Collide: A High School Bully Romance - Madison Falls High Book 1 Read online

  Luck was with me. It was a pretty normal session, and so were the other two. I guess pom poms and jocks don’t take world history, biology, or literature. Thank fucking God!

  But next, there would be lunch, music, and math – what were the odds I wouldn’t run into them by then? Or ever? I could only be lucky for so long.

  I sighed as the bell rang and slipped from my chair. So far, no one had tried to welcome me. I was half-expecting the school nerd to find me, thick horn-rimmed glasses pressed down on her freckled nose, and her face alight with hope and expectation that we would be the best of friends. There was always one at every school like clockwork.

  It wasn’t that I wouldn’t be a nerd’s friend. It was more the fact that being friends with a nerd if you wanted to remain under the radar was like putting a bullseye on your back and a neon arrow over your head. I was just glad none of the welcoming committee had found me yet. I would just keep my head low, grab lunch, and find a corner somewhere.

  That shouldn’t be so hard. Right?

  “Thought I knew that face,” someone said from behind me as soon as I stepped into the cafeteria that was buzzing with excitement and chatter.

  Please let that not be for me, I begged the universe and kept walking. But the tap on my shoulder told me otherwise.

  Really? I asked said universe. All I was asking for was one little break.

  I slowly turned and saw him. And then the others. Six in all. Not the welcoming committee I was expecting. I quickly put on a smile. “Hi,” I said and feigned ignorance. “I’m sorry but have we met?”

  He smirked. “Yeah. You almost ran into me this morning.”

  “Oh, Mr. C-Minor.” I smiled. “And running into you is a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” I cocked an eyebrow and watched his light green hold my gaze intently.

  “You noticed the name. Nice.” He held out his hand and grinned. “Name’s Chad.”

  “Oh,” I replied and shifted my bag before I took his hand. “Sophia Daniels. That’s all I’ve got. Nothing fancy.” I noticed the tats again that traveled all the way up his arm and over rippling biceps. Something in me shook and I quickly pulled my hand back.

  His seafoam green eyes pierced mine as he folded his arms over his chest. They were so intense they imprisoned mine, forcing me to stare back. “So, you’re new here.”

  “I am,” I replied, noticing the daggers from the eyes behind him and his posse aimed at me. Just standing there and talking to him was already attracting too much attention. But I also knew better than to just walk away. “Just about to get some lunch.”

  “Okay. You’re more than welcome to hang with us.”

  “And risk getting mauled on my first day? No, thank you.”

  He laughed, just as a striking redhead appeared behind him. “Hey, baby,” she purred and reached up for a kiss, as if to make a statement. It was not the same girl who had greeted him outside. He obviously had quite the fan base.

  “I’m Gwen,” she told me and held out her hand.

  She was staking her claim on him – a warning to me. It was unwarranted. She could have him for all I cared.

  “Sophia,” I replied.

  “Let me know if you change your mind,” he said.

  Gwen’s perfect eyebrows dipped in confusion. “If she changes her mind about what?”

  Chad took her arm from his and placed it back at her side. “Why don’t you be a doll and grab us some lunch, huh? You know what I like.”

  She looked like she wanted to protest, but was afraid of going against him. Of course, she didn’t want to lose him. Her face crumpled as she nodded and walked slowly away, constantly checking behind her.

  “I think you should…uh…go,” I suggested.

  “I’ll go if I want to,” he said and reached over to touch my shoulder. I pulled back and arched my brows. “What are you doing?”

  “Relax, new girl. You’ve got something on your shoulder.” He stepped forward and brushed something off of it.

  I couldn’t help but blush a little. “Oh. Thanks.”

  My heart thumped in my chest faster. He had a powerful presence and I was like a deer in headlights. I cleared my throat and looked around at all the eyes on me – surprised eyes, jealous eyes, angry eyes, and disappointed ones. I had to get away from him before I made enemies faster than friends. I had a feeling it was already too late.

  “So I think I need to get some food.” I started to step back.

  He snapped his finger. “Cody, get her something.”

