Page 1 of Invisible String
PROLOGUE
MAX
Fourteen years old
Itug at my crimson silk tie, removing it to relieve the suffocating feeling. Next, I loosen my khaki slacks in order to improve circulation and ease the pressure on my balls. Walking into the rich prick school entrance, I survey an army of stuck-up kids walking like they have sticks up their asses.
“Good luck, turd,” Andrew, my new shithead foster brother, says as he slaps me on the back and walks off. He’s a senior at this private high school. This is probably one of the most luxurious schools I’ve ever attended, and it reeks of money.
I don’t belong here. I don’t come from money, and I don’t fit in. Andrew walks off to a crowd of guys, possibly football players, waiting for him to pound their fists. A fresh start: new school, new home, new family.
Same old shit.
“Who’s that?” the guy asks Andrew, pointing toward me.
“No one.” He smirks, walking off with his friends.
Yeah, well, I don’t give a rat’s ass about you either,I want to yell out. Instead, I walk down the long hall to search for my first period.
A locker door slams as I walk past it, and a girl jumps in front of me. “Hey,” she says breathlessly, a smile meeting her eyes.
I jump my eyebrows in response.
“Are you new here?”
I nod and try to walk around her, but she blocks me. She licks her lips, and that’s when I notice they’re like soft pillows. “I can help you find your classes.”
I shake my head at her, and she huffs, taking the schedule from my hand.Damn, she’s nosy.
“Oh, I see you’re a freshman also, and your name is Maximilian Cano. Oh, we have three classes together. Perfect.” She looks at the paper in her hand and then glances at me.
“Okay,” I reply, reaching for the paper.
“We have first period together. Come on.” She grabs my hand, but I push it away.
I don’t like to be touched.
She jumps back, startled.
“Rainey, you’re embarrassing yourself,” a girl says from behind her.
Rainey.
“Oh, shut it, Lana.” Her lips go into a straight line.
My gaze goes to her petite body. She’s in uniform with a navy-blue tight skirt, a white button top like mine, and a tie. She is pretty.
“My name is Rainey Collins. The big mouth behind me is my best friend, Lana. You can follow us to class. Umm, we’re all from the same school as last year, Highland Academy Middle School, which feeds into Highland Academy High. That’s how I knew you were new here,” Rainey rambles. She stares up at me with her pretty brown eyes.
I give her a curt nod.
Rainey nods back and spins on her heels. She stretches her hand out for me to take. She keeps walking with it out, and Ifollow, unsure of what to do. My hand must have a mind of its own because I latch onto it. It’s been a long time since I’ve done this. It radiates with warmth like a hot cup of hot chocolate on a cold night. My body tingles with a feeling I can’t pinpoint. Rainey tilts her head back and smiles at me with the most genuine smile. No one has smiled at me like that in a long time.
They’re always fake.
We stand in front of the class, my hand still in hers. “I think we’re going to be great friends, Max.” She winks.
My lips twitch.Fuck, she’s beautiful.I’m not sure if she comes from money. If she does, she doesn’t show it like the others are—walking with their nose in the air.
