A Million Kisses In Your Lifetime

ONE

CREW

It’s been three years, four months, two days and a handful of hours since the first moment I set eyes on her.

The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

The absolute bane of my existence.

She arrived at Lancaster Prep boarding school the first day of our freshman year, and no one knew who she was. Fresh and untested, open and accepting with that damn smile that seems permanently etched across her face. Every girl in our class immediately fell under her spell. Followed her everywhere she went. Desperately wanted to be her friend, even fought for the coveted spot of best friend. They copied her effortless style, and she set the school abuzz every time she wore her hair a different way or put on a new pair of earrings, for Christ’s sake.

Even the older girls, the upperclassmen, were drawn to her. Completely captivated by a seemingly innocent green-eyed girl who has barely spoken ten words to me in the entirety of her time here.

I’ve heard from more than one person that I scare her. Intimidate her. I am everything she fears, as well she should.

I’d eat her up. Swallow her whole—enjoy every second of it, too.

And she knows it.

We are opposites in every single way you can think of, yet we’re also unspoken equals. It’s the weirdest fucking thing.

She is a leader they all follow, and she quietly rules the school, just like me. Her crown is light though. Made of spun glass and airy effervescence and with zero expectations. While mine is heavy and cumbersome, reminding me of my duty to the family. To the name.

To the Lancasters.

We’re one of the richest families in the country, if not the world. Our legacy goes back generations. I own this school—literally—and everyone in it. With the exception of one person.

She won’t even look at me.

“Why you staring?”

I don’t bother looking in my best friend, Ezra Cahill’s direction when he asks me that stupid question. We’re at the front entrance of the school Monday after Thanksgiving break, the crisp early morning air cold enough to penetrate through my thick wool jacket. I should’ve worn a heavier coat. And I sure as hell am not going inside. Not yet.

I do this almost every single morning: wait for the queen’s arrival, for the day she actually acknowledges me.

Currently, I’m running at a zero percent rate of acknowledgement.

“I’m not staring,” I finally tell Ez, my voice flat. Uncaring.

Outwardly, I act like I don’t give a shit about anything or anyone. It’s easier that way. Trust me, I’m perfectly aware I’m a complete cliché, but it works for me. To care is to admit vulnerability, and I’m the least vulnerable motherfucker at this entire school. Shit slides off my back. Expectations are never placed upon me. My older brothers think I’m the luckiest out of all of us, but I don’t think so.

~ ~ ~

PLAYLIST

• “Pretty” - Coco & Clair Clair, Okthxbb
• “I Hate U <3” - Slush Puppy
• “Did We Change” - From Indian Lakes
• “pink bubblegum” - lavi kou
• “yeahyeahyeah” - Scotch Mist
• “dream boi” - tara-bridget
• “Deep in Yr Mind” - James Wyatt Crosby
• “I’m Not in Love” - Kelsey Lu
• “Are You In The Mood?” - Bay Fraction
• “Forever” - Night Tapes

Find the rest of the A MILLION KISSES IN YOUR LIFETIME playlist here: https://spoti.fy/3McPHVu