(Complete) Joshua Roche defines himself as a boring lawyer, as Dex, best friend to Oliver Sumner. At thirty-four he wants more than Saturday date night with a career woman. Instead, he finds the friendship he didn't know he was missing.
Shaun McManu...
Shaun McManus sat in the noisy lunchroom of her private school, hoping to be invisible. Although her father was wealthy like all the others, she could count the reasons she didn't fit in on two hands. The room looked like an ad for blonde hair dye, but it was natural on almost every head. Shaun's red hair stuck out like a nail polish stain on the carpet. She may or may not have had a reason to rearrange her room.
The exclusive private high school in the Boston suburb of Wellesley served the students from three private grade schools. The result was a host of cliques among the wealthy kids. There was a hierarchy based on family wealth and power. The heir to the vast conglomerate and the building mogul's daughter were the golden couple of her grade. Ironically, neither was a blonde, but her long brown hair was beautiful. Laughter came from the table the popular couple sat at with their friends, including the son of the federal judge. Shaun was too smart to have a crush on him, although he was always kind to her.
The table filled with seniors caught her eye. Shaun had listened to plenty of girls talk about Oliver Sumner, but she knew better than to conjure a crush on a guy so far out of her league.
Shaun had never fit in. Maybe it was because her mother didn't socialize with all the other mothers. Shaun had one friend since kindergarten, Holly, who was shyer, which was an achievement. Invisible in plain sight, they sat at a table in the corner. Oddly, the only person who saw them was their English teacher, Ms. Blair. She patrolled the lunchroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays and often tried to draw the two girls into a conversation about TV shows from the night before like 7th Heaven or One Tree Hill. When they exhausted the subject, they were both happy to take out a book. Shaun had her biology book in front of her. She hated science, and her grades in biology proved it. Her father would be very disappointed if she failed.
Grant McManus loved his daughter but was oblivious to the fact she was a shadow. As daddy's little girl, home was her favorite place to be. All around her, she heard about Friday night plans involving lots of drinking and sex. The parents went to parties and fundraisers while their teens stole from their liquor cabinets and wine cellars.
Her parents stayed home, except for a few events a year. Only her father went out, often returning home late after having drinks with business contacts. As the CEO of a large mutual funds company, he was an important man, but at home, he was her dad.
Their large, sprawling home in Dover was in the next town from her school, but it felt like light years away. Shaun enjoyed living in the country, including owning her own horse. She could talk to Star about anything. She and her mother, Sarah, shared a love for horses, but her mother could only ride Lady on weekends or when Denny came for her therapy. When Shaun was a toddler, a rare infection had left Sarah partially paralyzed. She spent much of her time in therapy, including swimming laps in the indoor pool which Grant had built for his wife.
While her classmates' parents were dancing in tuxedos and ball gowns, hers were home, living a quiet life. Shaun never snuck bottles of wine. Instead, she sat in the dining room and enjoyed one glass with the meal Stella prepared.
Sighing, she looked up from her book and glanced once more at the table of seniors. She could only see the top of her crush's head. He was reading a book and ignoring the surrounding chaos. Smart and popular, she felt jealousy and longing tangled together.
When the bell rang, she stood. Holly followed her as she put her book in her backpack. Holly said, "I hope the window seat is free."
Holly was obsessed with one seat in the school library where they spent their free period. Shaun stopped in the hallway and pointed towards the stairwell.
"I have to go meet my tutor."
The thought brought on dread. Students volunteered to help struggling students. She wouldn't be invisible for the next hour, a frightening thought.
The teacher in charge told her to sit at a small table with two chairs. She was on time, but her tutor was not. She grew impatient and almost stood to leave, but her legs were suddenly as paralysed as her mother's. A pair of beautiful hazel eyes met hers. The face she had stared at for hours was looking at her.
He turned to the teacher. "Shaun?"
She pointed at Shaun, who wanted to hide under the table as he nodded. He sat down across from her.
"Sorry, the name had me confused." He stuck out his hand. "I'm your tutor, Josh Roche."
Shaun longed for some kind of black hole or sink hole to suck her away. She knew nothing about either, since she hated science. Her body and mouth froze as she looked at his hand. He put it down and took her book.
"Biology. The study of life. Where do you want to start?"
She sputtered. "Chapter five. Test. Monday."
He nodded and smiled. "Don't worry. With my help, you'll pass with flying colors."
She averted her eyes from his face to the book and felt herself unfreeze.
Why did he have to be so nice? She might never get over her crush.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
