Chapter 1

Hi, I need a ticket for homecomingis this like-

Like what? Caroline scrutinized An Ton from under her ombre bangs. Even though Carolina had been elected class president,
apparently everyone at Bellmont agreed homecoming queen was a step too far and had elected Olivia Allen instead.
UghAn Ton you are literally so annoying. Seriously? Olivia lounged against her locker, her floral crop top riding up high enough
to reveal a gaudy silver piercing.
Yeah, seriously, An Ton, why are you even bothering to buy a ticket? Caroline asked. We all know no one is going to take you to
homecoming.
I guess thats why shes only buying one? Right? Olivia laughed.
No. Well, yes, An Ton said.
Whatever. It will be a great day when Principal Jackson realizes transfer students are a bad idea, Olivia shrugged. I mean
seriously, what are you? Some freaky fourteen-year-old junior?
Umno, Im not-
Are you retarded, Olivia? Caroline rolled her eyes. Olivia rearranged her thong through the pant leg of her white jean shorts. Shes
not a junior. Everyone knows its easier to get into Bellmont Prep as a transfer. Shes one of those eighteen-year-old freshmen who
are too stupid to pass pre-calc.
Im 16. And Im a junior. An Ton said. Theres nothing wrong with-
Just shut up, and take your ticket. Caroline tossed a crumpled raffle ticket across the counter.
Oh, and, An Ton, we have a Facebook group for homecoming this year so no one dupes on their dresses, Olivia waved her phone
in An Tons direction. Just, like, post a pic, and make sure no one else is wearing whatever thrift store monstrosity youre trying to
pass off as a homecoming dress.
Great. Thanks. Dozens of students were clustered around the counter, attracted by the sound of drama, tickets and branded
homecoming swag. An Ton shoved the ticket in her pocket as she pushed through the crowd. English was usually her favorite class,
but she spent the rest of the day in the coffee shop across the Bellmont Auditorium.
Transferring to Bellmont had felt like a new beginning after An Tons parents mysteriously passed away. The summer after their
funeral, An Ton had moved in with her incontinent Aunt Elizabeth and spent most of her time washing the womans mobile home. By
the time August came around, An Ton was sleep deprived and ready for her junior year.
She hid her face behind a coffee mug, hoping none of the unemployed soccer moms would notice how much shed been crying.
An Ton! What are you doing here?
Samuel Black flopped down at An Tons table, slurping on his mint green protein shake.
Im sorry I really dont want to talk. An Ton delicately brushed a remained tear off her flushed cheeks. If this is about the
homecoming Facebook group, I promise Ill post my dress-
What? Samuel asked. Oh, yeahthat was Carolines brainchild. Shes weird about that.
Weird?
Yeah, well, bitch is the other word for it. Im dating her best friend, so I try not to use that one.
You shouldnt use it anyway! An Tons mother had spent several years working in an inner city community garden with Vietnamese
convicts. Driven by a mutual love of fresh cilantro, An Tons mother had become friends with the eclectic individuals who tilled the
patches of dirt under the Delaware Expressway in Kensington. No matter how often Caroline criticized An Tons beat-up converse
sneakers and ripped jeans, An Tons mother had taught her to use her power only for good.
Oh, come on. She thinks shes so hot ever since she got that bird tattoo down in Jersey City. Samuel shrugged. Everyone knows
her parents signed the consent form. Its not that cool. That tattoo is dumb anyway. Like, a bird? Im sure she just pointed to one of
the sample images and was like oh, this looks cool or whatever.
You shouldnt be so judgmental. Its just a tattoo.

