Closing the book with my thumb holding my place, like it’s really imperative I keep my spot for all the reading I’m not going to do, I rest it on my stomach and close my eyes, trying to hear them more clearly and imagine what it’d be like to be out there with them.

Bri’s voice is the only one I can make out word for word. Her high-pitched disdain carries through the thin walls, and I can picture her blunt-cut bob swinging around her face as she shakes it disapprovingly. “It’s a total waste of time. I can think of a million better ways to spend the night than prancing around in dresses as eye candy for alumni who couldn’t care less about us. They’re just here for the football and basketball teams.”

“Well, I’m excited. It’ll be a good chance for all of us to hang out before classes start. Plus, we can check out all the new recruits.”

I smile at Sydney’s retort. She’s the opposite of Bri in every way. From her long blonde hair to her sweet, gentle voice, and, more importantly, her desire, or lack thereof, to make my life as miserable as possible.

Transferring to Valley for my senior year after being kicked out of my previous school doesn’t exactly make the type of impression that beckons people to welcome you with open arms. I get that, but I hadn’t expected it to be quite this bad five hundred miles from home. I mean, it’s not like I tried to buy my way into Valley. Technically, I didn’t buy my way in anywhere, but that’s not how the media portrayed it.

Untalented Wannabe Begs Mommy and Daddy to Get Her a Spot on Top-Ranked Beach Volleyball Team. That’s almost word for word the headline from one of the nastier writeups. They didn’t use the words untalented or wannabe, but they all but implied it by highlighting, in excruciating detail, every fault I’ve made in my entire volleyball career.

In some ways it was great that they’d focused more on me and less on my dad, the hotel mogul. He’s had a record high year. Go figure. People seem to be more forgiving of rich CEOs than of their college-aged daughters or maybe that’s just my perspective.

I had hoped that coming to Valley would be a fresh start, but Bri is standing squarely in the way of that. It’s one thing to dislike me; it’s another to make sure the rest of the team alienates me. She has made it very clear that talking to me is in direct violation of their loyalty to her and the team.