Monday meant starting at school, a welcome distraction after I spent the remainder of the weekend wondering how I blew it with Adam. Had I blown it? It felt like I did. Was I too forward in going for that kiss? What did he think of me?

"Riya, are you sure you don't want me to drive you in?" Mom hugged me from behind, enveloping me in the familiar scent of her perfume as she rested her chin on my head. It was a rare moment between us, before her job kicked into high gear and she became a ghost in her own home. I wrapped my hands around her forearm and enjoyed the offered comfort.

It wasn't her fault, the endless hours. She worked so hard to provide for us, for my future. No matter how annoyed I got over the little things, like living off pizza because she was never home, I had to remind myself why. I took a breath, shoring myself up for the day ahead.

"I'll be okay, mom. Besides," I teased, smiling at her over my shoulder, "don't want to make a bad impression this early in the game, having my mom drive me in. We want to stay here for a couple years, remember."

She snorted, ruffling my hair in revenge. "Good to know I've raised such a smart alec. Try not to miss your bus," she said and planted a kiss on my cheek on her way out the door.

I pushed aside my questions. Maybe I was crossing my wires, misreading the signals. Maybe Adam didn't want to rush things. We just met. I struggled to fix my hair fast, determined not to be late on my first day of classes.

The bus ride turned slightly embarrassing when I realized I was one of two people my age on it. Surprised, I took a seat at the front, shooting a sideways glance at the girl across from me. She ignored everyone with a pair of headphones plugged into her ears, the music loud enough to hear across the aisle. Not the friendliest reception.

The mystery resolved itself when we reached the school and I got an eyeful of the full student parking lot. I didn't know anything of Rothsdale beyond its small town charm but the glittering rows of new chrome told me a lot. I wondered if Adam drove himself in.

I had to stop thinking of that boy.

I exited the bus, looking up at the rich rusted brick building that I hoped to attend for the remainder of high school. Outwardly, Rothsdale High was nice, newly renovated, and surrounded by well kept athletic fields that screamed 'funding'.

Finding the office wasn't too difficult. The signs helped, though I couldn't help but notice as I wandered the hall how people's eyes followed me. Well, I was the new girl coming in for the final semester of the school year. I resisted the urge to duck my head. Two years, mom promised me two years here. I needed to make the best of it.

The school secretary was a slim middle aged woman with warm hazel eyes. She smelt like peppermint. She greeted me with a wide friendly smile that eased the nervous flutter in my stomach and offered to walk me to homeroom.

Loaded up with all my paperwork and complimentary day planner, I discovered my locker and homeroom with relative ease. I arrived early enough to introduce myself to the teacher while everyone was still socializing before the bell. A few conversations wobbled when I entered the room, though they picked up without too much obvious silence.

"Mr. Garrity?" I handed the slip to the homeroom teacher, who I also had for third period English. He seemed pleasant enough, sandy haired, bearded, and permanently watery blue eyes.

"Ms. Chapman, welcome to Rothsdale High. Would you like to introduce yourself to the class, or not so much?" He gave me a wink.

"I'm good to go sit," I said, relaxing at the free pass from social awkwardness.

"Alright, attendance call in five," he said. The other students shot sideways glances at me as I slumped into a back row seat but most left me to myself until the lettered jacket in front of me swung around with a grin on his face.

Wavy dark hair, slicked back off his forehead, square jawed, and a smirk that said said he knew exactly how handsome he was. He looked me over, letting his eyes linger on all the interesting places.

"Helloooo, new girl," he drawled, as his friends swung around to join him. They all bore the same curious expression. He put out his hand. "I'm Mason. Welcome to Rothsdale."

I took his hand, warm and calloused like Adam's. Mason was a bit too smarmy for my taste. The frank interest in his eyes was actually a little uncomfortable. I brazened it out with a smile. "Riya," I said, noticing his eyebrows go up.

"That's pretty. Where's it from?"

"Uh, family name," I said, "My mom and I just moved here from New York." I don't know why I threw that out there. Mason blinked at me slowly, his grin still wide.

