And then there’s this stupid draw to her that I’ve never been able to fully shake despite my best attempts. Some compulsion to stare. A burning curiosity about whether she’s interested in the guy who’s beaming at her right now, even though I shouldn’t care. Shouldn’t have even noticed how he’s looking at her.

“See you at lunch, Adams,” Mark says, then splits off from me and Finn.

“Yeah. See you.”

Finn gives me a weird look as Mark heads to the left. “You good, dude?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

“You’ve barely said anything this morning. Is your dad back yet?”

“No. He’s not supposed to get back ’til Thursday.”

I’m not holding my breath, though. My dad works as a long-haul truck driver. He’s away from Pembrooke more than he’s home. I know he feels guilty about being gone as much as he is. I also know me and Sydney were unplanned, and a burden he was saddled with when our mom split years ago. He racks up a lot of miles trying to make up for that. Or maybe trying to drive away from that.

His lengthy absences take a toll on us as a family. On Sydney, especially. She tries to be perfect, churning out good grades and attending play practices instead of parties so he never has anything to worry about. Her future is a lot more certain than mine.

College is a long shot for me. My grades are average at best. My only chance of going is a basketball scholarship. Even if I do get one, I’m not sure leaving is a possibility. It will be the biggest shock to our family dynamic since my mom left twelve years ago.

“Is your dad going to cause problems next weekend?” Finn asks.

I shake my head. “Nah. He spends most of his time home sleeping.”

And if Finn is right about the amount of money Declan is offering, I won’t take no for an answer. I’ll sneak out if I have to.

If I’m not going to college, I need a back-up plan. And I enjoy fighting. I know it’s reckless—that’s part of the allure. More importantly, I’m good at it. Undefeated good.

Finn follows me into Mrs. Berwick’s classroom for first period. Grace is seated in the second row, talking with her best friend McKenzie Howard.

Both girls give me flirty smiles. I’m not surprised by Grace. But last I knew, McKenzie was hooking up with Jordan, one of my teammates.

I couldn’t care less about keeping up with current who likes who, who hates who drama. But basketball is one of the few things that matters to me. I won’t pursue anything that might negatively affect that. I pass both girls and head for the back of the classroom without a word.