Page 2 of Someday Away

“I’m Fiona Flowers!” she gushes. “We’re neighbors.”

I smile cautiously. “Hi. I’m Charlotte Bennett—Charlie for short.”

She peeks around me. “Can I see your room? I’ve never seen a single suite before.”

“Uh, sure,” I say, moving to the side.

“Wow! This is pretty nice,” Fiona says. “Not that there’s anything wrong with my roommate, but the privacy would be nice.” She glances up at the clock above the door. “Are you going down to the bonfire? I think they’re about to light it up.”

“Bonfire?” That would explain the s’more fixings I saw earlier.

“At the start of every year they light the fire pit in the center of the quad, and everyone goes down to mingle and drink and eat s’mores. Were you not here last year? You look like you’re older than a freshman.”

“Actually, I had to defer a year for personal reasons, so technically I’m a year behind,” I explain.

“Oh! Well it’s super fun. You don’t want to miss it.”

I like that she doesn’t pry into my past.

“Okay,” I say, smiling. I don’t normally immediately take to strangers, but this girl has something in her upbeat demeanor that sets me at ease.

“Great!” She beams. “Let’s go!”

Fiona loops my arm through hers, and we walk to the elevators, riding down together. When the bronze doors open, I’m struck by the beauty of the foyer. I’d already passed through once on my way to unpack, but fully taking in its vaulted ceilings and flickering chandeliers is impressive to say the least.

“It’s pretty, right?” exclaims Fiona, also admiring the stone archways curving above us. “Walking through here feels like living in a fantasy novel. It never gets old.” She smiles dreamily before pulling me toward the front door.

We walk out onto the quad. The rain has stopped, but the air is still chilly and damp, and it smells like earth, pine, and smoke. I shiver as we approach the fire, and Fiona and I huddle together for warmth as I take in the festivities around me.

Fiona chatters away, pointing out different groups of students, and I smile and nod. Suddenly, I feel a chill that has nothing to do with the night air.

I’m being watched.

I scan the crowd until I lock eyes with a boy across the dancing firelight. Something about him is familiar, but I can’t place where I would have seen him before. To say he’s hot is an understatement. Tousled, almost black hair frames his sharp features. He has full lips, which are pulled into a slight frown. His eyebrows are drawn down, making the expression on his perfect face almost angry, and I turn to look behind me, thinking his ire must be directed at someone else. But there’s no one there.

Frowning, I glance back over at him, but his attention has moved on. He’s standing with a group of boys who’re also ridiculously gorgeous. I recognize Brantley from earlier. One guy throws his arm around the dark-haired boy’s broad shoulders and says something, causing Mr. Attitude to smirk, while the others erupt in laughter.

“Who’re they?” I ask Fiona, nodding my head at the group.

Fiona looks across the quad. “Oh,” she lowers her voice, “Brantley Michaels is super annoying, but he’s one of our hockey centers. The super-hot broody one is Lincoln Evans, and the funny golden boy is his best friend, Trey Walker. They’re both seniors.” She gives me a knowing look. “I’d avoid those guys though, if I were you. They’re hot, but they’re also conceited assholes, so not exactly relationship material.” She taps her chin thoughtfully. “In fact, I don’t think they’ve ever dated anyone. They’re kind of slutty.”

We both giggle at her comment.

“I’d be a slut, too, if I looked like them,” I say, glancing back over at Lincoln.

“Right?” says Fiona. “Girls throw themselves at them constantly.” She rolls her eyes. “They probably have the personalties of wet paper bags, but it’s hard to tell with all the bad-boy moodiness and drunken shenanigans.”

“Speaking of girls,” I say. I watch as Serenity swaggers over to their group. “Does Serenity always walk like that? Like she’s about to do a strip tease?”

Fiona snickers. “She does when she’s pursuing Lincoln. That girl has been after him for an entire year.”

I look at her in disbelief. “He’s not interested? A girl like that with her shiny hair and perfect thigh gap?”

Fiona shrugs. “I thought they were going to date last year, but then the rumor was it was just a fling. But Serenity has been throwing herself at him ever since.” Fiona smirks. “I don’t think she’s used to rejection.”

I grin and glance back across the fire. Once again, Lincoln’s acrid gaze collides with mine. My smile falters, and I glare back.

What is this guy’s problem?

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