"A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space."

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♔

have never feared heights. It's not that I'm brave, it's just a side effect of spending the last five years on a pedestal; you forget that you can fall.

Mom sighs and taps the steering wheel. We've been sitting here ten minutes, but I'm still not quite ready to face the barrage of rumors, so I stare at my hands like a coward.

Eventually, she cracks. She reaches into her Birkin bag and rummages around. After a second or two, she hands me her lipstick, tells me to smile, and starts up the engine. To someone like my mother, this is all that it takes: a smile and some lipstick.

"Get out of the car, Alyssa."

I fold my arms like a petulant child. "No."

Her dark eyes narrow. She has a pilates class in ten and she's losing her patience. "So help me god, if you don't get out of this car, I will embarrass you in front of everyone."

This is all that it takes. I slam the door behind me and turn to face Palisades Charter High School. It's one of the better schools in LA and caters to the wealthy, Westside families with money to burn, including mine.

As people stream past, talking and laughing, I keep wondering what they must think of me. It's not every day that 'perfect Alyssa' gets cheated on; how I deal with the fallout will determine just how far I fall from grace.

I hold my head high as I walk to my locker, ignoring the whispers. It isn't unusual for the halls of Pali High to be bursting with gossip. This is a school filled with rich, entitled brats who thrive on drama; I am as bad as the rest of them.

Marnie Tarner is already at my locker. She turns to face me, her expression surprisingly sincere. "Oh, Liss," she says. "You look so tired." It is a thinly-veiled insult rather than genuine concern – the way the kids here like to play.

"I am," I say. I put away my things, glancing in the mirror on the door. I went the extra mile when getting ready this morning: my golden hair is perfectly curled, my make-up immaculate. If I am going to survive this, I need to look my best.

"I know," Marnie says. "I can see the circles under your eyes. No wonder, though–I can't believe Justin did that to you of all people. You must feel so awful right now."

I'm careful not to react. Marnie is annoying, but I've seen first-hand how deadly she can be, and our friendship is the perfect example of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Better to have her on my side than against me.

"I was planning on breaking up with him anyway," I say, because the game here is to save face. The moment I show weakness, she will pounce. They all will.

Others stop to console me, and I brush them all off, telling them the same thing I told Marnie. They give me a look as though they don't quite believe me, but it's enough to keep them at bay.

A few of the girls on our gymnastics team join us, and it's time to step it up. "So, I'm thinking we go out tonight," I say. "Now that I'm as single as the rest of you, I want to have some fun."

Heading to Downtown LA is our way of rebelling. According to our parents, there is no reason for us to leave The Palisades. It has everything we could ever want, and more importantly, a nice big gate to separate us from everyone else. Why on earth would we want anything else?

Marnie raises an eyebrow. "You know Justin's debut fight is tonight, right?"

I feign innocence, even though this is exactly the reason I want to go out. "Oh, really? Well, just because we aren't together doesn't mean I can't still show my support."

Marnie smirks. "Are you sure you're ready? I mean, it's only been two days since he humiliated you. Even you can't have bounced back that quickly."

For a second, we just look at each other. My mother always says that a lady never fights with her fists, she fights with her eyes, so I smile and kill Marnie with kindness. If this advice actually worked, this bitch would be six feet under by now.

My best friend, Tiana, walks over. I pray she comes bearing good news. "New boys," she says, gasping slightly. "There are two new boys joining today. Charity cases from a public school. Rumors are flying that one of them had to repeat a grade. Liss, people are already forgetting about you and Justin."

Justin conveniently chooses that moment to appear, and my smile almost falters. He's surrounded by his teammates, smiling and laughing as though I didn't catch him kissing Suzie Norzac at Marnie's party on Saturday. Unbelievable.

He glances over and freezes. I stare him down, and he quickly looks away before continuing down the hallway. No doubt he thought I'd be crying over him, but I haven't and I won't. I'm going to get even, instead.

We follow the others to first period, where I take my usual seat near the back. I am carefully placing my pencil case in front of me when Miss Granger walks in.

The two new kids are the last to arrive. A thin, wiry boy with auburn hair and freckles, and a taller, lean one with dark hair. They stand awkwardly at the front, looking as though they'd rather be anywhere else.

"We have some new students joining us this year," Miss Granger begins, indicating to the boys behind her. "This is Danny Green," she says, pointing to the red-haired one, "and Kino O'Connor."

My eyes shift to Kino, who stands a good two heads taller than Miss Granger. The class remains silent. Miss Granger is forced to clear her throat before telling the boys to find a seat.

The two boys freeze, and so do I. There are only two other empty seats in the classroom. One is next to Peter Farrison, the curly-haired, scrawny boy who made fun of my freckles in middle school. The other is next to me.

Danny quickly snaps up the seat next to Peter. Kino continues to stand at the front as if contemplating whether or not to stand the whole class. When Miss Granger clears her throat again, he reluctantly slinks into the seat next to mine and refuses to look at me.

We don't speak for the entire class, but his thick arm rests on the table next to mine. It's twice the size of my own, and his knuckles are littered with tiny white scars. I should be scared, but I'm not, I'm relieved. Tiana is right, the arrival of these boys is the perfect distraction – for now.

The rest of the day is overshadowed by the new kids, for which I am grateful. It means I get through my classes without being subjected to whispering, and for the first time in years, I manage to keep a low profile.

When school lets out, Tiana and I make our way to the parking lot. Parked next to her black Audi is an old, battered truck, and leaning against it, a man I've never seen before. He's a few years older than us – around nineteen or twenty – and tall, with dark hair, tanned skin, and the broadest shoulders I've ever seen. His face is angelic, all cheekbones and angles, with the faintest hint of stubble on his chin. His eyes, which are jet-black, have a wild, untamed glint behind them.

Those same eyes rest on mine as I walk toward the car. Tiana grabs my arm like she thinks he's going to rob us, but then Kino walks by and the guy on the truck breaks into the most wonderful grin.

"Max," Kino says, patting him on the back. "You didn't have to pick me up."

Max ruffles Kino's hair in a brotherly way, and I catch the dimples on either side of his smile. "You think I'd make you catch the bus on your first day?" He glances up now, catching me staring, and I fumble for the door handle before climbing inside.

I turn on the radio while Tiana reverses, glancing one last time in their direction. They've gotten into their car and are waiting for us to move, so with a quick look at me, she drives off.

I don't believe in angels or God or even good luck, but their arrival is a blessing. With any luck, people will forget about the cheating scandal and my life will go back to normal.

I'm sure of it.

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