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friends didn’t hold each other the way you guys were, nor do friends look at each other that way.”
    “Jax,” Lindsey whined. I glared at her. I hated Lindsey. She was constantly fucking Jax over and he took her back, every single time. She was always whiny and needy when she was around him. It made me want to smack her.
    “Stay out of this, Linds,” Jax growled.
    “I thought we were going swimming.” She was whining again. I wrapped the towel around me.
    “Feel free to swim. My fucking day has been ruined now.” I stormed inside and ran to my bedroom, slamming my bedroom door. I was exhausted and so sick of fighting with Jax, but I didn’t know how to turn my feelings for Will off. I tried to flirt with other guys, but all I did was compare them to Will. They weren’t as tall, their eyes weren’t as blue … they didn’t light a fire inside of me. Will was the only guy I could see, the only guy I wanted to see. God, I was so confused and messed up. How could I feel the things I felt for Will when I knew they were wrong? How could they be wrong when they felt so right?
    And where did this leave me now?

Will
    I CHECKED MY BACKPACK one more time to make sure I had everything I needed. Jax had said he would drive me to school because seniors shouldn’t be seen on the bus and I could catch a ride with him since I lived right next door.
    A horn sounded from outside. “Will, Jax is here!” Aunt Liv yelled from downstairs.
    “Coming!” I ran down the stairs, swinging my backpack over my shoulder.
    “Have a good day, sweetie.” Aunt Liv gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
    “Thanks.” I opened the door. “I’ll see you after school.”
    “I’ll be here.”
    I walked out the front door into the beginning and the end.
    Jax was parked at the curb in front of our house, with the windows rolled down and music blasting. He motioned for me to move quicker, so I picked up my pace and climbed in the truck. “Ready?” he asked. I nodded. There was no going back now. I was officially going to public school.
    I had asked my mom several times about going to regular school instead of being homeschooled. She always had horrifying stories about school— bullies, mean teachers, and curriculums that didn’t teach the students anything. She always made it sound like public school was a monster, populated by demons who would destroy my life if I ever stepped foot near it. I knew these stories weren’t true and that she was exaggerating for whatever reason, but after so many years of hearing them, it was hard to stop believing them.
    We pulled into the parking lot of Fairfax High and I inhaled sharply. There were people everywhere. Cars filled the parking lot rapidly and people flowed like a river into the doors. Guys were giving high fives and girls were squealing as they rushed toward each other and hugged.
    Jax parked and climbed out of the truck. When I didn’t move, he opened the door and peered in. “You coming?”
    “Oh, yeah. Yeah.” I opened my door and climbed out of the truck, my heart pounding. Maybe my mom hadn’t been entirely wrong. A high pitched squealing assaulted me as Lindsey jumped on Jax and wrapped her arms and legs around him, kissing all over his face.
    “I missed you so much,” she said.
    Jax chuckled, which seemed to drive her even crazier. “I saw you yesterday, babe.”
    “I know, but I missed you.”
    “Linds, not in front of Will.” Jax didn’t like when Lindsey was overly affectionate in front of me. In fact, I got the feeling he had a love-hate relationship with her. When he was around her, he acted like he cared, but he often complained about her when she wasn’t around. Having never been in a relationship, I had no idea why he would keep getting back together with a girl who seemed to annoy him so much.
    She huffed but climbed off Jax and put her arm around his waist. “Hey, Will.” Suddenly, she stood up straight and clapped rapidly, bouncing up and down. “Oh, my