Vic mumbles a slew of profanity that would probably get him sent to the principal’s office if any teacher heard him.

Luke Handler is known for trying to hook up with as many girls as he can. He’s also got this habit of posting pictures of girls making out with him online. It boosts his ego and his playboy status. He’s perfected the way he convinces each girl that, unlike all the girls before her, she’s the only one who can turn him into a committed, monogamous boyfriend. While Luke ends up looking like a stud when the “relationship” quickly ends, the girls end up with bad reputations.

Vic’s face turns from stoic to lethal.

“I’ll smile while kicking Luke Handler’s ass,” he says to me, then storms down the hallway toward H hall.

“Don’t get yourself in trouble,” I call out, even though I know Vic doesn’t fear getting into trouble.

Someone needs to tell Victor Salazar that fighting and smiles aren’t supposed to mix. Ever.

Chapter Three

VICTOR

Dani is a freshman, so she has no clue that hanging out in H hall is a bad thing. It takes a few days for the new freshmen to learn that if you want to hook up, you go to H hall to avoid being seen by teachers.

H hall is also considered the hos’ den.

I hear the bell ring just as I catch sight of Luke Handler talking to my sister, looming over her as she leans against the solid brick wall. She’s looking up at him, batting her eyelashes and giggling at something he just told her.

“Yo, Handler!” I call out just as the douche bag is about to touch her face with his grimy hands. I grab his collar and look into his beady eyes. “What’re you doin’?”

The dude holds up his hands. “Uh… nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothin’ to me, man.”

Handler looks from Dani to me. “Is she your girlfriend or something?”

I sneer at him. “No. She’s my sister, you piece of shit. If I see you even look at her again, take her to H hall again, or take any picture with her and post it online, you’ll be starin’ at my fist instead of my face. Got it?”

The guy swallows, hard. “Sure. I—I got it.”

As I let go of his collar and he rushes down the hall to get as far away from me as he can, the sound of my sister’s exaggerated groan echoes in the air. “Oh my God, Vic! You are such a dork! I’m just trying to have some fun here. Are you always going to ruin everything?”

“Yes.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not prissy Marissa. If he did something I didn’t want to do, he’d have my knee in his balls.”

I don’t doubt that, but Dani isn’t used to guys like Kiss-and-Tell Handler.

The late bell rings. Damn.

“Marissa is probably in class right now,” I tell her. “Which is a helluva lot better than bein’ in H hall with Fremont’s resident player. He wanted you to hook up with him so he could show off what a stud he is and post shit all over the Internet. That’s not happenin’ on my watch. Now go back to class before the security guards catch you ditchin’.”

My sister gathers her books and starts walking away from me. “You’re a hypocrite, Vic,” she says. “You act like you’re all high-and-mighty when you’re the biggest fuckup at this school. Rumor has it people are making bets on whether or not you’ll end up graduating or in jail by the end of the year. You want me to tell you which one has the best odds?”

“No.”

She flashes me a satisfied, wicked grin that reminds me of Papá, before strutting off to class.

I round the corner to M hall for my first-period class and come face-to-face with the man who’s supposed to keep Fremont free of drugs, violence, and troublemakers.

Officer Jim.

“Stop right there,” Officer Jim calls out. The smug look on his face is an indication that he likes his job way too much. “I don’t suppose you have a hall pass, son.”

I shake my head.

“Then we’re gonna have to take a little walk to the principal’s office.”

If I get in trouble, Coach Dieter will make my life a living hell. Extra laps during football practice will be the least of my problems. “Can’t I just go to class?” I ask him. “Cut me some slack.”

Officer Jim shakes his head. “My job is to report all tardy and suspicious activity to cut down on student delinquency.”

“Delinquency? Come on, you can’t be serious. It’s the first day of school. Maybe I got lost.”