  Cody, also another hottie, with light brown eyes and brown, short-cut hair, stepped forward. “What do you want?”

  “No, no, it’s okay. I’m fine, really,” I insisted. He looked to be around six foot and had a lean athletic build that showed he took pride in his body.

  No! This is all wrong. This is not how you avoid attention.

  But I had the strong feeling that race had already been run. The entire senior class was in the cafeteria and all eyes were on us. Everyone knew me now and if they didn’t they would by the end of the day.

  He touched Cody’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”

  It was unreal how quickly Cody had jumped to obey his orders, and without question. What kind of power did Chad Minor wield to have women swooning so easily, and his male friends so quick to respond? Even my own boyfriend-free mind was struggling against his masculine prowess.

  “Chad,” a piping voice called from behind me. It wasn’t Gwen, and I groaned inwardly. Not another jealous groupie.

  I saw his face crumple and the smile completely disappear within a second. I turned and saw a tall, blond beauty waltz towards us, her purse draped stylishly over her arm.

  Let me guess – head pom pom, which means, he’s Madison Falls QB – the two always make a pair. It was like an unspoken and unwritten high school rule.

  Great. Just fucking great!

  “Callie,” he groaned with a tight face.

  “You didn’t tell me you had a new friend,” she said cheerily as she stepped between us. She held out her delicate hand for mine and I took it. I had to. I was stuck between the king and queen of Madison Falls when all I wanted to do was get my damn lunch.

  “I’m Callie.” She beamed flashing me a perfect row of white teeth.

  Her hand was soft like a baby’s bottom, and I noticed her perfect manicured nails as she held mine. “Sophia.”

  She swept her long blond hair behind her ear. “These are my girls.” She dipped her head and smiled like a beauty queen as she spoke, her cyan-blue eyes sparkling.

  Chad’s face was tighter than my ass at that moment, and I wanted to laugh at the disgusted way he was looking at her. He tapped one of his boys’ chest and thumbed behind him.

  “We should go. I’ll catch up with you later, Sophia,” he called as they walked away.

  I would have much rather been left standing with him than the blond bimbo. I looked flatly at her as she continued to speak.

  “So, you’re new, right?”

  I nodded in the affirmative. “Yep.”

  “Good. Maybe you can try out for cheer. Right, girls? She’s just about the right size, and we’re looking for one more girl. We lost our dear Trish this year when she broke her leg. She can’t walk straight anymore so her cheer days are over. So we have an opening.”

  She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world for me to do – to replace her friend.

  “I’m not much of a cheer person,” I stated, trying to let her down easy.

  “Nonsense,” she protested. “Doesn’t she look perfect, Zoe? Christine?”

  Two girls came up beside her and started looking me over like I was there for a gown fitting. “Yeah,” the dark-haired one replied. She reminded me of Veronica from the Archie comics. “She’ll do.”

  They talked like I wasn’t there and it was a done deal. Jesus. They reminded me of the plastics from my old school—filthy rich, a ton of Botox and the finest clothing and cars. Nothing ever made these typ
e of girls happy.

  “That’s it then,” Callie said decidedly. “You’re coming to tryouts.”

  “Uh, no, I’m not,” I replied.

  “What?” she asked, her voice raising an octave. Then she chuckled slightly and looked back at the girls. “I don’t think she realized she got a personal invitation.”

  She glared at me, and I did the same. I wasn’t going to win that, and I didn’t want to get involved in a tiff on my first day. “Fine. When is it?”

  The smile spread on her face like a wildfire in the summertime. “Tomorrow afternoon, in the gym, right after school. I suggest you wear something…skimpy,” she said as her eyes swept my body from head to toe. “Come along, girls.” And with that, I watched her walk out of the cafeteria in her five-inch Gucci heels, followed by her posse.

  God, what the hell did I just get myself into? I asked myself as I ran a hand down my face in frustration. I was finally left alone, as before, except before, I didn’t have cheer tryouts. And I was still hungry. No, I was starving. How did I manage to meet the baddest, probably hottest boy in school right before the meanest, domineering girls? And walk away unscathed?