I guess I am judgmental. But who isnt? I mean, seriously, what do you think?
About what, being judgmental? An Ton asked.
About the tattoo, duh. Samuel slurped down the remainder of his smoothie and tossed the empty cup into a nearby trashcan. An
Ton couldnt help but notice how his varsity windbreaker stretched tight across muscular shoulders.
Oh. I dont know. I didnt really-
Dont even say you didnt noticeseriously, she got it right on her face so if you didnt notice you are either blind orno, actually
youre just blind. Theres no way you didnt notice. Samuel said.
I like tattoos, An Ton said. I mean, yes, the whole face thing was...well, a thing. For sure.
For sure.
The bird tattoo was located over Carolines right eyebrow. Supposedly, shed drunk a beer and then gone off the deep end while
vacationing at her parents penthouse in Jersey City. Of course, those were probably rumors started by Olivia during her ruthless
campaign for homecoming queen. Each year, the homecoming queen was paraded onto the football field in a red Mercedes
convertible to receive a crown engraved with a golden eagle, the school mascot. Of course, the real prize was being considered the
most popular girl at Bellmont Prep. An Ton swallowed a mouthful of cold tea to disguise a grimace. As much as she wanted to follow
her mothers example, it was hard to feel happy for Olivia after shed launched a now-viral twitter handle called Ugly An Ton.
Im sorry An Ton sighed. Was there something you want to talk about besides-
Carolines fugly face tattoo? Oh, yeah, just that were paired up for our English project.
Should we, um, meet about that or something? An Ton asked.
Yeah, guess we should. Samuel pulled out his iPhone, smirking at a text from one of his teammates. Look, schools not really my
thing.
Your thing?
No, Im already talking to recruiters.
Congratulations. An Ton smiled. Samuel looked up from his phone in surprise.
Thanks. He shrugged. No big deal.
No, it is. Thats really cool, said An Ton. Which college?
Olympics. Samuel tossed his phone back into his gym bag. Like I said, schools not really my thing.
Guess not.
Guessed right. Hey, do you need a ride home? Wanna talk about the project a bit? Samuels black ford mustang was parked
outside the coffee shop.
Sure, thanks. An Ton remembered that Samuels mother was a world-renown marine biologist and his father was CEO of Fortune
500 plumbing conglomerate. She felt her face flush with embarrassment, knowing that Samuel would see the derelict trailer park
she had reluctantly called home for the past few months.
By the way, dont think weve talked since you transferred into Bellmont. Samuel Black. Friends call me Sam, though.
Oh, OK. Im An Ton Wolfmoon. There had been no escaping Samuel Black since An Ton moved to Bellmont. Even though they had
never spoken, Samuel had been unofficially yet unanimously elected as the most attractive boy at Bellmont Prep according to
anonymous comments on the local Yik Yak app. His Snap Story was legendary. Hed run unopposed for the title of homecoming
king. He was basically perfect.
Ballin. Samuel offered up a casual high five. Right, well lets roll out before Im late for practice.
What sport? An Ton asked.
Water polo.
Oh. Wow. Sports seem really hard.

Yeah, whatever. Not a big deal. Its mostly natural talent, youre either good or you just, like, completely suck and need to get out of
the pool. Samuel slung his gym bag over his shoulder and pulled out a second iPhone that hung from a golden keychain of the
Olympic rings.
You have two phones? An Ton asked as they walked out to his car.
The Olympics gave me this keychain. Its a huge deal. Bummer though, cause my car starts through an app so, you know, I just got
a second iPhone. Its nice keeping the car phone separate from my social phone. Samuel held open the door and An Ton crawled
inside onto the black leather seats. They only give these key chains out to people who are really good, you know. And really good
is practically my twitter handle.
Yeah, but Im sure its a lot of hard work too, though. No ones just naturally good at something. An Ton said.
Well, other people maybe, but I am! Samuel insisted. Practice is for bitches.
Youre kind of awful. An Ton giggled.
Seriously?
Just kidding.
Heh. Youd better be, Samuel threw the car into first gear, steering easily with one of his large hands. Listen, all Im saying is
everyone is good at something and Im just really good at a lot things and one of them is water polo which Im actually super good at
and thats why Im being recruited by the Olympics.
Sorry, I wasnt trying to be mean. An Ton counted the checkers on her scuffed up van sneakers. Im just saying humility can go a
long way.
Whatever. Last time I checked I didnt have a state record cause of humility.
Im not saying you did! An Ton sighed.
I dont care. Say whatever. At least I dont have a face tattoo.
Well, most people dont. An Ton said.
Yeah, right. True that. Samuel grinned, nudging An Ton affectionately as she typed her address into his GPS.
So this is your place, huh? Samuel asked as they pulled up in front of Beach Front trailer park.
Yeah.
Yeah. Nice.
You dont have to be so nasty about it. An Ton bit her lower lip, hurriedly shoving her textbooks into a ripped grocery bag she had
been using as a backpack.
I said nice.
You were being sarcastic. Im not stupid. An Ton shoved open the car door and rushed toward the front porch of her Aunt
Elizabeths 1984 Skyline mobile home.
I didnt say you were.
Well, Im not. An Ton said.
Good. Cause I need you to cover for me. Samuel grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back toward the car. Look, I dont have time
for this assignment. I need you to write a short story and slap my name on it.
What? Thats cheating! If we get caught well get a zero on the assignment.
Even if we would get caught, which by the way we wont, nobodys gonna give me a zero. My water polo career is sponsored by
Bellmont who is sponsored by Gatorade. Samuel spun around, jerking his thumb in the direction of the Gatorade logo embroidered
across his jacked shoulders. Do you really think a New England prep school like Bellmont could pull off a Gatorade sponsorship?
No.
Hell no. I run this town. Samuel grinned.

