Wren didn’t hear Justin’s comment over the crush of kids all talking at once, nor did he see the pinch of her bum. She leaned in close to him and said, ‘Can we go now?’

Wren stopped in front a boy, bulky, with a grin on his face. ‘Wren!’ he said in a deep baritone voice. ‘How are you, buddy?’

‘Olivia, this is my other best friend, Wade. Wade meet Olivia. She’s new here.’

‘Wow, you’re gorgeous,’ he said. ‘Just so you know, Wren shares everything.’

‘So I’ve been told,’ she said in an annoyed voice.

‘You’ve met Justin already then.’ It wasn’t a question.

‘Right, we’re going now, see you later.’ Wren pulled her along, away from the boys that made her feel so uncomfortable.

He led her to a bench outside and he sat down. ‘What happened to the tour?’ she asked.

‘Decided I’d much rather get to know you instead. That OK?’

Flattered, she smiled and sat down. ‘Sure.’

This place was all about new beginnings. She could be normal here, she was sure of it. She had to admit, she was already hooked on Wren, and he seemed to feel the same way too. He couldn’t stop smiling as he looked at her for the longest time. She blushed, the heat rising from her neck to color her face. ‘I know we’ve only just met, but I feel—’

‘Me too,’ she interjected. She might as well tell him. Coming to this school, and meeting Wren may be the best thing she could have done and suddenly she was thanking her dad for uprooting his life, for her, this time. He would want a blow-by-blow account of her day when she got home, and she already had something positive to report. She’d also met a girl in English class, her name was Lisa, she seemed pretty nice too, but her mind was filled with Wren Sawyer.

‘Tell me about yourself,’ he said.

‘Well, you already know that my dad is the principal. I tell everyone that straight up so there’s no confusion, but I’m not a daddy’s girl. We move around a lot, wherever the work is for Dad, so I’ve been to heaps of schools. Some good, some not so good, but I’m liking this one so far.’

Wren smiled in response.

‘I’m glad you’re here.’ He reached out and held her hand. Olivia was aware that they were moving at warp speed, but she didn’t care. He was so perfect she wondered if she was hallucinating the guy, but no, his hand, wrapped around hers, was real.

Suddenly someone grabbed her around the waist, breaking her connection with Wren as she gasped.

‘Justin, don’t be a dick.’

‘What? I just want to get to know your new friend here the way you are.’

‘Piss off. We were having a moment.’