Page 1 of Unwritten Rules
PROLOGUE
SIX YEARS EARLIER
Three hours west of Sydney lay Barrenridge—a small, one-way in, one-way out town. A typical farming community with an old gold mine, the town harboured more than just dust and secrets. Beneath its quiet surface simmered long-forgotten feuds, forbidden love and the kind of heartbreak that never truly healed.
With a population of 2,351 people, Barrenridge was mostly self-sufficient. It had a small, independently owned grocery store and monthly Sunday markets that showcased local meat and produce, as well as handmade crafts and clothing. Anything they couldn’t get in town could be found in Rafters Falls, located an hour away.
The warm air, typical for late November, settled around the hall with the graduating class of 2018. Murmured voices and scraping chairs filled the tight space as students and family members waited for Principal Hargrove to approach the lectern. The middle-aged man with a round stomach and recedinghairline made his way across the stage. The microphone crackled as he cleared his throat.
“Good afternoon, parents, students and faculty. We are all gathered today to watch our graduates take their final walk across this stage. The last six years at Barrenridge High School have prepared you for what awaits beyond those doors. I wish you nothing but success in your future.”
Some students rolled their eyes at his cheesy line—the same line he had used for a decade. Others had tuned him out, while the rest thought about the endless possibilities awaiting them, not just past the hall doors, but the boundary of the town itself.
Barrenridge was too small for some. Tiny even. It couldn’t offer the adventures they so desperately searched for. Others simply wanted to escape the fate of being stuck like their parents, unable to adhere to anything more than living the simple life with nothing to show for it.
Some dreams were too big for a small town.
There was a small group of students who wanted out by any means possible. They weren’t all friends; some had barely spoken more than a few words to each other. Despite that, they all shared the same goal: to leave Barrenridge. Whether it be to chase their dreams or escape a nightmare waiting to swallow them.
Flanked by her two best friends,Tatum Collinswatched her graduating class step onto the stage one by one, accepting their certificates with haste from Principal Hargrove, likely keen to get out of the sweltering hall and down to the pub for celebratory drinks. Filled with adrenaline and anticipation for what would come next, she smiled to herself, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Her father couldn’t make it to the ceremony—being the head coach of the North Sydney Wolves rugby team meant he travelled a lot and couldn’t attend many events—buther mother was in the crowd, eagerly taking photos of everyone, all smiles and warm energy.
While Tatum waited for her name to be called, ready to start on the long road she had planned for her future, little did she know that a week later, she would receive news that would turn her world upside down and derail her carefully laid out plans.
The air grew thick inside the town hall—too many bodies, too little breeze. The ceiling fans were doing nothing but spinning the heat in an endless cycle. Sadie Cooperwiped her palms on her dress as her name was called, the crackling microphone and scattered applause echoing off the brick walls. She stepped onto the stage, took the rolled-up certificate from Principal Hargrove, and turned just long enough to spot her best friend, Logan, in the back row, legs sprawled out, arms crossed and smirking like none of this mattered.
But it did. It meant something. The end of an era. A new beginning. Freedom.
They were leaving at midnight. It didn’t matter where, just as long as it wasn’t Barrenridge. He’d shoot photos. She’d write. They had a plan.
But when she found him in the crowd afterwards, his hug held something she couldn’t name. She didn’t ask, but she should have. Sadie didn’t know this would be the last time she’d ever touch him.
Across the hall,Morgan Elliotwas sitting with her mum and older brother, Shane. She had begged her dad to be sober just for one night, but he couldn’t do that for her. This is why she was grateful to be leaving tonight. She crossed the stage and accepted her certificate with a beaming smile, knowing her life was truly about to start. Her boyfriend, Ethan, had the car packed, and they were ready to skip the graduation party for a one-way road trip to Sydney. They had everything planned—university, work, marriage and then babies.
Morgan looked out over the crowd and spotted her mum dabbing away what she was confident were fake tears, alongside a bored-looking Shane, and unfortunately, his best friend, Rhys, who had to come along for whatever reason. Rhys was also leaving Barrenridge. He had no plan besides travelling and waiting for what would happen next. Morgan thought he was being irrational, but didn’t voice it. Where Rhys was concerned, she tried her best not to pay attention. They had a strict love-to-hate relationship. Morgan was convinced this was the last time she would ever see him. But as the saying goes, never say never.
Noah Sterlingwas the golden boy of Barrenridge and a Supercars Australia prodigy. Graduating meant he was one step closer to following in his dad’s footsteps. Ready to leave high school, he sat with his best friends, Tatum and Nathan, who were also itching to leave.
As the principal called the names of the graduating class, the jitters of freedom sparked through him as he patiently waited. The thing about Noah was that he was more patient than most people and friendly, which was why most people in town adored him. And once he became a signed driver, he would be known nationwide, or so his parents hoped.
Noah had no idea that after scoring the deal he worked tirelessly for and driving for a top team, his life would swiftly turn when tragedy struck, hearts were torn, and new life began in his hands.
Basketball superstar,Nash Stone, couldn’t wipe the self-satisfied smirk off his face as he crossed the stage to accept his graduation certificate from Principal Hargrove. In three days, he would be on his way to North Carolina, ready to start the spring semester at Duke University. Getting a basketball scholarship to a D1 school in the United States was always his goal, and now he was one step closer to his dream of playing in the NBA and one whole continent away from his overbearing, arsehole father.
Looking out over the crowd, he spotted his little brother, Ryland, sitting on top of their sister, Zara's, shoulders. His mum stood proudly beside them, wrapped in the embrace of his stepdad, Paul. Upon seeing them, Nash’s smile turned more genuine. Having his family there to support him meant the world to him. While he was going to miss them, he was always meant for bigger things than Barrenridge. There were too many hidden demons in this small town.
Little did he know that on the eve of signing his first official NBA contract, his entire world would come crumbling down around him, and the demons he thought he’d buried would come back to haunt him.
The resident goth chick,Dorothy Willmot, had been looking forward to this day for as long as she could remember. Not because it was graduation, but because she was leaving this place.
Dorothy hated the town and the people who resided there. Or maybe she simply hated her family. Who was she kidding? It was definitely her family. She was counting down the minutes until the town was in her rearview mirror with no intention of returning. But there was a face in the crowd she didn't expect to see. Her estranged step uncle, Damon.
As Dorothy made her way off stage, Principal Hargrove addressed the students once again. Quoting Shakespeare, he finished with, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Be those some.”
The town hall erupted into cheers. Everyone was eager to start their newfound lives away from Barrenridge.
As the saying goes, you can never go home again. Unless you had no choice.
Chapter One
