A Whole New Crowd (A Whole New Crowd #1)(3)

“You can.” Jace leaned over and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes, absorbing the touch. He whispered, “I love you, Taryn, but I hope that I never see you again.”



CHAPTER ONE

Six months later

“Taryn.”
I rolled my eyes at hearing my sister’s voice. She could yell all she wanted. I knew what she was going to ask and I wasn’t going to help her, so I kept going down the hallway. I had overheard her on the phone the night before. She wanted me to steal something. After taking Jace’s words to heart, this was my new beginning, so that meant no more stealing. It was something I would’ve done in my old life.
“Taryn,” Mandy shouted again. She was running now. The sound of her heels hitting the floor went from a normal clitter-clatter, to a constant staccato. I rolled my eyes. My sister was an idiot. No one should run when wearing high heels, at least those high heels—they arched halfway up her calves— but that was Mandy Parson. She wore high heels, clingy tank tops, miniskirts, and on some days, a cheerleading outfit.
She was one of those people.
I had been adopted into a family that was the opposite of everything I was—the God blessed rich kids. Mandy was the epitome of the perfect daughter: blonde, petite, smart, and popular by all accounts.
“Taryn, stop!”
I ignored her and opened my locker. Hearing her stumble to a halt, panting behind me, my eyebrows went up. “Thought you were in shape. All those late night activities with Devon, right?”
“I’m not here to talk about Devon.”
“I heard Devon hooked up with Stephanie Markswith at Brent’s party.”
She huffed. “Not gonna work, Taryn.” I turned and saw the twitch in her eye. She knew I was trying to distract her. Her eyebrows were fixed, bunched together, and her mouth was pressed in a flat line, but then it all changed. Her eyebrows shot up, and she let out a dramatic sigh. “There’s no chance he would hook up with her. No way.”
“Not what I heard.”
“She’s not suicidal.”
“She was drunk. I don’t think she was thinking sober.” I shut my locker and moved away.
Mandy latched onto my side. “The girl’s dead.”
I saw Stephanie turn the corner up ahead. Talk about perfect timing. “Better tell her that.”
Mandy didn’t say goodbye; she veered off in her direction.
I stopped to watch this. I had to. Stephanie spread a rumor that I stole a biology exam my first week at Rawley. It wasn’t true. She wanted revenge because her boyfriend had hit on me, but when I got called into the principal’s office, my history was pulled up. Being known as a thief and being associated with Brian and Jace Lanser hadn’t helped. I looked guilty and I got detention for two months with no chance to defend myself. They couldn’t prove it was me, but it didn’t matter. They didn’t need to prove it.
When I heard Mandy yell, “Stephanie!” a grin came over me.
Revenge could be sweet.
*

Tray Evans dropped into the seat opposite mine at lunch. I looked up and tensed. Tray was gorgeous with sandy blonde hair, striking hazel eyes, and a jaw that girls melted over. While my sister was in the crowd at the top, he was the top.
“Your sis preaches about your skills.”
“I don’t do that anymore.”
He narrowed his eyes.
I didn’t want to tangle with Tray Evans. He was smarter than people gave him credit for. He watched people like I did, and he held an insurmountable power in school. I had dealt with guys like him from my other schools. I was toned and I knew guys liked my body. I had dark eyes, long brown hair, and a set of lips that caused a guy to groan. I wasn’t boasting. This was fact. Guys found me sexy, which meant that I’ve dealt with my share of guys, all sorts from creepers to jocks. I knew how to deal with them, but Tray Evans was different. I had been aware of him since school started, but I relaxed when he didn’t seem to care about me at all. That time was up.
Still holding his gaze, a shiver wound its way up my spine. He wasn’t coming on to me, but it wouldn’t have mattered if he had. The way he was looking at me was like he could read me from the inside out. His eyes pierced through me, through my walls, right into me. No one had looked at me like this, even Brian.
I didn’t like it.
“Taryn!” Mandy landed in the seat next to mine. “Tray, hey!”
“Parson.” He nodded at her, still looking at me.
“Is it true?” Mandy asked. “Is the party at your place?”
A faint grin teased at the corner of his mouth. Without looking away from me, he answered, “Thinking about it.”
“Devon’s excited. It should be epic.”
I couldn’t watch him any longer. He was winning our stare-off so I turned to Mandy. “Why are you here?” She didn’t sit by me at lunch. I sat alone. That was my rule. After Stephanie’s rumor and when I was found guilty, she told everyone that I stole her boyfriend. Not true. I kneed him in the balls, but that hadn’t been added to the rumors. People had been welcoming until my new reputation had been spread around. Mandy was nice to me the whole time, but I knew it was causing a rift between her and her friends, so I made a decision. I went it alone.
“Come on, Taryn. We need your help.”
“You guys are coming to double-team me?” I glanced around and noticed the attention we were getting. If Mandy was at my table, it was a big deal, but with Tray Evans there too, people’s mouths were on the floor.
“Well…yeah.”