Chapter 1

He stood by the window, sunlight catching the sharp line of his jaw.

Liam.

My Liam.

He wasn' t always like this, so confident, so... put together.

I remembered a different Liam, a boy who was all sharp angles and quiet shadows.

Back then, at Northwood Prep, he was just the scholarship kid.

The one everyone whispered about.

My English teacher, Ms. Davison, had that pinched look on her face when she talked about my grades.

"Hailey, your father expects better. Perhaps a tutor?"

Bryce, captain of the lacrosse team, all teeth and swagger, leaned over. "I could help you out, Hailey. We could study... a lot."

His hand brushed my arm. I pulled away.

Ms. Davison sighed. "Bryce, while your enthusiasm is... noted, perhaps someone more academically focused."

Her eyes flicked to the back of the room, to Liam O' Connell.

He was always bent over a book, a cheap spiral notebook open beside him.

Skinny. Too skinny.

"Mr. O' Connell is our top student," Ms. Davison announced, a hint of something I couldn' t name in her voice. Disdain?

I looked at Liam. He didn' t look up.

"Okay," I said, surprising myself. "Liam can tutor me."

Bryce scoffed. "Seriously? Him?"

Ms. Davison raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Very well. Arrange it amongst yourselves."

Later, I found Liam by his locker. It was dented. His sneakers were falling apart, the canvas frayed, soles worn thin.

"Liam?"

He jumped, dropping a book.

"Uh, hi," I said, picking it up. "I' m Hailey. About the tutoring..."

He finally looked at me. His eyes were a startling blue, but wary.

"Ms. Davison said..." he began, his voice soft, barely a whisper.

"Yeah. So, when are you free?" I tried for a bright smile.

He looked down at his worn sneakers. "After school. Most days."

"Great."

Bryce sauntered past, bumping Liam' s shoulder hard. "Watch it, scholarship."

Liam flinched but said nothing.

My choice was made. And it already felt like drawing a line in the sand.