Chapter 2After school, I didn’t see Billy, so I took a longer way home, walking instead of getting a ride. He’d have words for me about how courting was still a thing, and he’d do anything to treat me like a prince(ss).
Ryan Zeller’s hissing insults, referring to me as Billy’s princess, pierced me like a hot poker, his words were tattooed on my skull, lasting and upsetting, stabbing at my self-confidence, and had me questioning my relationship with Billy Masters.
One more year until I graduate, I reminded myself. One more year of catcalls, shoulder bumps by jocks in the hallway, rumors that Billy and I wouldn’t last forever.
I wish I had Billy’s confidence.
Walking along the shoulder of the street, I turned onto Bellevue Heights, where four-story mansions towered skyward in their magni
