Sneak Peek

Check out this sneak peek!

Lanelle Sparks dove into the water. Not breaking the surface, she swam as fast as she could. Her lungs started to burn, but she pushed herself. She wanted to see how long she could last with one breath.

If she could make it the length of the pool with only one breath, she would be unstoppable in competition.

Her burning lungs were becoming unbearable. She slowed a little. It felt like she had to switch her concentration from speed to not inhaling water. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she popped up for air. Her lungs nearly dying from the loss of air, she started to cough. Wiping her face, she swiveled to see where she was in the pool.

She cursed and slapped the top of the water. “Urg.”

Lanelle had made it about to the three-quarters mark. That would be good, except she had been at three-quarters for the last week.

She did the front crawl back to the edge and lifted herself up, dangling her feet in the water.

Jalen Thomas flopped down beside her.

“You made it mad far without coming up,” he grinned. “That’s going to be our secret weapon in competition.”

Lanelle looked at him and tried to smile.

Jalen grimaced. “Dang, that was a compliment.”

A giggle escaped. She slapped her hand over her mouth.

“No, it’s not that. I mean thanks,” she mumbled.

“What’s up? If you messed up, I didn’t see it.”

“I was trying to go the whole way. I’ve been stuck the past few days and not improving.”

A whistle escaped his lips. “The whole way! Naw,” he shook his head. “That’s crazy, don’t make unrealistic goals.”

Lanelle’s eyes narrowed. “Unrealistic?” she challenged as she raised her brow.

Jalen put his hands up in a surrender motion. “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

Lanelle’s shoulders relaxed and she smirked. “I’m just saying. I know I can do it, I’m just stuck. There has to be a way I can train or something to improve.”

“So you really want to go the whole pool without breathing?” Jalen gazed at the water. “That’s wild. You can do it though,” he added quickly and peeked at her through the corner of his eye.

“Yo Lanelle!” Dion Sparks, Lanelle’s twin brother, yelled from across the pool. “Dean Barkner wants you. Did you check your email?”

Lanelle rolled her eyes. “Why would I check my email when I am here?” she mumbled to Jalen.

Lanelle pulled herself to her feet and padded over to her towel that was hanging over a chair.

“How do you know he wants me?” she asked when Dion caught up to her.

“Because when you don’t answer, everyone comes bothering me.”

“So you be in my business all the time?” she hissed, raising an eyebrow.

Dion sucked his teeth and pushed her playfully.

Lanelle dramatically fell into the girl’s locker room door.

Lanelle knocked on Dean Barkner’s door. She hasn’t spoken to him since the whole mess between her mother, Janelle Sparks, and Monica Michaelson, who used to teach at Deceptive High.

The door was cracked so she peeked her head in slightly, then heard him bellow, “Come in.”

Lanelle pushed it open the remainder of the way. “Uh, Mr. Barkner, Dion said, I mean you wanted to see me?” She was unsure of whether she wanted to admit that she didn’t see the emails.

“Ah yes, Ms. Sparks,” Mr. Barkner said as he swiveled around in his huge office chair. “Sorry for the sense of urgency.” He gestured for her to have a seat. “I hope all is well.”

He said it like a question, but Lanelle was not going to tell him anything different, so she just smiled.

“I need a favor. I have two new students. Damien James and Ayana Brighten.”

Lanelle’s brow furrowed. “Okay,” she said slowly. “What’s the favor?”

“I need you to take Ayana as your roommate.”

Lanelle’s eyes popped open and her hands flew to the arms of the chair. “What!” she cried. “But I am in a single.”

Mr. Barkner propped up on his elbows and touched his fingertips together. “I know. We think it would be most beneficial to Ms. Brighten if she has someone to show her the ropes.”

“I can do that without sharing my room. It’s unfair to have to give up my room.” Lanelle sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you forcing me to do this?” she scowled.

Mr. Barkner leaned back in his seat, interlacing his hands in front of him. “I do not want to make you do anything,” he started. “I would love it if you would take one for the team and help us out.”

Lanelle scoffed “What team?”

Mr. Barkner sighed. “Will you agree to take her under your wing, help her out?”

“Without her living with me. I like my single and I am a second year now. I shouldn’t have to share with anyone.”

Mr. Barkner rubbed his temples before looking back up at Lanelle.

“Okay, I hear you. I will put her on your floor, in a separate room. She is moving in right now. Both her and Damien, please go introduce yourself.”

Lanelle walked out of the office and ran right into Dion.

She screamed, then clapped her hand over her mouth. Her heart leaped from her chest as she tried to scatter backwards.

Dion began laughing.

After her soul returned to her body, she punched him on the shoulder. “You jerk. Why would you do that?” she whispered

They turned and walked down the hall. Dion not trying to hold in his snickering.

“Ain’t my fault you so scared all the time.”

Lanelle glared at him. She raised her hand, rotating her fingers until a golf ball-sized fireball materialized.

Dion flicked his wrist, and an icicle appeared. A door closed somewhere behind them, and they both balled their hands up into a fist, extinguishing their weapons.

“Ass,” Lanelle muttered.

“So, what did he say?” Dion urged.

“Oh, yeah. He wanted me to give up my single and room with some girl.”

“What did you tell him?” Dion asked.

Lanelle scowled. “What do you mean? I told him no. Why would I give up my single room?”

“How about you didn’t earn it in the first place, Mom got it for you.”

Lanelle rolled her eyes. “Well I am second year now, and the answer is still no.”

Dion walked Lanelle to her room and then headed to his own, a floor above hers.

