Everyone in the small town of Hull knows two things. One: Jill Williams doesn't date, and two: Carson Blue is addicted to drugs.
When Carson decides to clean up his act and apply at Jill's family restaurant, she's less than enthused. Between school...
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A WEEK SPEEDS into the beginning of April. It's easily the nicest day of the year—the sun shines over the fresh green leaves of the trees, and the melting snow reflects light like the crystals of a chandelier. Too bad I'm trapped in school, so I can only appreciate it through the windows.
Art class blows. As I stare at my canvas with a stick-like tree on it, I pray my project will somehow materialize into something majestic and artistic and beautiful. Fat chance. I might be a natural musician, but when it comes to this crap, I'm like a toddler with a crayon.
"You gonna paint, or just gawk at it?" Val asks. Beside me, she swipes her brush across her canvas with expert precision. Easels are set up around each square table of the room, along with the acrylic smell of paint.
"Gawking at it sounds good," I say. "Look at this monstrosity. You know I only took this class so we could be together. It'll look good on my uni applications too."
Like me, Val isn't applying this year—even with financial aid, her family can't afford to send her to the city. So after we graduate, she's going to work for a year and save up. Same plan as me. I also need as much in my savings as possible if I want to afford New York. But it's not like I can leave Nolan anytime soon anyway...
Ignoring that, I check out Val's art. A raven with its wings spread is painted over a pale background in dry, piecey brush strokes. Val flicks white over black and dark blue before she adds a dusting of red to the eyes.
"Whoa, this is awesome, Val."
"Thanks. Without Jacobi infesting my mind, I feel like I can finally think again."
I smile. Ever since Sunday night, Val's had this glow, this I don't give a fuck attitude that she wears like a crown on her head. When she sees Jacobi in the halls, she doesn't even bother flipping him off.
From across the room, I feel a pair of eyes on me. I glance over to catch Clarissa glaring in my direction, then look away as fast as she does.
"Okay," I whisper, "is it just me, or is Clarissa staring at us? Don't look now, but I swear this is the fifth time I've caught her..."
Val dips her brush in maroon paint. "Something tells me it isn't me she's interested in."
Even though I was born and raised in Hull, been with these same people since preschool, I've never been the center of any drama. I've watched Val get in fights and I've silently spectated on who's-banging-who hearsay, but I've never been a part of it.
But I'm also not stupid. I know what Clarissa must be thinking. Carson's eaten lunch with Val and I every day since Sunday night, and I've dropped him off at her place every night after our shifts. I put the rock he gave me in my treasure chest next to Grandma's gold ring, and yeah, we have gotten closer. But that's all there is to it. Friendship. If Clarissa thinks it's something more, I need to set the record straight.
