Page 118 of Under the Waves
Nova was Lia’s childhood friend like Jakson and I. They met through ballet as they ended up going to the same studio when they were little. When you heard Dancing Queen blasting through the speakers at four in the morning, you knew that Nova Collettò was wide awake, probably dancing around the kitchen in the refrigerator light making a smoothie bowl. And making a mess all over the counter tops, glasses falling down her nose and brown hair barely held together by a little red bow, as she used a wooden spoon as a microphone.
That was just who Nova Collettò was—a witty, Rachel Green reincarnate who danced to any kind of music and could solve equations faster than you could blink. And if she wasn’t dancing ballet, she was terrorizing her classmates who couldn’t keep up with her bustling mind. Little miss tutor girl turned little miss terror. I wouldn’t deny that she was smart as fuck, though. That girl pulled A* out of the sky.
Jakson stared past the crowds of people to where I assumed the girls were gossiping. “Nova’s here to stay, apparently. For good this time.”
“What?” I stuttered.
He hummed. “Yup. She flew in from Spain a few weeks ago. Transferred to Hawthorne Hills Elite Academy, too. She’s going to be starting there in the fall.”
I paused, considering his words. “Does Kai know she’s backin town?”
We both went silent.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “Shit.”
“Has anyone told him?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I tried bribing Lia into telling him, but she refused.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Nice tactic.”
He shook his head. His eyes kept straying towards Lia like just being apart from her, even within the same walls, was giving him hives. I swore those two were always connected by one way or another.
“You should go and find her. You know, check on her. See if she’s okay.”
He hummed, nodding, but he wasn’t present. Not really. “Yeah.”
Just as Jakson jumped to his feet, some girl slipped between the two of us.
“Hey, Jasper,” she purred, kneeling down in front of me, not giving Jakson a second of her attention. “Let’s have some fun tonight, yeah?”
Her fingers brushed against my cheek as I recoiled.
No. That’s not right. You aren’t my Wellsy.
“Shhh,” she soothed, continuing to brush my cheek, “I’ll take care of you real good tonight.”
“Fuck off, Miya. He’s drunk and you’re taking advantage of him,” Jakson growled, forcing himself between her body and mine. She didn’t even bat an eyelash at him.
“You want me, don’t you, Captain?”
I think I was going to be sick.
“You have three seconds to get out of my house before I drag you out by those fake as fuck blond extensions.”
“Oh, for fuck sake, Jakson. Go and take a look around your empty house,” Miya cackled just as Hanna Saint-Hayes, her little minion, appeared behind her as if on cue. “Not even your own parents loved you enough to stay. Money sure can buy a lot of things, but apparently not love!”
“Back the fuck up, Miya!” I roared, jumping up to my feet just as Lachlan and Xander appeared beside me. All our fistsclenched in unison as we stood there like an impenetrable force to protect Jakson, who hadn’t even managed to crack a smile.
“Miya, this seems too far. Maybe we should go…” Hanna spoke quietly, her eyes as dark as death. A little black satin dress pooled around her hips, tightly hugging every curve, as her smoky black eyes narrowed.
“Oh, shutup!” Miya whined. “Honestly, you’re useless. I’m so sick and tired of your little emo routine, Hanna. Its pa-the-tic. Just like that Milla girl was.”
One moment, Hanna was stood beside Miya, brooding and silent, but the next minute, she was on her like a lion going in for the kill. Hanna clawed and ripped at Miya’s hair, throwing a few punches to her cheeks and jaw. Blood, thick and crimson, seeped between the gaps between Hanna’s fingers as it dripped from every freshly opened cut on Miya’s face. She fought like she wanted to kill her. But the look in her eyes—thehatred—it was more than that for Hanna. She wasmaulingher.