Valeria Sanchez is one race away from everything she's ever wanted. Harper Dawson is the only thing standing in her way-and she's not about to back down.
With a prestigious track scholarship on the line, Valeria and Harper have been locked in a fier...
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I push open the front door, already halfway through pulling my shoes off, when I hear a voice from the kitchen.
"Harper! Guess who's home?"
I freeze. No way. I wasn't expecting her to visit, not today, not when I'm already exhausted from practice and just want to crash.
I shove my sneakers to the side and make my way into the kitchen, where Mom is standing by the stove, stirring something that smells like pasta. And sitting at the table, looking way too comfortable, is Maddie.
"Surprise!" she says, flashing that perfect smile of hers. The one that could probably sell toothpaste. "Figured I'd drop by for the weekend."
I blink, trying to process that she's here. She never mentioned she was coming home. Of course, she didn't. Maddie's always like that—just breezing in and out of our lives, like she's some kind of guest in the family now.
I feel a flicker of excitement, though. I love seeing her. I do. But it's always a mixed bag. Her being here means two things: one, we'll probably catch up on all the stuff we never really talk about over text, and two, I'm going to spend the next couple of days feeling like a total failure compared to her.
"Didn't know you were coming," I say, trying to sound casual as I drop my bag on the floor.
"Yeah, it was last minute. Just needed a break from all the law school craziness." She flips her hair over her shoulder like even that doesn't faze her. Maddie, the queen of handling everything. I can barely handle high school, and she's out there crushing it in law school.
I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and lean against the counter. "How's that going?"
She shrugs, like it's no big deal. "Busy, you know. But good. I'm on top of everything."
Of course she is.
Mom turns around from the stove, smiling like Maddie just solved world peace or something. "Isn't it great to have your sister home, Harper?"
"Yeah, it's great," I say, taking a sip of water. And it is. But also, it's not. Because now the comparison game is about to start, and I'm not in the mood for it. Not after the day I've had.
I'm surprised Mom is actually home. She's rarely home when I come in from school. I'm sure her presence is thanks to Maddie.
Maddie looks at me with that slightly concerned older-sister expression. "So, how's school? And track?"
I almost laugh. How's school? Yeah, let's talk about how I'm barely keeping my head above water in calculus. Or how I'm stressing about this scholarship because if I don't get it, there's no college for me. Meanwhile, she got into school with a full ride, didn't even need to worry about money.
"It's fine," I say, keeping my voice flat. "Track's good."
She raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Just good? I thought you were killing it this season."
