The radio hummed as our car drove past the 'Welcome to Blue Harbour' sign perched directly on the left of the road, surrounded by thick forest. This was where my dad moved to after the divorce. And now here I was, in his black police car driving to my new home for however long it may be.
I picked at a loose thread on my jeans, we barely spoke a sentence to each other from the moment he picked me up from the airport. I mean, it's been quite a few years. The last time I saw him was during summer, when I was 13. Now I'm 17.
"It's not as sunny as I remember." I said, peeping out of the window as we approached a red light. Blue Harbour was a small town, everyone knew each other. Unlike Manhattan where my mom and her fiancé lived.
My dad, being sheriff, surveyed the people. "I don't think this town has seen any sun in a while."
"That explains why you've gone so pale." I chuckled as we rounded a corner.
My dad let out a sigh, "Juliet, you are just like your mother."
I smiled sheepishly.
We drove up the street leading to dad's house, I recognised the oak tree in the driveway, I would always climb it and sit in the dip between the trunk and the branch singing my heart out. I must have thought I was Pocahontas.
The car stopped and we both stepped out, my foot landing straight in the mud. Sneakers do not cooperate with Blue Harbour weather.
I waddled over to my dad who was taking my bags out of the boot.
"Need any help with that?" I asked, grabbing the first bag I could find.
"Don't worry I've gottem." He replied before closing the boot. I pressed my lips into a smile, looking around the neighbourhood.
"Hey Steve." A guy my age jogged towards me and my dad, causing me to avert my gaze from the neighbours treehouse to his face. He had jet black hair and green eyes, my jaw was on the verge of dropping until I realised that I recognised him.
"Dustin! It's nice to see you buddy." My dad turned around, patting his back as they hugged.
Dustin?! There is no way someone could've changed that much. And I mean in a good way. We were literally inseparable as kids.
"Remember me?" He turned away from my dad, a small smirk tugging his lips.
I stared at him as if I didn't know who he was when obviously I did, furrowing my eyebrows. I must have been looking at him like this for more than a minute.
"Of course I do!" I crack a smile, nudging his shoulder. "C'mon you really think I'd forget you Dusty?" I chuckled.
"You had me thinking otherwise when you stared at me like that, it was kinda creepy." He laughed with me.
"I was only playing." I grinned.
"Alright you two." My dad piped in. "Juliet you've got a lot of unpacking to do."
"I'd love to stay and help but I'm supposed to be running errands for my dad." Dustin buried his hands into his pockets.
"Oh that's okay, I'll see you at school then?"
"About that." He chuckled. "I don't go to school here, Blue Harbour high is full of people I do not roll with."
No sweat.
"Thanks for the notice, I'll see you around then."
"Sure, bye Steve."
My dad lifted a hand, I'm guessing that's how sheriffs wave. Dustin walked off, flashing me a smile.
"It's definitely been a while, I kinda feel old now." I followed my dad into the house.
"It sure has."
* * *
First day of school and I may have already found my best friends.
I took a bite out of my pizza whilst Cheryl and Veronica, who I met during gym, questioned me about my life in Manhattan.
"God, school there must have been so prestige." Cheryl sighed.
"You have no idea, we even had uniforms." I shivered thinking about the shit coloured blazer and skirt they made us wear.
"Consider yourself lucky, this school is a load of crap." Veronica adjusted her glasses and huffed.
Two guys walked over to our lunch table, I'm guessing they knew Cheryl and Veronica.
"I fucking bet all my lunch money in chess club." One of them said dropping down onto the green plastic chair beside me, snatching a chip off Cheryl's tray.
I couldn't help but muffle my laugh.
"Jake you are a whole other kind of stupid." Veronica stared at him with pure disgust.
"Why were you even in chess club?" The other guy, Caleb, said. I had already met him during first period.
"Because I like chess?" Jake looked at Caleb like he was some sort of alien.
Jake turned to me, clearly intrigued. "You're the new girl right?"
"Yup, that's me, the new girl." I smiled awkwardly. "I'm Juliet."
"Juliet... thats a nice-" Jake began before Cheryl cut him off.
"Jake shut the fuck up they're here." She half whispered half yelled at him, suddenly everyone on the table turned around.
I furrowed my eyebrows, who's they?
I turned to look in the direction everyone else was staring at. A group of guys walked into the cafeteria, dressed in black leather jackets, their hands covered in tattoos and chunky silver rings. It was like something out of a movie.
Almost everyone stopped eating their lunch just to stare at them. I mean who wouldn't? It was a herd of dangerously sexy looking guys, making such a dramatic entrance that even I had to blink twice to realise I wasn't dreaming.
The last guy to walk in had his jacket flung over his shoulder, his white shirt hugged his athletic figure as he strolled through the cafeteria, tattoos covered his biceps which grew as he ran his large hands through his disheveled dark brown hair, a silver chain with a cross dangled around his neck and a seemingly permanent smirk played on his lips. I could swear I was drooling all over the table. He was fucking hot, and he looked like trouble.
"Who is that?" I whispered, watching him sit down with the other guys. He glanced in my direction and I quickly looked away. I could feel his stare penetrating through my body.
"That, sweet Juliet, is Grayson Dolan." Veronica rested her chin on her hand and continued ogling him.
"They're from the other side of town, the bad side of town. His dad's well known in Blue Harbour for the wrong reasons, and his brother dropped out of high school. Trouble runs in the family let me tell you that."
I pursed my lips, turning back around to look at him. Part of me was curious about this bad guy.
"They hardly ever show up at school, guess today's your lucky day." Caleb picked at his fries, I cleared my throat and returned my gaze to the lunch table.
"Trust me, we've all gone through that phase where we fell for his ridiculously good looks. But Grayson Dolan is bad news, my only advice is that you keep a distance." Cheryl noticed me ogling, "Seriously Juliet, I wouldn't waste my time."
I pressed my lips together and quickly turned to stare down at my hands. "I wasn't planning on it."
