Page 1 of Sticks and Stones (Shadow Valley U)

CHAPTER1

WREN

PAST

High school is such a bore.I rest my head against my palm. Mr. Anderson is reviewing the periodic table for the seventieth time this semester. My eyelids grow heavier. There’s a flick on the back of my head, and I quickly sit up and turn to glare at my foster brother, Evan. He gives me a jerk of his steely chin, and I roll my eyes.

I mouth the words, “I already know this stuff. Leave me alone.”

He rolls his eyes right back at me, while Stone, Evan’s best friend and the most popular jock in the senior class, whispers something in his ear. I squint but slowly turn, push my hair behind my ear, and try to pay attention.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy Chem. I actuallylovescience, and Mr. Anderson knows that, which is likely why he doesn’t get on me when I fall asleep during class. Not to mention, I think he and the rest of the faculty at West Ridge High know my life story and feel sorry for me. The shitty thing about living in a small town and having a druggie for a father? It’salwayson the front page of the paper.

Yay, me.

I’m thankful for Evan and his family, though. If it wasn’t for Rebecca and Stephen, I would still be in my former foster house on the corner of 1stand 2nd. How the Rowes became foster parents is still a mystery. They tried feeding me leftover cat food for dinner once.

“All right, there’s a pop quiz during tomorrow’s class. Make sure you study those elements tonight so you can all graduate and avoid summer school.”

The bell rings, but Stone’s deep, smooth voice floats throughout the room and cancels out all the shuffling of papers and scooting in of chairs. “Isn’t the point of a pop quiz that it is supposed to be a surprise?”

I huff sarcastically and gather my things. “He has to give people like you fair warning so you don’t flunk.”

I send Stone a flirty but devilish smile because that’s how our…friendship?… works. He picks on me, and Iattemptto pick on him.

“Shut up,Sticks.”

That godforsaken nickname. Stone started calling meSticksthe first time I moved into Evan’s house before being thrust back with my father for a short time. All the time I spent with my father was brief, but that one took the record because it lasted a total of seventy-two hours.

When I finally asked Stone why he called me Sticks, he admitted that it was because my legs were so skinny they resembled sticks. Naturally, that set a line of fire down my spine. The whole reason I was so skinny was because I was hardly eating due to my father’s bad habits.

Anyway, the nickname stuck, and the only reason for that was because Stone knew it bothered me.

“Shut up. Both of you.” Evan comes over and grabs my books out of my hand.

I follow him down the hall to break for lunch.

I brace myself for the lecture I know is coming.

“How is it going at your dad’s?”

Stone is beside us, but he’s buried in his phone with his heavy brow line furrowed. A few of his hockey teammates bump knuckles with him, and then he goes right back to his phone.

“It’s fine,” I lie.

Evan’s green eyes harden, and his mouth forms a straight line. “Wren.”

I feel my face pale. Truth be told, it’s far from fine, but Evan shouldn’t be concerned. It’s almost summer, which means I can bounce back and forth between his house and Jasmin’s in between my shifts, and then come August, I’ll be at Shadow Valley University, and all will be well.

Jasmin is my other saving grace. She understands me more than most people because she knows what it’s like to be in the system: lonely.

“Stop lying,” Stone says. “Your legs are lookin’ quite thin these days.”

I stop walking and stick my foot out to trip Stone, but he’s just as good on the linoleum floor as he is on ice.

He stops a mere inch from my shoe and smirks at me. “Nice try.”

“Will you two fucking stop for three seconds? I swear, you’re like toddlers.”

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