Peyton Church is a city girl by anyone's standards. Born and raised in New York City, she grew up wanting for nothing. She attended the most prestigious preparatory schools, shopped on Fifth Avenue, dined with the rich and famous and was adored by...
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"YOU SURE YOU don't want a ride to school, Pey?" Mom asks from behind the kitchen counter. With one hand, she stuffs the last bite of toast in her mouth and proceeds to pull her dark hair away from her face.
"I'm sure, Mom," I insist, crumbling a piece of muffin between my fingers. "A friend's supposed to pick me up."
Mom's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "A friend?"
I let out a breezy laugh, getting up and joining my mom by the kitchen counter. "Yes, Mom. I do have friends you know."
Her surprised face morphs into a meek glare. "I know that, I'm just happy to hear you're letting yourself fit in here. When do I get to meet this mysterious friend?"
"Eventually," I shrug, cleaning off my plate and setting it in the dish rack. "I've just got to schedule it around times when Jayden isn't at home. I'd rather he not scare anyone away."
"I heard that!" My darling brother calls gruffly as he joins us in the kitchen, backpack over his shoulder.
"I don't care. You're the one who keeps insisting you don't want people at school to know I'm your prettier, smarter, older sister."
With one hand, Jay flips me off before Mom can see it from behind her hand pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Is it too much to ask for you two to get along for just one day?" She asks, exasperated.
My brother and I respond simultaneously. "Yes."
Our mom mutters under her breath as she ignores the two of us. I don't catch all of what she's saying— more than likely she's cursing ever deciding two have two children in the first place— but I recognize a handful of Greek words, which comes as a small surprise. I didn't think Mom really knew much Greek anymore.
"Right, let's get going, Jayden. Before you and your sister give me grey hairs," she says as she hitches her purse over her shoulder. "Have a good day, Peyton."
"Bye," I snicker, a blazing grin on my face as she kisses my cheek and walks by me towards the front door.
My brother doesn't bother saying goodbye. Rock Valley High is a small school, and as much as Jayden despises it, we end up running into each other despite his best efforts.
This also means, unfortunately, that I might not be able to hide my fake relationship from my mom for as long as I'd been hoping. Chances are, the second we get home, Jayden will be gleefully telling our mom about my new boyfriend and watching on in sheer amusement as she interrogates me until she knows his cousin's sister-in-law's step-father's middle name.
