Page 1 of The Handoff

Chapter 1

Lisa

Tanya,myroommate,screamed at me once again to get ready, “You coming or not?”

I sighed as I brushed my dyed blonde bob once again, wishing I had never cut it short. I wished I could pull it up into a ponytail, like I used to do back in high school, before coming to UCLA. I’d put my hair up, keep my head down, and pretend the last year hadn’t happened.

As for my clothes, I’d gone up a couple of sizes. No... more like three, which meant I had a limited amount. I had two skirts, two pants, and a couple of shirts, which hugged my body nicely—not like the rest, which I couldn’t even zip up. Mom couldn’t afford to buy me a full closet for college, and I promised to work on my body so I could fit back into my old clothes. The same ones I had stuffed into my rucksack before the FBI put a lock on our house and told us we had to move out.

“Yeah. I’m coming.” I sighed, thinking I could do with just staying in the dorm, the place I’d decorated enough to call it home.

She laughed and flicked her dark hair to the side, and her blue eyes shone. “We’re just going to sign you up as a cheerleader, it’s not a job interview.”

I nodded as I stared at my new roommate. I’d been at college for all of one week and so far, she’d done nothing but try to get me out of the room. She didn’t know my secret, no one did. I changed my name to my mom’s maiden name and even lied about where I’d come from. I told her Kansas, not New York. But that was where we’d been living for the last year, and I used to go there on vacation to my grandparents’ farm, so in a way it wasn’t a lie, but more by omission.

Mom was born and raised in Kansas, and as much as she tried to be a city girl, Dad would always complain she was really a country girl at heart.

Tanya looked cute, like a real LA girl in her pink dress hanging on her small frame. Everything she wore made her look good. I used to look and feel that way. I needed to get my confidence back if I was going to survive UCLA, but some things were easier said than done.

I nodded as I pulled my shirt down, thinking that the two pants I had claimed still fit were turning into one.

“When do you start your shift at the library?”

“Monday.” I sighed, thinking that it was the only job I could get on campus that fit with my classes, allowing me to study and bring in enough money to support myself.

“Gee, girl. Don’t always be so down.”

“Yeah, but I’m not like you. I’m not all bubbly and fun. And being on a scholarship isn’t fun, either. Well, not with LA prices,” I replied in my defense.

She hugged me. “It’s not that bad. I’m on a scholarship, too. And I’m not rich enough to have a Gucci bag like you.”

I shook my head, thinking about the lie I told her when she was looking at my things in the closet, when she was showing me around campus and telling me I needed to wear something other than the same dress every day.

“I told you it’s a fake.”

She waved her finger. “Yeah, but my aunt does fake. I mean, she goes to Dubai whenever she can, and she always has a fake Gucci something. I know the difference between a fake Gucci with the girls on campus and a real one. And your bag is some fake. I don’t think there’s anywhere in the world that could make a fake like that.”

I had to stick to my lie. I felt my face turn red, hating whenever she brought it up. Quickly changing the subject, I said, “Well, let’s get going.”

Tanya was a military child. She’d traveled to places I’d never heard of, and her aunt was a fashion enthusiast like her. They loved the industry, and Tanya had the brains to get a scholarship. Her degree would be her back-up, and she would get into her genuine passion, fashion—even if it meant just doing the books of a fashion house.

I smiled at her, not ready to share my secret yet. She was friendly enough, but we’d only known each other for a week. Mom warned me I had to keep it to myself, but sometimes it was hard. I needed to talk to someone, and part of me wondered if Tanya would be the one person I could trust.

I went to the door and picked up my Gucci purse—which was my ticket to having excess money if I needed it, and also why it was still in the box. I had to appear to use it and show Tanya that it was fake—even if it wasn’t—and keep it in good condition in case I needed to sell it—treading that fine line wasn’t easy. It was worth over five thousand, but if I kept going out with it, I wouldn’t even get half its real value second-hand.

“For a fake, you treat it as if it’s precious.”

I smiled, knowing that I had to open it and put my phone inside, and at the same time not wanting to put anything in it. Damn, this was too hard. I walked in front of her, thinking I would give it time.

If things kept going well with her, I would tell her the truth. I couldn’t lie to my one potential friend on campus, especially seeing as we shared the same room. It would be too hard.

She closed the door behind us and then enveloped my arm. She was cute and just the type of energy I needed in my life—someone who was full of hope and always thought the best. I used to be like that about two years ago. I just had to get it back, even if it was so damn hard.

***

When we arrived to sign up for tryouts, it was busy with the typical girls who would be at the cheerleader stand. Tall girls with long legs, long hair, and long eyelashes. The girls who belonged on the cheerleader team, a team I used to be a part of back in high school—until I was not only kicked off, but had my captain status taken away from me, too.

“How can we help you?” the girl with the clipboard asked as we approached the front of the line.

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