Chapter 1

My hometown of Oxford, Ohio, is very boring, to say the least. Cornfields everywhere. Dirt roads. More cornfields. A thirty-minute drive to get anywhere. Oh yeah, and more cornfields.

Maybe I’m being too hard on Ohio. It isn’t all bad. It’s peaceful. The stars shine brightly at night. We have a flowing creek in our backyard. My dog has acres of land to run on. Yeah, it’s not so bad.

But none of this mattered now. I sighed as we pulled into our new driveway. A big, crooked cactus to the right of our door greeted us. I wondered if I’ll get used to Arizona. Cactuses, palm trees, dry heat, no water sources. I already felt like a dried-up sponge.

“Well, here we are, kiddo!” my dad exclaimed, happily. My mother glanced back at me, looking for any bit of happiness on my face. She knew this move was hard on me. I had to leave my friends behind. I would have stayed behind and gone to college there, but I got accepted at the U of A, and their basketball team was pretty good. It wasn’t Ohio State, but I couldn’t complain, as upset as I was. Still, I threw a small smile her way. I couldn’t bear to see her disappointed.

Layla jumped in my lap, eager to get out of the car. We’ve had her ever since she was just a puppy. I opened the door and she hopped out immediately, her brindle coat shining brightly in the sunlight. As she sniffed around our new yard, I slowly crawled out of the backseat and followed my parents to the front door.

“Okay, so, behold your new humble abode!” My father, David, opened the door to the little adobe house and I timidly walked in. He had flown out to look at the house, but this was my mother’s and my first time seeing it.

“It’s so beautiful!” She gasped and rushed through the living room, to the kitchen. “Oh my gosh, I love the island!” She was a chef, so the kitchen was a big selling part to my dad. They were so sweet and so in love.

They were a great example for any kid. And not only that—they were amazing parents, as well. When I came out to them, they welcomed me with open arms. I slapped my dad on the arm when he laughed and said, “Duh!”

As they went through each room, my mother gasping and my father smiling at her reactions, I casually walked around, inspecting everything. Dark red tile floors, light brown walls, vaulted ceilings. I was upset to learn that houses in Arizona generally didn’t have basements. My bedroom at our old house was the basement and I loved it.

I paused in front of the room in the back of the house. It had sliding doors connected to the patio. It was small, but cute.

“You found your room, Emily!” My dad grinned from the bedroom door.

“Really?” I smiled brightly. I loved the room. Especially the freedom of the sliding doors to the backyard.

“Yup. But no sneaking girls in through the door at night.” He winked and laughed as I scowled and stuck my tongue out at him.

Just to be clear, I did not have a rebellious track record with girls. I had only had two girlfriends before and neither of them were serious. Hayley was my first girlfriend, but she was just going through a phase. Jessica and I were together for a year, but our relationship got stale. She ended up looking for excitement with one of our mutual ‘friends.’

Don’t get me wrong, I am decent looking—long brown hair, hazel eyes, fit body thanks to basketball. I had plenty of girls hitting on me, but my focus was my schooling, not dating, right now. There would be plenty of time for relationships after I graduated and earned my degree.

* * * *

We’ve been here for a week now and we’re almost completely settled in. Thankfully, my classes start next Monday. Four days until I step foot onto the new campus. Four days until I’m submerged in a sea of faces I’ve never seen before.

A knock at the door woke me up and I lay in bed, waiting for my parents to answer it.

Knock knock knock.

Ugh. Why weren’t they answering it? I got out of bed and grabbed my glasses from the nightstand, putting them on my face. I ran a hand through my messy hair, in an attempt to make myself look presentable. With my sweatpants and T-shirt, I’m sure it was null and void anyways.

I swung open the door and let out a quick hello that sounded more like a question than a statement. I was greeted by an older blonde woman, a man wearing a flannel and jeans—presumably her husband, and a young woman. I had to double-take the latter. She was a hotyoung woman. Sandy blonde hair, tan skin, green eyes, tight jeans, and a black band T-shirt. She was looking into my eyes and I shifted my weight, getting nervous under her gaze.