Sunday arrived faster than I wanted it to. My father had already disappeared on another business trip, leaving the echoing mansion even quieter than usual.
Boredom was a heavy weight, so I asked James to take me to my spa appointment early.
I was leaning back in a plush chair when the door swung open. A tall, slender girl with a mane of dark, short curls walked in. She was striking—effortlessly pretty. This had to be the friend my dad had "arranged."
"You must be Andrea," she said, her smile bright enough to light up the room. She walked right up to me with a burst of energy. "I'm Hailey. Oh my god, you're so beautiful!"
Before I could even thank her, she turned to the nail technician. "Please give us a matching set. I want us to be twinning for the first day of senior year!"
"I like your hair," I managed to say, a bit overwhelmed by her cheerfulness.
"Wow! I didn't know you had a British accent!" she squealed. "I am going to love hearing you talk. And I actually love your blonde hair." She reached out, gently touching a strand of my hair with a grin.
We talked for hours. She warned me about Silverbrook—how competitive and cutthroat it could be. I wasn't too worried about the grades; I'd been a top student back in London. It was the social ladder that terrified me. She told me about her family, specifically her twin brothers, Harry and Henry. Yes—they were triplets.
By the time we finished our massages and grabbed ice cream, I felt... lighter. Talking to Hailey was therapeutic. For a few sweet moments, the heavy fog of grief lifted, and I forgot about my mother. It felt good to breathe again.
"I'll wait for you at the front entrance tomorrow," Hailey promised. "Eight a.m. sharp."
Monday morning arrived with a cold knot of anxiety in my stomach. I couldn't eat. Everything felt too new, too fast. I pulled on the Silverbrook uniform—a stiff, pleated skirt and a blazer that smelled of dry cleaning.
I hated uniforms, but I left my long blonde hair down, refusing to pin it back. It was my only small act of rebellion.
When James pulled up to the school, my heart sank. It wasn't a school; it was a fortress of wealth. The parking lot was a sea of luxury SUVs and sports cars. Groups of students stood around laughing and hugging, dressed in thousands of dollars of silk and wool. I felt invisible—just another Lombardi ghost.
"Andrea!"
I turned to see Hailey waving frantically. I hurried toward her, feeling the eyes of a few strangers tracking my movement.
"You look so cute!" she said, throwing an arm around my shoulder. "Let's get you to the admin office to get sorted, then I'll introduce you to the group."
After the paperwork was done, I realized Hailey and I had almost identical schedules. When we walked into our first class, the room went silent. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks—the "new girl" stares were even worse than I imagined. Hailey led me to a seat in the third row.
"Meet the crew," she whispered. Behind us sat Brianna, a girl with a sharp, trendy look, and Justin, who looked a bit more reserved. They seemed nice enough, but I could feel the invisible "No Entry" signs around most of the other students.
By the time break rolled around, Hailey had some club business to attend to. "Go with Brianna and Justin," she urged. "They'll take care of you."
"Come on, Andrea," Brianna said cheerfully, tucking her arm into mine. "Let's go meet the whole group."
"What whole group?" I asked, feeling a fresh wave of panic.
"Her boyfriend and his band of idiots," Justin muttered, looking annoyed. "I thought we weren't sitting with them today, Brea."
"Oh, hush. It's the first day and I miss my baby," Brianna pouted.
The cafeteria was a chaotic symphony of clinking silverware and expensive perfume. Brianna led us to a long table occupied by a group of guys who looked like they'd stepped off a cologne billboard. Brianna didn't even hesitate; she ran to one of them, kissed him deeply, and plopped down on his lap.
"Guys, this is Andrea," she announced. "Andrea, meet Logan—my baby—Benjamin, Noah, and Henry."
"Where's Harry?" she asked, looking around.
"Probably somewhere smoking," the one called Henry said. He had the same curls as Hailey. He looked at me with a smirk. "Hey, pretty."
The one called Noah winked. I gave a small, hesitant smile and sat between them.
"So, Newbie," Noah leaned in, his voice dropping. "Where are you from?"
"London," I replied.
"Oooooh, the accent," Henry teased.
"Have you ever heard a British girl moan?" Noah asked the table, making a ridiculous face. "Damn, it's hot."
My blood turned to ice. I felt the sting of embarrassment. Is this really the 'elite' crowd? I wondered.
"Guys, knock it off. Be nice," Logan said, giving me a sympathetic smile. I appreciated the gesture, but I spent the rest of break staring at my phone, trying to disappear into the screen.
As the day ended, I walked to the parking lot to find James. I felt a prickle on the back of my neck—that specific feeling of being watched. I scanned the crowd and locked eyes with a guy standing near a dark car. He didn't look away. He just stared, his expression unreadable. I shivered and climbed into the SUV.
Tuesday felt a little more hopeful. I was actually looking forward to seeing my "group" again. Hailey wasn't at the entrance, but Brianna was.
"Hails is busy, so I'm your escort today," she chirped.
As we walked down the hallway, the atmosphere shifted. Three girls were walking toward us like they owned the floorboards. They didn't move an inch as they approached. The girl in the center—a sharp-featured blonde—intentionally shouldered into me.
"Get out of the way," she snapped. Then, her face transformed into a fake sweet smile as she blew a kiss to my companion. "Hey, Brea!"
"Hey, beautiful!" Brianna called back.
"Who was that?" I asked, rubbing my shoulder once they'd passed.
"That's Arianna. Harry's on-and-off girlfriend."
"She's a bitch," I said flatly.
"Yeah, she can be," Brianna shrugged. "But she's sweet deep down." I highly doubted that.
During lunch, the group scattered. Hailey had tutoring, and Brianna and Logan disappeared to "spend time together" off-campus. Left alone, I took the school map and wandered until I found the school garden. It was a hidden gem—quiet, lush, and empty.
I sat on a stone bench, put on my headphones, and opened my lunch. Five minutes in, the sweet scent of nature was replaced by the acrid, unmistakable smell of weed.
A long shadow fell over me. I looked up and my breath caught.
Standing over me was a guy, easily six feet tall, with dark, messy curls and piercing blue eyes. The resemblance was striking—this was Harry. But as he stared down at me, I realized why he looked familiar. He was the boy from the parking lot. The one who had been watching me.
"Hey," I said, my voice sounding small in the quiet garden.
"So, you're the new girl," he said. His voice was deep, a low bass that seemed to vibrate in the air between us.
"Andrea," he added. Hearing my name in his voice felt strange—like a secret being told. I looked at him, puzzled. How did he know my name?
"Hailey talks a lot," he muttered, answering my unspoken question.
"You must be Harry. One of the trio."
"One of the trio," he echoed, his voice devoid of emotion.
He didn't say anything else. He just stood there, leaning against a tree, smoking and watching me with those intense blue eyes. It was incredibly awkward. I tried to start another conversation, but he just gave short, clipped nods.
Eventually, I just went back to my phone, pretending he wasn't there, even though my heart was racing.
He didn't move. He just watched me eat, a silent shadow in the garden.