1 Chapter one || Katie’s POV

Walking into the kitchen I reach my arms out. Stretching them as I yawn; I glance at the clock on the kitchen wall.

'Six forty,' I mutter under my breath as I grab a piece of bread from the bread dispenser before putting it in the toaster and pressing down on the handle. My mother had bought the dispenser assuming it would be game changing and I had laughed at her for it, but now I find myself being the one who uses it the most but i'd never let her know that.

Leaning my arms down onto the kitchen island waiting for the bread to toast I notice a hand reach over my shoulder. Watching as it puts two pieces of bread into the toaster, it pushes down two of the handles in one movement.

Trailing my eyes up the arm I follow at the tense veins before reaching the owner of the hand's eye level, which is well above mine.

'Morning.' Colten speaks up. I instantly noticing the raspiness of his voice.

Assuming that he must've just woken up, it would make the two of us.

As cliquè as it sounds Colten's my brother's best friend. I've known him since I was five and despite us never really being close. I've grown somewhat comfortable around him, despite how awkward it is when we're alone.

He had met my brother at a basketball club when they were seven and where inseparable since, refusing to leave each other alone. Eventually he had met me since he begun coming over to hangout after training but we never really talked, always passing each other in the school halls as if we didn't know each other.

'Morning...' I answer back awkwardly as I hear the ping of the toaster.

Grabbing my piece of toast I place is quickly onto a plate to avoid burning myself before then reaching for the strawberry jam. Opening the lid I grab a knife from the drawer before smearing it over the toast.

He doesn't stay for long as his toast finishes soon after mine. Carelessly he grabs them both with his bare hands not reacting to the obvious heat emitting off them before making his way back upstairs. I wonder if it hurt.

Watching him disappear upstairs I grab my plate picking it up before stepping out the kitchen heading towards the couch and groaning as I sit onto the floor in front of it. Gently putting my plate onto the glass coffee table I let out a breath as I trail my thumb up the leg of the table.

Gazing at the gold laced design that loops around into a straight spiral pattern I move my hand up until I reach the sharp corner of the table. I've always liked to touch the legs as the bumpy design always left me with a tingle up my arm.

Pulling away I reach for my laptop from the holder I keep downstairs instead of my room, to prevent myself from watching shows till late night.

I've been waking up early for the past week since I've got six assignments I held back on and now have only a month to do. Luckily for me I've done two so I'm only left with four left with three weeks on the clock.

I click onto word before opening a blank document. I begin to type down words. Focusing onto the clicking on my fingers I pray to any available higher beings that what I'm writing make sense.

An hour goes by and I've long finished my toast with nothing but crumbs left on the plate and table. Another hour or two go by and I begin to feel hungry again, not sure if it's because of my fast metabolism or because I only ate a singular piece of toast.

'Are you doing the same assignment you did yesterday?' I hear a voice speak behind me causing me to cock my head towards the sound, relaxing once I meet eyes with Damon.

Despite him being tall, and really fucking toned for his age, he walks incredibly lightly. Not even Jesus himself would notice Damon if he walked into a room. He's so quiet.

Although the word 'quiet' doesn't suit his character at all. Damon is the type of person to make fun of a teacher to their face or purposely hit someone in the back of the head with a basketball just because he can.

'What the fuck Damon don't scare me like that,' I mumble before turning back to the screen noticing the 3% symbol on the top right corner. Realizing it wasn't charged after it was used previously. 'Who used my laptop?'

'You did...yesterday...like I said,' he laughs before heading towards the door but I interrupt him before he can leave.

'Wait where are you going? Where's Colton?' I ask slowly as I divert my eyes around the open living space. He could be in another room but why would Damon leave then.

'What do you mean? He had left ages ago,' Damon asks as if I was stupid.

Confused on how I didn't notice him come back downstairs and leave the house. He must've purposely made sure not to catch my attention. It's normal for him to ignore me like that but he could've at least said bye.

'We have that basketball game against Westview tonight so he went home to get ready...you're coming to watch right?'

'I've never missed one,' I remind him before looking back at my laptop.

I've always attended every single one of Lakewood's seniors basketball games, I could say I knew all the player's personally by how many times i've seen them play. That and because Damon is the captain and he's also my brother.

Pretty much anyone can join the team after passing a basketball athletics test. Though they usually get automatically benched and only play up to a quarter each season, so they can give more play time to the main five.

Damon, Colton, Noah, Jacob and Thale.

Besides the fact that they're all incredibly good at the sport they're just as good in physical beauty department. As dramatic as it sounds I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if if I where to guess that all they're body counts are above one hundred, as gross as it is to think about since one of them is my brother.

I'd be lying to say they didn't have pretty privilege and that it didn't benefit them. They're so fucking popular it's unreal, they're living the dream lives. At least from my perspective that's what I'm seeing.

But all that training and working out so that they stay good at basketball, only makes them more attractive as it works on their bodies. Which is uncomfortable for me, since being Damon's sister i'm sometimes left alone with them more often then I would like.

Being left with them in the living room or talking to them in the kitchen is a common occurrence for me. I've been told that I'm 'lucky' but profusely I'd disagree. If someone offered to take my spot I'd swap with them in a heartbeat. People tend to edit their personalities in their head, being alone with them doesn't mean they're suddenly flirtatious and I have four guys after me. It's usually awkward.

Scratch that, it's always awkward unless Damon is there. He's like the mutual friend who's existence prevents the energy from being weird. Especially since they have so much power over others so I feel as if I shouldn't be talking to them.

Not that I'm 'unpopular' myself. I'm directly in the middle of the food chain. The only difference between me and everyone else is I'm excused from the tormenting regular people get from what I like to call 'the brainless meats.'

It's my personal way of categorizing all the varsity sports kids and cheerleaders into one group. They don't interact with me but they also make sure not to upset me either. When they look at me, all they see is Damon and no one with more than two working brain cells would fuck with the basketball captain.

Regardless, if you're apart of any of the varsity sports teams you're almost automatically considered 'one of them' but there's a difference despite them all hanging out together as one. There's a difference between how the basketball team is treated compared to the other sports.

All the sports are difficult to get into given the fact that the athletics testing for each is difficult. Except for basketball, each year it gets harder and harder and now that my brother and his team is in senior year. They don't want new members messing with the dynamics so the test is virtually impossible to pass now.

Our school sees them as gods for passing it and managing to be the top five even though they joined in freshman year when it was just as easy to get into as any other sport. Damon told me about it but he told me not to tell anyone so I didn't. If anything I think it's more complimentary that they would change the test, just because they consider their skills that unmatchable.

Sometimes it's draining to think about how bad the hierarchy system is at my school. I wish everyone just relaxed. Once the basketball team graduates I feel like it will be a bit better. Sure they'll always be replacements but having them at this school only ties the knot since they sit at the top.

Which is exactly why I feel uneasy when I'm around all of them.

Well all except Noah, I don't think he could ever make me feel uncomfortable even if he tried. He's the only one who I genuinely don't mind being around and if anything I enjoy it.

Not that anyone knows that though. He made it very obvious that know one should know. Especially not Damon.