  Well, not really unscathed. I had cheer tryout tomorrow. Yay me, I groaned inwardly and turned toward the food station.

  I had the feeling Callie was used to getting her own way, and turning her down would have only placed that bullseye I was looking to avoid squarely on my forehead. I grabbed a tray and walked quickly to the counter. I didn’t have much time left to eat anymore and it would be just my luck to spend the last half of my first day on an empty stomach. Be damned if that was happening.

  “Hey, I’m Amanda,” a girl said from behind me.

  Why the hell can’t I just be left alone? I just want some damn food!

  I turned. It wasn’t one of the cheer idiots coming to tell me what to order for lunch to maintain my weight in order to make the team. Anything was better than that. The smile this time was genuine.

  “Hi, I’m Sophia.”

  “So welcome to Madison Falls— suckiest school in this part of Cali,” she said with a grin. Her dark-brown hair was caught in a ponytail at the top of her head and loose tendrils escaped at her temples. Her jeans and tee told me she was just as conservative as I was.

  I laughed. “I’ll reserve any comments for now.”

  “Oh, come on,” she said and nudged me with her shoulder like we were old friends. “I saw you talking with Chad and his crew, and then Callie and her girls. Don’t tell me that didn’t make you want to puke, because I sure did, and I was all the way across the room. They were like, bam!” she exclaimed, and I jumped, “right there in your face.”

  “Actually, Chad didn’t seem so bad. Callie…ugh!” I replied and rolled my eyes. “She just signed me up for cheer tryout.”

  Amanda’s brows wrinkled. “That’s Callie for you. Trying to get all the pretty girls and being a bitch about it and trust me, you wouldn’t want to be the girl to turn her down.”

  “I got that feeling.” I leaned closer to her. “Can I tell you a secret? I agreed to go, but I totally plan on messing up. Show her what a terrible cheerleader I’d make.” I pulled back and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and couldn’t contain my grin.

  Amanda giggled. “Sign me up to see that. I’ll be there. But just in case you want to get into real sports, I’m the coach for the volleyball team.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “No way! Are you serious? I was the coach at my last school.” Volleyball was my thing – my safe place – the thing I kicked ass at.

  “Shut up!” Amanda said excitedly. “Will you try out for us?”

  “Definitely, and I promise I’ll be good at it, too.” I smiled and rocked into her.

  “Awesome. Hey, you can eat with me and the other girls if you want,” she offered, her eyebrows raised with hope.

  “I think I will. Not sure which tables to avoid just yet.” I glanced behind me, taking in the entire room.

  She laughed. “Welcome to Madison Falls, and I’ll be your official tour guide and who-to-avoid scout.”

  “Okay,” I laughed.

  And just like that, I didn’t think the entire year would be so bad. I had a safe haven – in volleyball. It was the one thing I loved more than surfing, but since Rachel’s death, I hadn’t been back in the water. I knew it would be awhile before I even considered it. The ghosts of the sea haunted me still.

  And so did Rachel. Almost every night. I missed her like crazy, and a part of me still held onto her – the part that still bore the guilt of her death.

  I collected my tuna sandwich, apple juice and salad before walking back to one of the side tables where three other girls waited. They turned, the two who had their backs to me, as I approached.

  The smiles, at least, were genuine. Not the plastic ones the cheer girls sported.

  “Girls, this is Sophia, the new girl, and guess what? She used to be the volleyball coach at her old school.”

  Their eyes popped. “Sweet. I’m Liz,” the one closest to me said and held out her hand.

  “Alexi. Go volleyball team!” the raven-haired girl next to her hooted and ‘raised the roof’ with her hand.

  I laughed and placed my tray on the table as the last of the three smiled at me. “I’m Stacey – co-captain.”

  “Nice to meet you all,” I greeted them and sat.

  “She already met the welcoming committee,” Amanda told them with a roll of the eyes.

  “Yeah. We all saw that,” Liz chimed in, her brown eyes picking me apart. “How did you get away from that?” she asked, popping a blueberry in her mouth.

