Perfect Enemies

4

“All seniors have lunch at the same time,” I cut in. “You’ll be able to sit with whoever you want. I’m sure you’ll be welcome at any number of tables.” “That’s great, but maybe I don’t want to sit with just anyone.” I slowly swiveled in my seat to face the newest member of Xavier High, my glare so arctic that Elsa would have been impressed. “I don’t think either of us wants to sit with you. We’ve got enough friends, thanks.” Kane relaxed back in his chair, a lazy smirk gracing his full lips. He wasn’t at all intimidated by my rebuff. Those amber eyes sparked at a challenge. I’d just waved a red flag in front of the bull, and he was ready to charge. His eyes flicked to Reyna. “You say that, but I don’t think she feels the same.” “I think I know my best friend a little better than you, thanks.” “How about we let her speak for herself?” His eyes drifted back to Rey, and I had no choice but to follow. Both of us stared at her, waiting for her reply as she withdrew behind a curtain of silky black hair. “Um, it’s fine. You can sit with us, Kane.” Her eyes shot back to me, brows drawn with uncertainty and apology. As if I could be mad at her. She was too intimidated to send him away. That’s precisely why I’d tried to do it myself. “There you go,” Kane purred from behind me. “I’ll see you ladies at lunch.” Smug bastard. A ragged sigh slipped out as I turned back to face the board. As if escaping a cartel wasn’t bad enough, my second semester of senior year just got even more complicated. OceanofPDF.com 2 OceanofPDF.com E KANE verything about this place made my skin crawl. The power plays and posturing. The snobbish cliques and haughty entitlement. I’d had an idea how things would be when I arrived, but living it was another story. Walking into the school cafeteria, I felt like I was cast in an over-the-top coming-of-age movie where each character had its very own stereotype to portray and not a single person was multidimensional. I’d only ever been to public school before, where kids bought square slices of generic pizza or brought brown paper sack lunches of PB&J and a bag of chips. Not at Xavier. There was a f*****g sushi station, for Christ’s sake. How could any of these people be substantive when they’d never even stepped foot in the real world? In a way, it made being there easier. All I had to do was play my role until I could get out. There would be no attachments or complications when the people around me were as deep as a parking lot puddle. Pretty faces and nothing more. Eyes the shade of tempered steel floated in the back of my mind, still shooting glacial daggers at me. The queen “B”. I never asked for her name, but it wasn’t necessary to know she was school royalty. That kind of confidence always came with a crown. The question was, why had she deigned to wield her power against me? I rarely faced that kind of blatant rejection. What did she have against me? Poor Reyna looked like a deer in headlights when forced to choose between us. Was she a mindless minion, powerless to go against her ruthless monarch? I was endlessly curious in the same way people scan for bodies as they pass a car wreck. If I pushed to befriend Reyna, could I get past her vigilant watchdog, or would the silvereyed cynic prove to be an insurmountable challenge? There was only one way to find out. I’d had second period with Reyna but didn’t have a single chance to talk to her. She was good at avoiding people. I didn’t push the issue because it was only my first day. Given a little time, I would work my way under their skin and learn what made each of them tick. And while the cafeteria ensemble cast may have been a joke, the scene was still an opportunity to talk more with the girls. I spotted them sitting with a small group in a far corner of the cafeteria. My calzone in hand, I wedged myself between Reyna and her overzealous bestie on the wooden bench seat. “I’d ask if I could join, but I know your answer.” I flashed my opposition a grin and added a wink just to piss her off. Those silver eyes blazed. “Why ask if you’re just going to ignore the answer?” “Exactly.” I ripped off a chunk of calzone and placed it in my mouth, all while staring at my new sparring partner. “Just ignore her, Kane,” said the redhead girl across from me. “Val’s been a little salty all year.” Her friends call her Val. Good to know. “Nice, Chloe,” Val shot back. The girl just grinned a saccharine smile. “I’m Chloe. We had chem two together this morning, but you were too busy chatting up Harper the Hoover for me to introduce myself.” This girl was clearly another alpha. I was intrigued by her friendship with Val. In my experience, girl groups imposed a one-alpha hard limit. Otherwise, it was like putting two beta fish in a tank together—they tore each other apart. “Harper the Hoover?” I asked. “She’ll suck out your soul right after she sucks your d**k. Don’t take the bait, trust me,” said a big guy next to Chloe. Uniforms made it a bit harder to tell who belonged to what stereotype, but if the guy’s neck girth was any indication, he had to be a jock. “And you are?” “Bryson,” he spoke through a bite of apple. I nodded, taking a sip from my water bottle, then turned a fraction to the ice queen beside me. “And you’re Val. I didn’t get your name earlier.” “Valentina,” she corrected.