“Hey,” Devon dropped onto the bench beside me. “I'm sorry about the party. I guess I got jealous.”

“It's fine.” I gave Devon a weak smile, my gaze still settled on Maverick and his friends across the quad. He followed my line of sight and sighed, “I don't stand a chance, do I?”

My head whipped around to him and I said, “What?” 

“It's the Prince effect. You think I'd be used to it by now.”

I tilted my head. “What the hell does that mean?”

He dragged a hand over his face and blew out an exasperated breath. “Nothing, it means nothing. Forget it.”

“Seriously? You think I...” I stuttered. “Me and Maverick?”

“Well, don't you?” He gave me a pointed look and I let out a strangled laugh. 

“He hates me, Devon.” After the way he’d practically kicked me out of his car and peeled out of the drive last night, and then ignored me at breakfast this morning, the feeling was mutual. And here was me thinking perhaps he wasn’t a total dick. That maybe the boy I met last summer was still there underneath his hostile exterior.

“You mean you don't want him?”

I choked, slamming a hand to my chest. “You think I want him? You have met him, right? He's infuriatingly arrogant. He bosses me around like a child. No, I don't want him. Besides, it's weird, he's family.” My eyes flickered back over to his group. If he felt me burning holes into the side of his face, he didn't show it. I was quickly learning Maverick Prince didn't show anything. He was a mask of calm and cool.

I turned back to Devon. “Hopefully my dad will hear from the agent soon and we'll be moving into our own place.” That day couldn't come quick enough. Not that I relished the thought of being completely alone while Dad worked and did whatever else he did these days. Things I didn't even want to think about. Things I so far refused to let him tell me about. But I didn’t constantly want to worry about bumping into Maverick or having Macey try to kill me in my sleep.

He leaned back casually against the table, but his eyes remained on me. I knew that look. I'd seen it before with my ex, Chris.

“What?” I lowered my eyes playfully. 

Devon smirked. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

His intimate gaze swept over my face and down my body. When his eyes landed on my face again his smirk tugged into a grin. “I have to get to class.” He stood up. “I'll see you later though, Lo.”

As he walked away, I realised it wasn't a question.

~

“So...” Kyle was waiting for me when I slid into my chair in History. “Where did you disappear to yesterday?”

He'd waited until now to ask me, probably because Summer rode to school with us, and I got the impression the elder Stone-Prince children liked to keep her in the dark about a lot of things.

“Nowhere.” I kept my eyes upfront.

“Funny story. You ran out on us and ten seconds later, Maverick disappeared. Coincidence?”

I shrugged. “Must have been. I went for a run.”

He leaned in closer, practically hanging off his chair. “A run? And how was that?”

“Good. It was good.” My gaze slid to his, and his eyes danced with amusement.

“You two are almost as bad as each other. He’s got his hands full with you, that’s for sure.”

“Kyle,” I hissed low. “Nothing is going on with me and Maverick. Don’t start spreading that shit, okay?”

He held up his hands. “Me? As if I would.” After a second of silence he added, “So really, where’d the two of you go?”

With a shake of my head, I turned back to the front of class. Kyle was like a dog with a bone, and I knew he wouldn’t let it drop until he knew something. But it wasn’t my place to say anything. It was Maverick’s business. I hadn’t asked him to take me there.

And I wished he hadn’t.

I’d hardly slept, unwanted images swirling in my head. Elliot in the middle of jeering spectators, getting the crap beaten out of him. Blood. Sweat. My tears. It all meshed together until the images became something else—something I never wanted to see again.

My eyes squeezed shut, forcing the memories out.

“You okay?”

Crap. I’d forgotten all about Kyle sitting beside me. I gripped the edge of the desk and nodded. I felt him staring, wondering.

“Cous…”

“Kyle…”

He smirked and relief swept through me. I didn’t want to have the conversation here, in the middle of History.

“I’m good,” I added, hoping he’d drop it but then his voice floated over to me.

“Maybe you should go on another run.”

Bastard. He definitely wasn’t going to let this drop.

The teacher kept us busy for most of the class, so I was able to avoid anymore of Kyle’s questions. When the bell finally rang, I rushed out of the room with him yelling, “You can’t avoid me forever.”

I couldn’t, but I intended on trying my hardest. Swallowed by the crowd, I hurried to my locker hoping his next class was in the other direction. Glancing back to make sure he wasn’t following me, I didn’t see the person coming toward me.

“Ow,” I yelped as my body collided with Macey’s. She glared at me, rubbing her shoulder.

“Oh look, it’s Princess Lo.”

I straightened and rolled my eyes. “Macey, it was a pleasure.” Moving around her, she grabbed my arm and said, “Stay away from Maverick, Eloise. He doesn’t need you. We don’t need you.”

I swung back to face her. “Are you kidding me? I don’t know what your problem is, but I didn’t ask to come here.” I didn’t ask to be in the accident that took my mum and brother away from me. “And I certainly didn’t ask to move into your pool house. Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours, deal? As for Maverick, I don’t know what you think you know, but you’re wrong.”

My shoulder crashed against hers as I moved past her, anger seething through me. When I reached my locker, and looked back over at where Macey was, Maverick was there, leaning in close to her. He was pissed, his jaw clenched as he spoke. As if he felt me watching, his gaze snapped to mine, and he glowered. So, they were talking about me? I held his stare, lifting my chin, daring him to look away.

He didn’t.

Rage seeped from his every pore. I could feel it from where I stood. But it only mirrored my own.

“Hey, how was yesterday?” Laurie’s voice pulled me from my stare down with Maverick and I turned and blinked at her.

“Huh?”

“You know, with the fam-a-lam? Was it as bad as you expected?”

Worse.

Far worse.

