turned and walked away. Donovan watched her go, trying to figure out where the disregard for friends stemmed from. Link looked at him.

"What do you think of her?" he asked.

Donovan crossed his arms, still staring at the spot where Carter had disappeared.

"If anyone was going to figure your secret out, it would be her," he said. "We'll have to stay close, just in case."

**********************************************************************

Hey you!

? I've actually posted a book full of chapters from Donovan's POV, it's called so go check it out!

Well after you answer these wonderful questions!

What did you think of the chapter?

I found it really fascinating that I went into Donovan's thoughts far more than I ever do with Carter!

Do you want to find out what happens next?

Yeah?! Okay then, go read !

Come on, you had to know that's where I was going. Thank you for being amazing and reading this book! It means the world to me!

You're the very best and don't you forget it!

If you so wish it vote, comment, follow but honestly I could care less, you've already been more than amazing!