OK, well thanks for the ride, An Ton muttered, pulling away from Samuels grip.
Wait, An Ton. Do you know Jessa?
You mean Jessa Worthington, your girlfriend? An Ton asked.
Yep. So Jessas out visiting her grandma. Turns out Im riding solo for homecoming after all. Anyway, she gave me the go-ahead to
take someone else to the dance. You know, not too good for my image to go stag to the second most important social event on the
Bellmont Prep events calendar.
Second?
Uh. Prom? Samuel said, like the sky was blue, grass was green and prom was the second most important social event on the
Bellmont Prep events calendar, duh. Anyway, you wanna go with me?
Wow. Um, yes. Of course! An Ton wasnt sure why she had even bought a ticket. She wasnt looking forward to going to the dance
alone. Of course, there was always the hope that some guy would looks past her cheap, threadbare clothes and invite her to the
dance. Never in a million lifetimes had An Ton guessed that guy would be Samuel Black, the golden boy of Bellmont Prep.
Great.
I justWhy arent you taking one of the Jessas friends like Caroline or something? An Ton asked.
Look, I dont want Jessa getting jealous. Even though she says its cool, Ill never live it down.
But youre taking me?
Right? Samuel looked confused.
So wait, let me get this right. Youre taking me because Im, what, too ugly for Jessa to get jealous? An Ton gasped.
Well, if youre going to be weird about it then forget it.
What do you mean, forget it? You already offered! I cant just forget it. Whats wrong with you?
With me? What the hell. Samuel threw open his car door, punching the app to fire up the ignition.
You know what? Yes, Ill go. An Ton shouted over the sound of Samuels obnoxious exhaust pipe.
Yes?
Yes. Im so sick of you and Caroline and everyone at Bellmont thinking theyre better than me. An Ton said. So, yes.
Cmon, An Ton. Dont have an attitude about this. Im trying to do a favor, and youre acting like Im a monster.
Excuse me, a favor? I dont want a favor. An Ton shoved her bag of textbooks onto the porch.
Well, fine then. Write the short story and go to homecoming alone, Samuel said. I dont really give a shit.
This is about the short story? I would have done that anyway! You know, some people actually like school.
What the hell do you like about high school? Everybody at Bellmont thinks youre a freak. Samuel shouted. An Ton sat down on
crumpled aluminum lawn chair, feeling dizzy.
Goodbye. An Ton wished Samuel would hurry up and get in his car. Since theyd left the coffee shop, the afternoon drizzle had
turned into a torrential downpour. An Ton hoped Samuel would confuse her tears with rainwater. Thanks for the ride.
Wait- Drops of rain pelted Samuels face as he slid out of his car. His skin sparked and smoked, turning into blue scales that were
as sharp as flakes of shattered porcelain. Rain slide over the patch of skin that had melted away into scales, and Samuels
transformed cheekbone sparkled like a sapphire necklace.
What is that? An Ton brushed her tangled black hair away from her eyes, wondering if she had imagined the scales.
I have to go. Samuel was back in his car, the black tinted windows open only a crack so that An Ton could hear his voice over the
pouring rain. An Ton took a step toward the car, and Samuel revved his engine.
An Ton, that you? Aunt Elizabeth yelled.

Yes, Miss Elizabeth. An Ton said.

Well, good. Theres a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and your numbers up on the chore list.
Alright, I just need ten minutes, I promise.
Five minutes, then get to it! Aunt Elizabeth said.
I have to go. Samuel said. See you on Friday for homecoming?
An Ton nodded as Samuel rolled up his window and sped away from the trailer park.