Chapter 1
Something’s not quite right, and I can’t put my finger on it. The driver sent from River Rock to pick me up and bring me to my new home away from home seems nice enough, but he’s been looking at me strangely through the rearview mirror for the last twenty minutes. I don’t know what the fuck his problem is, but it’s setting me on edge.
Trying to ignore him, I stare steadily out the window at the changing colors of leaves on the trees. My anxiety builds with each passing mile. As nervous as I am about the other unknowns to come—new surroundings, a family, a school uniform—I’m also relieved to be traveling a good distance from my hometown, where everyone knows me and my mother. The honest truth is I want this chance to be in a place where no one can judge me based on where I live or what I wear or how I choose to spend my time. This new adventure at Rosehaven Academy should be a good thing.
Rosehaven is an uber-expensive private school that only the most elite of the elite attend—unless they have a scholarship like I do. Coach Simon swears being on Rosehaven’s gymnastics team will give me the visibility I need to get picked up by a college next year. He’d sent a video in to the coach of Rosehaven’s team and the rest was history.
The idea of earning my way onto a college team practically has me drooling. I want this—for something in my life to go right for once. I’m an average student with average general abilities. The one area I excel in is gymnastics. This is my ticket out of here and away from everything I’ve fought against my entire life.
As I glance out the window of the sleek black town car I’m riding in, I can tell from the road signs we’re getting close to River Rock. I start classes at Rosehaven Academy on Tuesday, giving me three days between now and then to get acclimated to the Danbrook family and their home.
We drive swiftly through the streets of River Rock, getting closer and closer to where my host family lives. This is no regular community; these people must be disgustingly rich. I’d been given no real insight into the family when they’d signed up to take me on for the rest of the year. What I do know is this: Dad Danbrook is a former professional football player. Mom Danbrook is a full-time supporter of whatever her husband does. They have two sons, Beau and Griffin, very much into football, and the older one is also a star on the wrestling team.
I know all of this because I fucking snooped on social media. No way was I moving somewhere without knowing what I’d be getting myself into. Where I come from, walking into an unknown means being set up for all sorts of trouble.
As nervous as I am about staying with strangers, this has to be better than where I come from. Hell, my mother, Claire, has no fucking clue where I’m going, and I’m sure she’s probably too high to care. It’s for the best she doesn’t know.
On the one hand, she’s my mom. I think I’m programmed to love her even though she hardly cares about me. On the other hand, she’s a drug addict, among other things, and responsible for my craptacular life after popping me out at age sixteen. The only thing she’s ever done right was bring me to Simon’s gym that one day when they had a freebie class. I was five, and she forgot to pick me back up. Maybe she left me there on purpose? I’ll never know, but a parent leaving her child somewhere would normally be a sad story, only that’s how my coach discovered me, so I’m grateful for her idiocy. Because without the focus of gymnastics, I’d probably be following in my mother’s footsteps.
So, if I can survive living with my neglectful mother, I’m sure I can survive this family. From the looks of the neighborhood, Mike Danbrook must have endorsements out the ears to have this kind of money. It hadn’t taken me long to look him up and find out what happened to his wildly successful football career—he’d blown out his knee. After that, he changed gears and went into sports broadcasting. And, considering the houses get bigger and bigger the farther along this road we go, I’d bet Mr. Danbrook has invested his money well.
If my mom ever stumbled into that kind of money, she’d probably snort it all in no time flat, and we’d be broke again. I shake my head at the thought, rolling my eyes a bit. I sincerely doubt my mother has anything in common with the Danbrooks.
Finally, the town car slows and turns onto a driveway, which winds along through picture-perfect landscaping. I suck in a breath when the house comes into view. Holy. Fucking. Shit. I can’t believe I’m going to be staying here…
The rambling mansion is two stories of light-colored brick and dotted with a literal shit ton of windows. As we pull up out front, a giant fancy sparkling chandelier is visible through the windows to the foyer. The driver stops the car in front of a garage with way too many bays. Who needs that many cars? Maybe they aren’t full. Ha. Don’t kid yourself. Of course they are. They probably have an entire fleet of the most expensive cars money can buy.
The door opens and a petite brunette slips out onto the front steps, squinting at us. She’s dressed in black pants and a simple floral blouse. She doesn’t look like Carissa Danbrook—I’ve seen photos. That’s when it hits me—this isn’t Carissa. They totally have the kind of money to employ a housekeeper, just like they have a driver. Duh.
I inhale deeply, trying to collect my scattered thoughts. When I take another look, she crosses her arms over her chest, apparently waiting for me. I guess that means it’s time to get out. Biting my lip, I unhook my seat belt and grasp the door handle. My palms sweat. I’m freaking nervous to find out who these people really are and what I’m going to find beyond that front door.