Music greeted him as he walked into his room. His roommate, Booker Benjamin, was playing around with his phone. Dion bobbed his head back and forth.

“Yo Booker, who this? It slap.”

Booker lifted his head and grabbed his phone to turn down the music.

“Just something I have been working on. You think it’s good?” He asked, his voice catching slightly.

Dion’s eyes got wide. “You did this. Like produced it? Good, Booker this is beyond good.”

Booker’s mouth twitched. “Well, don’t tell anyone yet. We still watching a movie tonight?”

“Oh yeah, I think so. Let me ask.” Dion opened up the group chat message titled ‘crew’ on his phone.

Dion: Movies?

Quashawn: Yeah, Nelly’s room, right?

Lanelle: Don’t call me that! Yes, up here.

Lanelle: Oh, I invited Jalen. Hope that’s okay.

Tariana: Yup, I’m down.

Dion winced and looked at Booker. “Don’t worry about that yo. He is on the swim team with her.”

Kasa: We are in too. Are we still invited?

Imani: Me too. Dion, I’m almost there; let me in.

Lanelle: Of course, yall can come Kasa.

Quashawn: 💋 Nelly. See yall tonight.

Booker threw his phone on the bed. “How have y’all been?” Dion asked.

Booker sighed heavily. “Great,” he said, “just like friends.”

“She will come around. She still likes you, though, I know that.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Booker groaned and sighed.

“On another note. This new student is coming, Damien. Dean wants me to basically be his friend.”

Booker raised his eyebrow. “He’s moving our room?”

Dion shook his head. “Naw, He will just be hanging around a lot. Lanelle has to do the same with this girl coming with him. Barkner tried to get her to take her as a roommate.”

“And she said yes?”

Dion started laughing. “Hell naw.”

Booker chuckled. “So what’s the deal? He’s coming to just the movie, or you got to do more?”

Dion shrugged. “I don’t know. We will see how it goes.”

Dion lounged on the bed with his phone, and Booker turned to his laptop. Booker glanced at the screen, which displayed his music playlist.

His finger hovered over the play, and he decided to pick up his phone. He wanted to text Lanelle. He knew she was still mad.

He sighed.

She said she wasn’t mad, but their relationship was turned upside down. Booker’s biological father was plotting to sabotage Lanelle, her brother, and her parents. He understood she felt betrayed, but once they got close, he should have told her.

He opened the messaging app and pulled her name up. He typed in a message three times and deleted it before throwing the phone back on the bed.

There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Dion yelled.

Imani, Dion’s girlfriend, a junior, walked in.

“Hey, Booker,” she said as she flips her shoes off.

Booker inclines his head. “What’s up, Imani?”

“How was class?” Imani asked Dion as she flops on his bed.

“It was good,” he replied.

Booker envied Dion and Imani. Imani had betrayed Dion, which was worse than what he had done to Lanelle, and they were good now.

Booker looked up and rolled his eyes at Dion and Imani. “Imma head to the library,” he said as he stood and stuffed his computer in his book bag.

“Naw, Book. You don’t have to leave.”

“It’s cool. I need to get some stuff done. I’ll catch up with y’all tonight,” he said, leaving the room.

Imani scrunched her eyebrows. “What was that about?”

Dion shrugged.

Imani picked at her nail. “Uh, Dion.” she began.

“Yeah,” he responded without looking up.

“I uh,” she stumbled over her words. “I have a question.”

Dion looked at her, raising one eyebrow. “Yeah, what’s up?”

Imani just picked at her nail.

“Yo, Imani, what’s up?” Dion repeated.

Imani took a deep breath. “We’re okay, right? I mean. With all the stuff that happened last year?”

“Yeah,” Dion replied. He furrowed his brow. “Why?”

Imani shrugged. “I don’t know. I just wanted to make sure.”

Dion sat up on the bed. “Imani, quit playing.”

“It’s just that I overheard Joann saying that she was your partner in class, and you two hit it off.” she said mockingly, mimicking Joann with a hair flip.

Dion’s mouth turned down. “Joann is cool. We are pairs in combat. That’s all.”

“I know she’s always saying something. I just wanted to make sure. I don’t know.” She sighed heavily and shrugged.

Dion’s phone rang. He checked the screen, turned the phone over, and then looked back at Imani.

Imani glared at the phone. “Who is that?”

Dion rolled his eyes and laid back across the bed. “Imani, don’t start. I’m sorry that Joann got in your head, but that has nothing to do with me. Don’t turn this into a thing.”

Dion put his headphones in and picked his phone up.

Lanelle flopped across her bed and sighed.

She wondered who these two kids were, Damien and Ayana. Barkner said they were coming in as second year just like her. She wondered what their deal was and why she had to take on the responsibility of showing her around.

Lanelle grabbed her phone and opened the InstaBook app. She typed Ayana’s name into the search bar and scrolled through the options. Then, she hit the second one on the list and looked at the profile.

She didn’t know what she was looking for. She didn’t know what the girl looked like or any details to pinpoint her.

Might as well start getting ready for tonight, she thought. She needed to get the snacks and drinks together.

As she got up from her bed she thought it would be awkward with Booker and Jalen coming tonight.

Should she care what Booker thought, or Jalen, for that matter? Her and Booker were friends. They talked about that. She told him she needed time to think about what she wanted to do.

So, she shouldn’t feel any type of way about inviting Jalen around.

Then why do you feel some type of way?

She did tell Dion about giving Imani another chance. Shouldn’t she do the same to Booker?

She didn’t say she wouldn’t get back with Booker. She just needed time.

Time to do what?

Get to know Jalen?