I’d let myself believe maybe, just maybe, Maverick was a decent boy.

“It was pretty bad. I found out my dad is seeing someone new.”

Laurie’s face screwed up. “You’re kidding, right?”

I pulled open my locker. “No joke. I didn’t stick around to hear his excuses. Mum hasn’t even been…” The words lodged in my throat and I swallowed hard. Laurie didn’t know about Mum and Elliot. I hadn’t gotten around to telling her my whole story. It wasn’t exactly a great opener to make new friends.

“Your Mom what?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you later. Are we doing something after school?” Please say yes. Anything to avoid the Stone-Prince house … and Dad.

Her face lit up with mischief. “You know it.”

That sounded … ominous. But whatever it was, I was down. I needed to keep moving forward because if I stood still I knew the reality of my life would drag me down.

And I might never find a way back out.

~

“Devon?” I frowned as he approached me. “Where’s Laurie?” Why did this feel like a set up?

He smiled but unlike his usual confident smirk, nervous energy radiated from him. “Don’t hate me, but I kind of asked her to do something for me.”

I swung forward and pushed with my hands, leaping off the wall. “Okay, fess up.”

Devon bowed his head, rubbing a hand through his hair. “I, hmm, I wanted to ask you out but wasn’t sure you’d say yes so I—”

“She set me up.” Bitch.

His eyes slid to mine. “She did me a favor. Now you can’t back out.”

“Who said I would back out, anyway? You didn’t even ask me, Devon.”

“You mean, you would have said yes?” Hope sparkled in his eyes and I shrugged. “Maybe. Guess we’ll never know now, will we?”

Taking me by surprise, Devon dropped to one knee and grinned up at me. “Eloise Stone, would you do me the pleasure of going out with me, please?”

I reached down for his arm, yanking him. “Devon! Seriously!”

“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“Okay.”

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “Say what now?”

“Okay, I’ll go out with you. But I don’t want flowers or gifts or any of that crap.” If we kept it simple—no pressure, no promises—maybe spending time with Devon would be exactly what I needed. If nothing else, it would keep Kyle and Macey off my back about Maverick.

“For real?” He glanced around the parking lot. “This isn’t some kind of prank? Ashton Kutcher isn’t going to jump out from behind the tree and Punk’d me?”

“Are you always so…” I searched for the right word but he beat me to it.

“Adorable? Eager? Persistent?”

I shook my head with laughter. “Okay, Devon Lions, show me what you’ve got.”

He looped his arm around my neck and drew me into his side, guiding me toward his car. “Prepare to be wowed.”

Conversation flowed easily between us while he drove us to ‘the best damn diner in Wicked Bay’. He didn’t ask any questions I didn’t want to answer, but even if he had, Devon had a way of turning everything into a joke. He reminded me a lot of Kyle. But where my cousin was the epitome of the-boy-next-door with his all-American good looks and endless charm and wit, Devon was a lot more like my ex. He wore dark rinse jeans with a multitude of rips; and a white t-shirt underneath an unbuttoned dark shirt, sleeves rolled up at his elbows. It worked for him and, maybe in another life, before Dad decided to drag me halfway around the world, he would have been my type.

I didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not.

I liked him, and there was something there, but he didn’t make my skin tingle or my stomach flutter. He made me feel comfortable and at ease, and he made me laugh. And, unlike a certain brooding Prince I needed to erase from my mind, he didn’t blow hot and cold.

Devon pulled into a small car lot and cut the engine.

“Pattie's,” I said as I climbed out of his car. “Isn't that what you people call burgers?”

Devon barked a laugh as he held open the door and motioned for me to go inside. The smell of grease and meat wafted in the air and my stomach growled. 

“Hungry?”

I waited for Devon and smiled. “I could eat a small cow.”

“Then I brought you to the right place. Come on.” He led us to a small booth. It was stereotypically American: red leather seats, Formica table tops, with a jukebox in the corner, and checkerboard floor tiles. 

“You have to get the Pattie's special with bacon and cheese fries.”

“I thought I'd have a salad.”

“Salad?” Devon rolled his eyes and slipped into the seat. “You can't come to a place like Pattie's and choose a salad.”

“I'm joking, Devon. Pattie's special it is.”

My eyes scanned the diner. It was busy, most of the booths filled with kids our age. Some I recognised from school, some I didn't. 

The doorbell chimed drawing my attention to the group entering the diner. I let out a low groan and Devon craned his head around to see what the fuss was about. “Trouble in paradise?” He turned back to face me as Macey and her friends walked right past us as if I wasn’t sitting there. 

“She's a bitch.” 

He choked on his soda as he barked out a laugh. “Say it how it is, Lo.”

I glanced back at their group. “I don't know what her problem is. It's not like I asked to be here.”

“Macey is...” Devon leaned across the table and looked around conspiratorially. “Well, you're right, she's a total bitch. But it isn't just you, she's like it with anyone outside of her little group.”

I wasn't so sure about that. She'd made it more than obvious she had a personal issue with me. But I didn't want to fuel any rumours.

The waitress arrived to take our order and Devon reeled off what we wanted. The more I looked at him, the more I realised just how cute he was. 

“What?” He said, noticing I was staring at him. 

“Nothing.” I shook my head trying my best to look innocent. He was into me, I didn't need Laurie or Autumn or Kyle to confirm that, but did I want to go there? So soon after arriving in Wicked Bay? 

I didn’t want to think about that. Not right now. It was early days and Devon had been nothing but nice to me. I needed friends. I needed people in my corner, and he seemed like a good choice.

“You sure you’re okay?” Devon’s eyes searched mine, and I nodded, flashing him a reassuring smile.

I was just a girl eating burgers with a boy. It was normal.

Comfortable.

It was nice.