  “Promised to try out for cheer,” I giggled and picked up my sandwich.

  She seemed disturbed by my answer and I watched her lips turn into a small o. “Oh, no, she isn’t actually going to join them,” Amanda confirmed in my defense. “Just to get queen bitch off her back.” She grinned.

  “Uh-oh!” I mocked. “I sense history there.”

  “You have no idea,” Amanda said and resumed eating. “But I’ll save that for when you aren’t eating.”

  I laughed, moments before the bell rang. “Oh shit,” I exclaimed. I shoveled as much food into my mouth as I could and got up, right behind the other giggling girls.

  “How’s my face?” I asked Amanda.

  “You’re good. What do you have now?”

  “Math,” I replied and grabbed the tray.

  “Good. Me too. I’ll show you.”

  “Thanks.”

  I followed after her, already sensing that I would be seeing a lot more of her. And not just at volleyball practice.

  Chapter 3

  We got to class early, and I took a seat across from Amanda. My heart drummed because I anticipated I would meet the goon squad again pretty soon.

  The thought had barely crossed my mind when the bimbo pack entered the room like it was a fashion show. Every strand of hair perfect.

  “Ugh!” Amanda groaned. “So sick of this shit.”

  I laughed. “You too?”

  “You have no idea,” she said.

  I saw how painful it was for her to even look at Callie. Their history must have been an explosive one. And as if for confirmation, Callie walked right between us. I watched her eyes trail Amanda in disgust and then move to me.

  “You do know that if you cheer for me you have to follow certain rules, right?”

  All heads turned when she stood over me, like I was a tree stump and she had to make her mark on me like a dog. “Callie, I haven’t even tried out as of yet.” I tried to look back at Amanda but she had completely blocked her off. Her girls were all still standing, like they had to wait for her to sit first.

  I really started to rethink that K-12 thing.

  “You will, but you had better start acting the role from now on. We don’t talk to,” she started and scoffed at Amanda, “those bitches. And you need to learn that fast.”

  She walked off, and I wrinkled my brows. “Wow.
What was that about?”

  “I’ll tell you later,” Amanda replied as the teacher walked into the room and everyone finally started to settle down.

  I didn’t see Chad, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe there was another session of math that he took, or maybe he just didn’t take math at all. Or he was outside causing shit or something. I knew his type. I had seen it all before.

  “Good afternoon, class. I’m Mister Edwards and I’ll…”

  The door opened with a loud bang, and I jumped.

  Of course. It was Chad.

  I watched Mr. Edwards’ face tighten as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

  “Chad?”

  “Sorry, Mr. Edwards.” He smirked and walked off, leaving the man gawking. His boys were right behind him and they made quite the commotion getting into their seats. Mr. Edwards was forced to wait until they had all calmed down.

  What’s worse was he took the chair right behind me. I froze when I turned to talk to Amanda and I saw him right there, staring at me. I couldn’t avoid his eyes, and he grinned at me.

  “Hey.” He tipped his head at me and shot me a panty melting grin.

  “Hi,” I replied.

  It wasn’t hard to feel the stares from the cheer squad because he had taken the seat closest to mine. “What are you doing after school?”

  I was about to answer when I noticed Mr. Edwards coming toward me. I sat upright and slightly lowered my head. “Miss Daniels?” he asked, peering down at me.

  I cleared my throat. “Yes?”

  “You’re new, so I’ll give you a fair warning. Don’t get caught up with the wrong crowd.”

  I nodded and avoided his gaze, and he walked back to the front of the class. My entire day felt surreal to me. So far, I had attracted the attention of everyone I was desperate to avoid – the cheers, the jocks, and now the teacher. And I hadn’t even done anything. Ugh!

  I gripped the end of my desk and pressed tightly into it. If I had forgotten why I hadn’t wanted to start my senior year at a new school full of rich snobs and socialites, I’d had enough all day to remind me.

  “You didn’t answer me,” Chad leaned in and asked. I knew he was leaning because I could feel his breath on my shoulder. At one point I swear to God he twirled a small strand of my hair.