Chapter 1 The Deal I Didn't Asked For

I literally slipped through the crowded hallway like a ghost in sneakers, dodging elbows and backpacks without anyone really seeing me. A girl laughed way too loud at her locker, her friends screaming over some weekend drama, while I kept my head down and cut left by the water fountain — the route that avoided the football crowd. By third period, I had perfected the art of disappearing. Nobody bumped into me. Nobody asked to borrow a pen. That was the deal I'd made with myself freshman year: stay small, stay quiet, don't give them a reason to look twice. which actually worked.Until I walked into AP Calc and saw Chase Hendricks already sitting in the front row, textbook open, one hand casually raised to answer a question he probably hadn't even heard yet. The teacher called on him anyway. He gave some answer about derivatives that was obviously right, and half the class nodded like he'd just solved world hunger. Amber Champion sat two rows back, staring at him like he's the most handsome guy in the whole school. maybe he was, who knows.I took my seat in the middle. Not too visible or hidden.Chase caught a 96 on the test Mrs. Patricia handed back. I got a 98. She smiled at me like we both knew it didn't matter—like the points were the same thing as the world caring about what you accomplished.By the time I got home that evening, my shoulders already hurt from carrying my backpack like it owed me money. I dropped it by the kitchen table, grabbed a leftover slice of cold pizza, and flopped into a chair. Mom was at the counter scrolling her phone, still in her work scrubs."Hey, honey. How was school?""Fine." I took a bite. "Same bullshit, different day."She didn't even look up. "Language. Anyway, I've got good news. I found you a babysitting gig. Four nights a week, pretty good money. Enough for that laptop you keep talking about."I paused mid-chew. The laptop. My current one had been dying for months—the screen flickered, the keyboard had a key that stuck, and I needed it for my college applications coming up. New one was expensive. My mom had already paid for enough."Babysitting? Since when?""Since Mrs. Hendricks mentioned it at church. Their regular sitter moved. Her youngest is seven, super sweet. I already told her you'd start next week Monday."Hendricks. My stomach dropped. "Wait. Chase Hendricks' house?"Mom finally glanced over, smiling like this was no big deal. "Yeah, you know them. Nice family. His mom's been so stressed with the new baby and everything. It's perfect, Zara. And the pay's good."I set the pizza down harder than I meant to. My fingers gripped the edge of the table. "Mom. Chase Hendricks. The same guy who acts like the whole school belongs to him? I can't—""You'll be watching Micah, not hanging out with Chase," she said, already waving it off. "It's just logistics, sweetie. I already told her you'd do it."The words hung there. I already told her. Like it was done. Like my opinion was just a formality.Of course she did. My mom had no clue why this was a problem for me. She didn't live in the same world where Chase Hendricks and his girlfriend Amber strutted around like royalty while the rest of us tried not to get stepped on. Where they did PDA in the hallways like they were performing for an audience. Where Chase laughed when Amber made comments about girls like me.My phone buzzed. Riley.Riley: Girl!! i'm dying what's the tea today. I typed back fast: Zara: I just got volunteered to babysit chase hendricks' little brother four nights a week. kill me Riley.The three dots popped up immediately. Riley: Tell me you're joking. You mean the chase? mr. touchdown-and-smile? lmao you're gonna murder him in his sleep aren't youI snorted despite myself. At least someone got it.Zara: trying not to think about itRiley: girl you can't avoid him at school and at his house. the universe is playing a cosmic joke on you rn nglZara: thanks for that imageRiley: fr though. twenty bucks an hour to stare at his stupid face? that's actually the worst contract everShe wasn't wrong. The rest of the week dragged. By Thursday, I'd convinced myself it wouldn't be that bad. Just a kid, a house, some money. Four nights a week. I could do hard things. I'd been doing hard things for three years straight.Sunday night Mom dropped more details while I was pretending to do homework on my bed."It's twenty bucks an hour, Zara. And Mrs. Hendricks is so sweet. You'll be helping with dinner and homework mostly. Chase might be around but he's busy with football."I stared at my cracked laptop screen. The one I'd been nursing along since sophomore year. The cursor sometimes froze. The battery died in forty minutes. Twenty bucks an hour meant I could replace it in maybe three weeks if I saved aggressively."Okay," I said quietly.Mom smiled, relieved I wasn't fighting anymore. "That's good. I knew you be happy that I got you that gig. Right baby?"I scoff while looking away. “As if.”Monday after school I stood on their front porch in a neighborhood that looked like it belonged in a TV show. Big house, perfect lawn, the kind of place where nobody worried about laptop money. The mailbox was one of those fancy brass ones. The landscaping was landscaped. I adjusted my backpack, took a breath, and knocked.The door swung open and there he was. Chase Hendricks. Tall, stupidly good-looking even in a plain t-shirt, that same effortless smirk already forming like he'd been expecting to be entertained.He blinked, then let out a short laugh like the universe had just told him the funniest joke."Zara? You're the new sitter?""Unfortunately."He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes did a slow scan of me—up, down, back up—like he was trying to figure out what his mom was thinking. "I didn't know you needed side hustle money. Guess it's rough out there in regular people's land?"My jaw tightened. Heat crawled up my neck. "Aww, sorry. I also didn't know you needed someone to watch your brother because you're too busy playing king of the school. Move."He opened his mouth, eyes flashing with something that might've been actual surprise that I'd fired back. Before he could land a comeback, a small voice piped up behind him."Is that her? Mom said she's gonna be nice!"Micah squeezed past Chase's legs, gap-toothed grin and messy hair, and grabbed my hand like we'd known each other forever. His fingers were sticky, and warm in a way nothing else in this house felt."Hi! I'm Micah. Come see my dinosaurs!"I let him pull me inside, my hand fitting into his smaller one naturally. Over his head, I could see Chase watching us, his expression shifting. That smirk faded. His arm dropped from the doorframe. For a second, he just looked at me holding his little brother's hand. Then his face closed off. He turned without a word and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time.The door clicked shut behind me. Four nights a week.Damn. I still hated Chase Hendricks, but now I was stuck in his world whether I liked it or not.