Page 5 of Under the Influence

Poor Carson being so famous must be awful.

But it’s not. I’ve always been well-liked. You know what is awful, though? Being used and never knowing who genuinely wants to be with you, or just wants their follower count to rise.

Nash is at his locker. Our third baseman, Crew, is smiling and laughing about something. I try to squeeze by without them noticing, wanting to slink into the quietness of my next class. A class I actually like with kids who could care less about my subscriber count. Film study is the only class of the entire day where I don’t think about baseball. The scouts, the workouts, the constant training to be the best.

“You just gonna walk right by us?”

I swivel my head in their direction, “I didn’t see you guys.”

Crew coughs out a loud “bullshit.”

“Give me a break. School just started on Monday, and I’m still recovering from summer.” I make an excuse, an empty one but still.

“Ha, we are all recovering from that.” Nash grins, wiggling his eyebrows.

Avery steps into view, with Jovie and Parker, her two minions at her side. I take a step backward, hoping to hide behind someone but realize it’s a lost cause when she practically shoves Nash out of her way.

“Are you just going to ignore my texts?” She whispers, her arms crossed over her chest.

“I haven’t had the chance to respond. I’m sorry.” She rolls her eyes, looking around to see who is watching us, before stepping closer.

“Don’t forget to meet at my house tonight after practice,” she says seductively, running her finger down my chest, pulling me in by my shirt. “Just come straight upstairs. My dad is out of town.”

She kisses my lips lightly before walking away, all of the guys turning to me with shit-eating grins.

“I’ll be waiting for you,” Nash mocks. “Naked in my bed.”

Crew chuckles, “I wish a cheerleader would walk up and say that to me.”

What they don’t know is that she doesn’t mean it. She will be more interested in taking a picture with me and tagging herself on my Instagram than getting it on.

It’s a total turn-off for me. Don't get me wrong, Avery is beautiful. She looks like she could be a long-lost Kardashian sister, but when she instantly pulls out her phone when you’re around, it kills the mood.

The day passes in a blur and by the time lunch rolls around, I’m ready to escape.

Jonah, our first baseman and team captain, sits at the head of the table. He and our right fielder, Gavin, are both seniors. The only seniors on the team. Nash, Crew, and I sit on one side, with Avery, Jovie, and Parker on the other. Parker and Jonah have been dating since I was a freshman. They are cute together and pretty much have the homecoming titles in the bag, which rubs Jovie the wrong way. She swears it’s solely because she is a senior. Jovie doesn’t know humility or how to pretend she’s not a stuck-up bitch.

I see Nash’s eyes widen as everyone’s attention is turned to the cafeteria door. Miss Mason is standing there with a girl at her side. Jovie sneers, turning back to her tray.

“Who is that?” Crew asks.

Avery smiles, “That’s Cori, Jovie’s new sister.”

Jovie flips her blonde hair over her shoulder, “She’s not my sister.”

Crew’s grin widens. “She can be my sister,” he whistles. “Or my step sister. I watched a video⁠—”

“Crew!” Parker warns. “Stop, you’re such a pig.”

“An extremely good-looking pig,” he adds, “with abs.”

Jonah laughs, tossing a fry at him, “She’s not interested in your abs, Collins.”

Crew smiles, his eyes still trained on the new girl.

Jovie can’t wipe the sneer from her face, Avery’s nose is stuck in her phone, and I take my time memorizing the new girl. She’s not very tall, but her legs are long and toned, her caramel hair is tied up in a bun, and her skin glows. It’s a soft sun-kissed tan, not the spray tans that Avery and Jovie strut around in. Immediately, I notice how she’s different than the girls here at Legacy. She wears jean shorts, a black cropped Blink 182 T-shirt, and a pair of low-top Chuck Taylor’s.

Crew is the first to break the silence, “So Jovie, if she’s not your sister, then?”