"Okay, where's the fam from?"

I pursed my lips, wondering if he was playing with me. It didn't escape my attention Rothsdale was not the most culturally diverse town we'd lived in but I didn't expect this sort of attitude right off the bat. "California?"

He held up his hands in surrender, aware he came off insulting. "Sorry, didn't mean it like that. What brought your family here at this time of year?"

"My mom's a research scientist. She's has a grant to work at the local university," I said, trying to keep my tone civil. Mason lit up at the information.

"Oh, what kind of research does she do?" He kept up with the conversation through the rest of homeroom. Perhaps I imagined that moment. Mason seemed pretty uncomplicated and he invited me to sit with his group at lunch.

The mornings classes passed quickly. Mason was also in my English class.  To my great disappoint, I didn't see Adam anywhere, not even in the halls between classes. It was as if he didn't exist. Did he go to a different school and not tell me?

At lunch time, Mason made good on his invite, waving me over to a table full of boys who shared the same athletic appearance and an over abundance of polo shirts. There were several girls interspersed among them. Their carefully maintained appearances made me very aware of the worn look of my jeans and the simple blouse I wore. The girl next to Mason greeted me with a friendly smile. Despite all my first day jitters, most of the local kids proved to be very welcoming. Perhaps fitting in would be easier than I thought.

"Hello, I'm Jill," said the girl, flipping long strawberry blond curls over her shoulder. I envied curls like that. She bit into a twizzler, looking me over. "I love your nails, did you do them yourself?"

"Yeah," I said, looking down at the painted lady bugs on my fingernails. It was a relaxing hobby.

"They're so cute. Could you totally do mine some time?" The other girls craned in to look at Jill's words, making me fidget, self conscious.

"Sure," I said, realizing how monosyllabic I sounded when I caught sight of a familiar face in the lunch line.

My heart skipped a beat. Adam wore a lose blue flannel and baggy jeans that hung off his narrow hips. Leather cuffs circled his wrists and his golden blonde hair was carelessly spiked, like he rolled out of bed and ran his fingers through it. A silly grin crept  on my face, I could feel it. Would the others let him sit with us? Would it be rude to follow him? To my surprise, he didn't look around the cafeteria at all, and took his lunch tray out of the room without a backward glance. I frowned after him, causing Jill to notice the direction of my gaze.

"Ah, I see you're already acquainted with the town freak."

The nasty sneer in her tone stopped me cold. My eyes refocused on her disgusted expression, causing my fingers to curl up in loose fists.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, damn new girl, sorry about that," said Mason, chortling at some punch line I clearly missed. The others mirrored his expression, that ugly humor I knew all to well. My fingernails started digging in my palms. 

I kept my voice even, determined not to jump to conclusions. "What are you talking about?"

Jill put her hand over her mouth in mock horror. "Oh, god, what did she say to you?"

She? I blinked. An unwelcome heat crept up from my chest. The confusion must have been evident on my face as Mason and the others burst out into a chorus of "Oohs".

Jill rolled her eyes. "Did she introduce herself as 'Adam'? Typical," she said. Her voice made my skin crawl as she pulled out her cell, her thumbs tapping furiously for a moment. She thrust it in front of me. A picture of a pool party filled the small screen with younger versions of the majority of the girls at the table. Jill had her arm around the waist of an unfamiliar blonde, both laughing. It took me a moment to recognize the angles of the blonde's face.

I don't know what emotion crossed my face at that moment. I honestly didn't know how I felt about this reveal. Embarrassed? Maybe. Angered? Numb? Jill reached over and patted my hand.

"Hey, don't worry. Whatever line she fed you, we got your back," she said, sounding so sympathetic I wondered if I was duped on purpose. "Though if I were you, I'd just avoid Rebecca for now." The others nodded in agreement. I felt very small inside. This whole situation left me feeling sick and angry but I wasn't sure who those emotions were directed at.

One thought was very clear, even as the conversation turned to other topics and left me to ponder the revelation alone.

Adam, why didn't you tell me?