Chapter 1

• I sat with my back pressed to my heart – shaped pillow tapping away at my phone.
• Aaliyah and Monica were still online keeping me up to date with the current gossip from this past holiday. Monica is the biggest gossip among the three of us, she always has the hottest news. Somehow she always knows the hottest gossip about everyone in our class. That was what got her into the school newspaper but Monica cannot keep her mouth shut for too long so she was kicked out of the school newspaper very quickly. But Aaliyah and I still get to enjoy hearing what’s new from school.
• While their constant texting kept me entertained, I couldn’t stop my gaze from going back to the text at the top of my chat.
• I had Rhys’s chat pinned to the top of my chat list even though – well, we are not dating but everyone in school knows that we are together. Since I moved schools from Notre Dame to Princeton under very questionable circumstances which I will get into later, Rhys claimed me for his own and no one dares to step in his territory, not that the other boys at school didn’t try, especially since I was named the hottest girl in class, a position Olivia Dean occupied throughout junior class until my arrival in Junior Class 3, all because she has blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
• Olivia still hates me for overthrowing her, I know because I’ve seen the way she looks at me, she and her mouse – haired friend Bea. I know they started every rumor that has been made about me at school. I don’t care anyway, they are bitter and that’s on them, not me.
• ‘Wanna know what I heard???’ Monica texted.
• ‘I’m sure you’re going to tell us,’ Aaliyah replied.
• I thought about swiping their text away and double texting Rhys but before I even got the chance to decide Monica started to type.
• ‘We have a new kid in our class!’
• ‘Bullshit.’
• ‘I’m serious!’ Monica replied. ‘I saw his file on my Dad’s computer last night.’
• I tapped on the message. ‘Our class? A new student at the end of the school year?’
• ‘Yeah I thought I had it wrong too but when I read through the file, that’s what I saw. Nolen Pierce, 18, green eyes, raven black hair and fucking hot! Oh my gosh you guys should have seen how handsome he looked!’
• ‘There’s no way you are giving us gossip without proof right now,’ Aaliyah responded with an eye roll emoji.
• ‘Easy girl,’ Monica responded with a laughing emoji, ‘You know I always save the best for last.’
• Barely a second later she dropped a picture in the group chat. Aaliyah was the first to open it.
• ‘Damn!’ she replied before dropping a hot face emoji.
• I opened the picture and had the same reaction – until I squinted.
• Why the hell does this face look familiar?
• ‘Lucy? Are you there? What do you think?’ Monica asked.
• ‘I bet she’s salivating over him. Hell my pompom is throwing confetti all over the place,’ Aaliyah replied.
• Raven black hair, green eyes, broad nose pointed at the tip. I know this boy.
• And then it hit me!
• Three years ago when I was 15, a family of 4 had come to The Villa. Even though The Villa is now private property, Mom’s thriving vineyard makes a popular holiday attraction and when visitors come explore the vineyards and the winery, we sometimes rent rooms to them.
• Under the covers of night while I was stalking and planning how to ensnare Mario, the farm hand who I had a crush on, I ran into this boy standing on the hill looking out into the night, a bright red light burning between his fingers. By the time I drew closer the light was gone and he had turned to face me, almost like he knew that I was coming up the hill to see who it was.
• He was the oldest son of that family. His sister looked almost nothing like him but she looked like his mother while he was the exactly replica of his father.
• I remember thinking he was cute – more than cute actually but at the time I had my sights set on Mario and no one but Mario would do for the kind of plan I had. It would later get me into trouble anyway but that’s another story for another day.
• Those eyes had a quiet mischief in them but I remember thinking how dark and guarded they are.
• “What are you doing out here?” I asked trying to sound casual, hoping that the question would distract him from the fact that I had been stalking around my Father’s own property like a thief.
• By the look in his eyes I could tell he wasn’t fooled. He looked at me – really looked until I became queasy with the continued silence. Only when I began to squirm did he crack what was supposed to be a smile but it was so tiny I almost didn’t recognize it.
• “It’s a nice farm. It’s peaceful.”
• “Yeah,” I said feeling slightly uneased. I searched my brain for something else to say but when I could find nothing, I turned to go.
• “I’m not trespassing am I?” he asked suddenly.
• “No, of course not. You are a guest, you are welcome to go anywhere you like. If you need a guide though…” no I didn’t want to offer to guide him, not when I had Mario to think about. Guiding him meant I wouldn’t have enough time to hatch my plans. So I shrugged and smiled, “Well you should be fine. The locals are friendly so if you get missing they can always help you find your way back here.”
• “Because you Dad is Mafia?” he asked.
• I felt my spine straighten.
• My father Luca Castello was mafia and sometimes that can be bad but I love my Dad and he adores me so I can ger very defensive of him sometimes.
• “So?” I heard myself say before I could stop myself.
• This time he smiled wider and I thought I spotted a dimple in his left cheek. It almost seemed like my heated response sparked that mischief that I had earlier seen in his eyes.
• “Cool,” he replied simply.
• I struggled to find a response and came up with nothing. Not sure what to say or what to think about our conversation, I came to the conclusion that he was a weirdo.
• And he proved me right when he went back to staring into the night without another word to me but I got the impression that he wanted to me leave even though he never said, something about him just became cold and distant. I didn’t want to be there anymore so I turned away and walked back down the hill to my room, forgetting the reason I had come out that night.
• ‘Lucy!’
• I jerked out of my thoughts when my phone vibrated angrily in my hand. Aaliyah and Monica had been texting over and over trying to get my attention.
• ‘I’m here!’ I responded.
• ‘Well you weren’t saying anything! What do you think?’ Monica asked.
• ‘I was just saying I might want to get to know him,’ Aaliyah texted with a winky face.
• I thought my friend needed a warning if she was going to try to get Nolen to notice her so I sent a text, ‘I wish you good luck but I have a feeling I know this dude and I think I remember him being weird.’
• ‘Of course you,’ Monica texted back with a laughing emoji. ‘You know every guy that has ever walked on this earth.’
• ‘What is that supposed to mean??’ I asked, mildly triggered by that statement as it brought back memories from my early days when I was still a new student in Princeton and the reason I had even moved in the first place.
• ‘You know what I mean,’ Monica replied with another laughing emoji.
• I didn’t find it funny. ‘No I bloody well don’t, Monica. What the hell did you mean by that message?’
• ‘Girls, girls there’s no need to fight,’ Aaliyah hurriedly texted. ‘Lucy I’m sure Monica was just joking.’
• ‘Sure,’ I replied with an eyeroll emoji, ‘But you know why that statement made me pissed.’
• ‘I know, I know. We all remember but you are not the new girl anymore. And you are not in junior class anymore remember? And no rumor can ever tarnish your image again. My God girl, you’re the most popular girl in school now!’
• ‘Lucy I was just jokingggg’ Monica texted. ‘I’m sorry.’
• ‘Fine whatever,’ I replied, ‘You are right, Aaliyah.’
• ‘Good. I don’t want us to start this new session on bad terms okay? We are best friends and always will be and as for the new guy, so what if he’s a weird? I would be surprised if he was just fucking perfect! Wish me luck girls!”