“You better not get into trouble today,” he calls after me. “If you do, you’ll be punished. I mean it, Ravenlee. You’ll learn to obey, even if I have to—”

I rush out the front door and close it behind me, cutting off whatever threat he was about to throw my way. I might pay for the move later, but right now, all I want to worry about is getting through school, so I keep my head low and climb into the back seat of my aunt’s car.

“God, it took you long enough. You can move so slow sometimes, Ravenlee,” my aunt gripes as she drives down the driveway, heading for the main road.

I shrug and stare out the window, too tired to get into it with her right now.

I really need some coffee. And breakfast. Why did my uncle have to be in the kitchen this morning?

I’m so fucking hungry I can’t stand it. But it’s the story of my life. Starvation of the body, mind, soul.

I zone out for most of the ride to school while Dixie May babbles about some reality TV show she’s been watching. Aunt Beth occasionally joins in on the conversation, but Dixie May is usually the one to fill up the silence. The girl could probably break the world record with her ability to talk and talk and talk, especially about reality TV.

As soon as my aunt pulls up to the school, Dixie May’s focus switches.

“This is seriously the school we have to go to?” She crinkles her nose at the brick building. “It’s so small. And where the hell is student parking?”

“I’m sure it’s around here somewhere,” Aunt Beth tells her as she stops in the student drop-off area at the front. “Maybe at the back of the school.”

Dixie May glares at her mother. “Well, they better have it, because there’s no way in hell I’m parking Cutie in this tiny parking lot when it arrives.”

Cutie is Dixie May’s BMW that she got for her sixteenth birthday. Her parents didn’t want her racking up miles on it when we moved, so they had it shipped over. It hasn’t arrived yet, something Dixie complains about every day.

Me? I’m kind of grateful it hasn’t arrived because, when it does, I have to go back to riding to school with her. And she usually ends up leaving me stranded after school, so I either have to walk home or catch the city bus. I don’t think Honeyton has a city bus, which means I’ll end up having to ride the bus from school or walk home. I’d be okay with walking, except Honeyton’s winters are supposed to be intense, and riding the bus isn’t fun at all, let alone for friendless people.

“I’ll look into it,” Aunt Beth assures her.

“You better.” Dixie May frowns at the school. “Great. I bet there’s not even any FHs here.”

I roll my eyes. FHs stand for fuckable hotties in Dixie May language.