Accused of an assault he doesn't remember, Ricky's senior year is made doubly complicated when he falls for the victim's best friend, Olivia - his only alibi.
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Growing up among New Yo...
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The summer was officially over with a new school year about to begin. And yet, it was already stifling hot outside as people all over Manhattan rushed to their morning destinations, the sun shining from a clear blue sky.
On the Upper East Side, seventeen-year-old Ricky Stark von Linden was standing on the sidewalk, smoking a cigarette, and talking with his best friend, Sebastian Whitener. They were both dressed in school uniforms: khaki dress pants and white polo shirts with an emblem on the chest. A bigger version of the emblem, with the abbreviation of the school's name next to a navy-blue salamander, was printed on the large maroon banner hanging over the side entrance to the tall limestone building across the street, housing St. Aquinas School, a private co-ed Catholic school.
Ricky pressed the cigarette between his lips and took the printout of a diagram Sebastian handed him, looking it over through a pair of sunglasses. He nodded in understanding while Sebastian explained the new technique he had found to utilize the leftover from their homegrown when a black town car pulled up in front of the school.
Olivia Casini stepped out, pushing her glasses up her nose; her gaze automatically drawn across the street. An instantaneous warm rush went through her body when she spotted Ricky. He looked the same. Tall, lean, and handsome with his dark hair swept back in a messy quiff.
She smiled to herself at the feeling, even if at times it felt like she was going crazy from it. It was stupid, really. Ricky was seeing Claudia. No matter what Olivia felt, it would remain unrequited. She needed to get over herself. Fortunately, there was only one year left of high school. As soon as she was away at college, she would stop thinking about him. Hopefully... Maybe.
She turned to the steps leading up to the school's side entrance and was promptly hit with a new feeling; dread. It was like going from hot to cold. Olivia quickly turned her back to her three nemeses flanking the door, hoping they hadn't noticed her. She felt certain they were waiting just for her.
She absentmindedly started twirling her ring around on her finger. A nervous quirk she had developed over the years. It was a small and delicate silver ring with a four-leaf clover, given to her by her brother as a good luck charm because she tended to be somewhat clumsy. Of course, the ring itself didn't bring luck, but she cherished it nevertheless and never took it off.
Pulling out her phone, Olivia sent a text to her friend, hoping Josephine was yet to arrive. It would give Olivia an excuse to postpone the confrontation that was bound to come when she walked up the steps. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad if her friend was with her. Regrettably, Josephine wrote back that she had arrived early with her father, a teacher at the school, and was already inside.
"Shoot," Olivia mumbled quietly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to brace herself as she turned for the entrance. Doing so, she accidentally knocked into someone on the sidewalk, making her stumble and drop her cell phone.
"Ugh, excuse me," the girl complained in an irritated voice.
"Sorry," Olivia muttered, straightening her glasses, and quickly retrieved her phone from the ground, checking that it was okay. Her cheeks turned pink when she realized it was Claudia Banks she had bumped.
