It Started With a Detention ➣ Cash Baker ✔️

01

"Carter!" I heard my mother call down the hall of our apartment.

I finished lacing up my converse, grabbed my school bag and skipped into the kitchen. My mom was on the phone, which she is most of the time for work, she's always yelling at somebody. I noticed her blonde hair twisting around her finger and as her blue eyes shot at me, I heard the toaster ding. I pinched my fingers together to take the hot pieces of toast out and tossed them onto a plate. I shook my hands and blew on my fingers to stop them from burning. I grabbed a spreader from the drawer and butter from the fridge. I dug the spreader into the container and smeared it onto the toast. I took a bite and opened Instagram. I scrolled through my home page and saw another picture of him. Cash Baker. My fingers froze and I studied the picture. Cash was on top of a pool table with the tip of a bottle of alcohol pressed to his lips. The picture was posted four hours ago, precisely three in the morning. I rolled my eyes and finished my toast.

"Your outfit looks lovely, dear." My mom said, standing at the back of my chair. She touched up my hair, which was blonde like hers. We looked pretty similar at a glance, except my eyes were green with some brown while her's were more blue with some green.

I was wearing a grey sweatshirt, blue skinny jeans, and my favorite white converse that go with every outfit. My mom has always had to approve of me. I'm a good student and everything I do, I do it to please her. She believes my life is perfect. Then again, all she sees is the Carter who does her homework when she's supposed to, wears what is socially acceptable, and brings home a report card every term with straight A's. She doesn't know about what I really did all summer while she was on the phone all day, nobody does. I also don't know who's decision it was to name me Carter. Maybe it was my dad's idea. I never knew my dad and every time I bring him up to my mom, she shuts me down. I guess it's a sensitive subject for her. I'm also an only child which is probably why my mom obsesses over me so much. I'm all she's got.

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I drove into the school parking lot and instantly saw a familiar car. I carefully read the numbers and letters on the license plate with my fists balled. Cash. I was hit with an LA breeze as I walked into school. I've lived in LA all my life and sadly, so has Cash and his older brother, Maverick. I walked to the office to receive my schedule and locker number. I walked down the long hallway passing by all the familiar faces I saw a few months ago. Everyone was comparing schedules or reuniting with each other after the break. I approached my locker and who else would be leaning against it but Cash Baker? He was on his phone completely oblivious that I was there. I cleared my throat and his eyes broke away from the screen and shot right at me.

"Hey, princess." He said, smiling, showing his braces.

You've got to be kidding me.

I felt goosebumps down my back and I looked Cash up and down. He was definitely taller and he was wearing black ripped jeans with a black t-shirt. His style has definitely changed too.

"Can I help you? Are you back for round two?" Cash asked, smirking.

"You're in the way of my locker," I said with my teeth clenched.

Cash threw his hands up in defense and stepped out of the way. I turned the code and opened my locker. I felt Cash's eyes on me as I took a few notebooks out of my backpack and stood them up in my locker.

"How was your summer, Carter?" Cash asked. I slammed my locker shut and turned to face him.

"My summer was great." I lied with my heart pounding. Cash took a step closer to me and I was intoxicated by his cologne that brought back too many memories.

"H-how was yours?" I asked, avoiding his gaze. I already knew how his summer went; parties, drinking, probably vaping.

"My summer was lovely." He said.

Lovely?

"Good for you." I found myself saying. "I saw you've been busy on pool tables," I said before I could stop myself. I covered my mouth with my hand but Cash didn't seem fazed by my comment.

"Someone sounds jealous. Wish you were up there with me?" He snickered. When he saw that I wasn't laughing, he continued. "Come on, Carter, can't we go back to how it was sophomore year? How we used to be?" He asked, tilting my chin up. My eyes met his and they were as blue as ever.

"Sophomore year is over," I said, putting a hand on Cash's chest and pushing him back. I didn't have to turn around to know that he was staring, watching me walk down the hall. I wasn't paying attention and I walked right into Cailee. Cailee was my closest and practically my only friend right now.

"Hey, girl!" She said, cheery as ever. She noticed my pained expression but the bell rang, signaling we had to get to class before she could even ask about it. "We'll talk about it at lunch?" She asked. I just nodded and continued to walk to my first class while Cailee rushed the other way. You're probably wondering what my problem was with Cash and why he wanted to go back to sophomore year so I'll explain.

About a year ago, Cash and I dated for most of our sophomore year. We were everyone's favorite couple at school and everything was going great until it all went to shit. I really don't have an explanation except it all literally fell apart. We grew distant and started fighting a lot. I called it off one day and we never talked again.

That is, until today. I spent the entire summer getting over him and I figured junior year would be my fresh start. Breaking up with Cash was a little awkward because I was also close to Maverick, Cash's older brother. He's out of school now but the three of us used to be inseparable but Mav knew when to give Cash and me space. Mav's been dating Cailee long before Cash and I were together. Thankfully, when Cash and I had a falling out, Cailee stuck with me even though Mav didn't. Anyways, I heard from Cailee that when Cash and I broke up, he started going to parties, hanging out with people who weren't good for him, and soon, he became one of them.

I didn't want to deal with any of that this year but that's easier said than done.