08. Friends

By the time I slipped into homeroom, the bell had already rung. Heads turned, whispers followed.

The new girl. The coach's mysterious houseguest. No one had noticed we was related yet, at least I didn't think they did, and I wasn't sure if I wanted them too.

I ignored them and slid into my seat, keeping my head down. But it didn't matter. Luke or should I say, Lucian, was already watching me.

"Morning, Callie," he said, his voice just loud enough for me to hear over the shuffle of papers and the teacher's announcements.

"Morning," I replied, keeping it short.

"What's with the mood," he pressed, leaning closer. "Everything okay?"

I stiffened, gripping my pen. Why does he care? I can't even believe he's dating a fake Barbie doll if she's so horrid and he's nice, kind of gives off fun cousin vibes.

"Fine," I said, not looking at him.

"Really?" he asked, his voice softer now. "Because you seem—"

I turned to him sharply. "Your girlfriend's a bitch, Luke. Maybe worry about that instead."

The words hit their mark. His eyes widened, and for a moment, he looked like he didn't recognize me.

"Excuse me?" he said, his voice low laced with confusion, probably about to defend the bitch.

"You heard me," I said, turning back to my notebook, luckily being saved by our home room teacher taking registration.

By the time I got to math, my mood was frayed. The teacher's voice droned on, each equation more tedious than the last. When he called on me, I barely lifted my head.

"Calliope, what's the answer?"

I stared at the problem on the board. "Do I look like I care?" I didn't care what the consequences of talking back to the teacher was, I was focused on one thing, seeing my friends, they were more my family than anyone.

A few snickers rippled through the class, but the teacher wasn't amused.

"Detention," he said, his voice sharp.

"Great," I muttered, slumping back in my seat. "Something to look forward to."

Before realising I was genuinely happy about it, I could use it as my excuse, my way of going out and not getting caught by my father.

English was worse.

The hockey team practically owned the room, their laughter and inside jokes filling the air. I kept my head down, but it didn't stop Maverick's eyes from finding me.

He was perched on the edge of his desk, his usual smirk in place, like he'd been born knowing how to command a room.

"Calliope," he said, dragging out the name like it was a challenge.

I didn't look up.

"Hey," he tried again, leaning slightly forward. "You're awfully quiet today."

"Well you've only known me for two days," I said, finally meeting his gaze.

His smirk deepened, but his eyes sharpened. He was curious now, and I hated that. I could see it in his big brown eyes, he was trying to figure me out, searching me as if I was with holding class A drugs.

And just like before this dude seriously had a staring problem.

The teacher cut in before he could say more, but I could feel his gaze lingering, even as I focused on the textbook in front of me.

The cafeteria was a minefield, but I found a quiet spot near the edge, pulling out my phone to distract myself, deciding I didn't care if sitting alone was weird.

"Mind if I sit?"

I looked up to see Alexis, the girl I'd met in English, balancing a tray in one hand and her bag in the other.

"Go ahead," I said, gesturing to the seat across from me.

She sat down, flashing me a friendly smile. "So, what's your deal?"

"What do you mean?"

"New girl. Living with the coach. Not exactly blending in."

I shrugged. "I'm just trying to get through the day."

"So how do you know coach?" The red head continued her questions, she didn't call me out of my full tone or bother to ask why I was alone.

"I'm his- uh..." I struggled and actually looked up at the girl.

"I won't tell if that's what you're worried about, I have a life unlike some of the gossipers in this school." She said somehow actually easing my uncertainty.

"He's my dad," She stared stunned at me about to speak when I continued "I met him for the first time two days ago." I said accidentally talking before she could.

She absorbed the information nodding before she spoke.

"Well I'm glad you moved here uh-" she drifted either not remembering my name from all the rumours or simply not knowing it.

"Calliope, you can shorten it if you want." I filled in the blank for her and a large sunny smile emerged of her face.

Before she could say anything else, Maverick and Luke appeared, trays in hand.

"Seriously?" I muttered under my breath.

"Mind if we join?" Maverick asked, not waiting for an answer as he sat down beside Alexis.

Luke hesitated before taking the seat next to me, his expression unreadable.

"Don't you guys have your own table?" I asked, my tone sharper, defences weirdly up.

Grayson grinned. "We do, but this one's more interesting."

"Yeah, no," I said, standing abruptly. "Find someone else to bother."

I grabbed my tray and walked away, leaving them behind, feeling slightly bad for Alexis being left alone.

3:00 I had done a full day, I think that's an achievement in itself. My phone buzzed as I stepped outside.

Theo: We're here. Out front.

I spotted the car immediately—an old black Honda parked near the curb. Like the one we had stolen all those weeks ago. Tess waved from the back seat, her grin as sharp as ever.

As Theo leaned through the passenger Widow with his usual grin as Jonah sat in the drivers seat like always.

"Allie!" she called, her voice cutting through the noise of the parking lot.

I glanced around, hoping no one heard her, and jogged over to the car. Here I wasn't Allie but with them I was.

"Miss us?" Theo asked as I slid into the back seat next to him.

"Not even a little," I lied, the tension in my chest easing for the first time all day.

Tess laughed, Jonah pulling the car onto the main road. "Let's get out of here."

And just like that, I was gone, leaving Lakehurst—and its endless questions—behind.

From the moment I set eyes on Calliope in class I new something was up, the only other time meeting her being yesterday, I new it was weird to keep my eyes on her.

It's not like I wanted too, her uniform was messily worn like yesterday, she clearly couldn't care for what others thought, not even her teachers clear from her lack of attention to the lesson.

But something was off, I felt it, like she was going to do something wrong.

She was clear when she told me and Luke to ignore her but even he felt there was something off, and she lived in coaches house, surely having something to do with him maybe being his daughter.

Luke had asked me if it's possible in the gym this morning, and I said it couldn't, he would have said something if he had a daughter.

Maybe in one of his "you can do better than this" speeches, for example he'd say "my own daughter knows how to do this better than you" or something like that.

And also it couldn't be because that would make her automatically off limits and well, I didn't quite know if I felt okay with that.

But now seeing her rush out of school when I knew full well from my friends that she was given a detention for disrespecting a staff member into a car full of teens who I've never met, I knew something wasn't right.

"Where's she going Mav?" Luke asked as if I had a clue, I wished I did.

"Let's find out." I said grabbing my car keys from my pocket and shaking them in the air.

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A/N: CHAPTER 8 COMPLETE!! Idk what to do next chapter?!!!

Also please comment ideas and suggestions I need motivation!!

Words: 1387