My hands are pulling at my hair, it needs to stay in place, and the rain isn’t helping at all. The humidity is making my normally straight hair stand up much higher than I want it to. My clothes are already shitty, I don’t need to add to the list for my first day back at school for the year. It’s my second to last year of school and I’ll be officially done. I can leave this town, and leave everyone in it. I’ll only miss two people—Livia, my cousin and Robert, my only friend.

My hands run down the front of my clothes again, trying to magically rid the water like I can do so with only my hands. It does nothing except make me not watch where I’m going, which in turn leads me to run into a very hard body, one that does not belong to Livia. She’s one of the only friends I confide in apart from Robert, who, let’s face it, bats for the other team.

“It’s only water.” His voice sends a shock through me.

It’s odd, no one has really taken my attention before, despite Livia trying to set me up with so many. None. Now, all of a sudden, my skin prickles, the hairs on my arms and on the back of my neck stand up like little soldiers.

My eyes finally start to move from looking at myself to whoever’s attached to that voice. He smells of oranges and something else I can’t quite place.

“It won’t harm you. I, on the other hand...”

My mouth drops open, and my eyes shoot straight to his. He’s taller than me, about a head taller, and I’m already pretty tall for my age, but that isn’t what I noticed first. It’s... him. Not his looks, though he’s the best looking senior in this school. He started last year, and he’s one year my senior. Livia’s age. She’d spoken of him I’m sure, and I’d paid no attention as per usual.

Boys just... aren’t my thing.

He’s smirking, his words are playful. But it’s what’s behind his eyes that holds me still to that spot, staring at him as if he’s the most magnificent creature in this world.

Maybe he is.

Maybe he isn’t.

“Saskia?” He says my name and it shocks me he knows who I am.

How does he know me?

Ryken’s chased by the girls and loved by the boys.

And as I stand in front of him right now, I can see behind those eyes which are magnificent in every way, including the darkness that lurks behind them. He’s fighting his own demons. I see them because I’m always fighting with my own.

Someone nudges my back, pushing me further into Ryken. His hands touch either side of my shoulders, holding me up so I don’t entirely fall on top of the guy.

“Sass,” Livia yells my name from behind me. She acted before as if I weren’t there, but her eyes soon hone in on his as I stand and watch.

Watch as his demeanor changes.

He straightens his stance, blinks a few times and instantly those demons that I noticed seem to disappear. A mask is in place. Stepping back, so I’m not as close to him, which I need to do because his scent is suffocating me and making me want to kiss him, I watch.

Who the hell kisses someone they just met?

And who the hell thinks of kissing someone because of their smell alone when I’ve never kissed anyone before?

Oh yeah, that’s right. Me.

“Ryken, I see you’ve met Sass.” She’s doing this thing with her hands, twirling them at her sides, while playing with the hem of her skirt. Averting my eyes from her, I look back to him. I still haven’t said a word. What can I say? Thank you for letting me bump into you so I can find out if I’m a normal girl who is attracted to boys. I seriously think I may not be a normal girl. His eyes find mine, and I see it, for a second before it fades away just as fast. If I weren’t looking into his eyes, I would have missed it. Those demons.

My mother would get high and tell me I had demons floating in my eyes, then tell me when she was sober she didn’t mean it, but I should always look closely into the eyes of someone I meet because their eyes will tell me a lot.

Ryken’s eyes tell me he holds secrets he likes to keep close to him.

“Does she speak?”

I raise an eyebrow at him. His smirk falls into place, and I feel like melting, right here and now, but I don’t. Because when I turn to look at Livia, she’s melting enough for the both of us. No need to make a lovesick fool out of both of us.

“I speak, but only when speaking’s required. You never asked me any questions that warrant a response.”

Livia coughs next to me and nudges into my side. She wants me to not talk to him that way. I know it because I know her.

Ryken, though, smirks at my words then nods his head. “Fair enough, Barbie.”

I raise a skeptical eyebrow at his choice of words. He doesn’t bother saying anything in return before his name is called by someone from behind us.

His eyes leave me then return back to Livia. “I’ll see you in English?” They’re in the same grade, probably share most classes together as well.

“Yep.” She waves the weakest of waves to him, a real girly wave with the top of her fingers as he sidesteps around us. My hands go to my hair to try and calm it with my fingers—my long blonde hair which I’m sure is a major frizzy mess by now.

His voice comes from behind me, making me blush. “Leave it. It adds to your charm.”

Turning around, he offers me a wink before he fully spins around and continues to walk.

Livia laughs next to me. “You like him?”

I shake my head, swinging my bag around to get my math book out.

“Are you sure?” Her voice drops like she’s expecting me to whisper the answer to her.

“Livia, you know my stance on people with penises.” That makes her smile just a tad before it falls again. She turns her head away.

Ryken’s standing at the end of the hall looking our way.

“That will change one day, Sass. When you meet that one.”

It doesn’t sound as if she’s talking to me. Is she meaning Nate? She couldn’t be, she loves Nate, right?

“Livia,” I say, and she shakes her head with a smile.

“I’m good. You planning on coming to the first party this year? You should, you know. You never come, and now you only have this year and next before you graduate and run away from here. Come to the party, Sass. For me?”

The bell rings letting us know we have to go. The halls clear leaving the two of us standing there. My clothes are still wet, my hair a complete and utter frizz ball, although that doesn’t seem to bother me any longer.

We attend a private school so our uniforms are all the same. Mine’s usually hand me downs from Livia and her family. She looks like she belongs here. Her hair is perfect most of the time, her clothes and shoes immaculate.

However, I’m attempting and failing to fit in. That’s why I never bother with any of the parties.

Until now.

Now, I want to go so I can see more of him. He’s always at a party. Livia tells me so. Not that she ever seems to be too interested in Ryken. She always has a boyfriend. Right now she’s dating Nate, and they’ve been together for only just over two months. It’s one of her longest relationships.

It won’t last much longer, though. She’s lost that sparkle in her eyes when she speaks of him. My only hope is she doesn’t go where I think she wants to go. To him.

Shrugging my shoulders, I answer, “Maybe.”

Her eyes zone in on me. “Are you sure you aren’t interested in Ryken?”

I should tell her I am, but I don’t want to. That will get her hopes up, and that’s not something I want to do. So I lie to one of the only girls I actually like.

“No.” The word tastes bitter leaving my mouth. The lie all wrong. I should have told the truth, especially seeing as it’s Livia.

Her shoulders shrug. “Good. Good.” Her eyes leave mine then she looks back over her shoulder.

“Go to class, Livia. You’re going to be late on the first day back.” Pretty green eyes come back to me. “Love you,” she says as she walks away.

Idly, I stand by as I watch her turn the corner into the same classroom as Ryken.

I wish I knew what could possibly come from one simple lie.

I wish I knew my heart could shatter from not telling the truth.

I wish a lot of things.

But as I stand there watching, staring at a now empty wall, I wish Ryken would step back out and look at me one more time with those hauntingly beautiful eyes.