CHARLOTTEStanding in the corner with a glass of champagne in my hand, my eyes wandered around the huge hall with splendid decor.Classic music was being played, bringing the whole scene to another level.The party was lavish, one meant to be enjoyed by the rich and snotty brats and their families a
He suddenly snatched a hold of me, bring me close, till my body was flush against his. A gasp barely broke past my lips when his voice dropped dangerously low. “You’ve got that exactly right. To you, I’m not a thing more. I’m not some schmuck who’s going to fall at your feet because of some decision
CHARLOTTE"And you know, they started selling last week! Can you imagine that? All of this is such a buzz kill." Mads pouted.I shook my head as she rambled on and on about the sale going on in the human realm, one she obviously couldn't attend.One. Her father, who had eyes and ears all around the
CHARLOTTEI watched as Taide walked into the room, my heart pounding with every step he took.I got to my feet in a second, my heart thumping. "How did you get my number?" I asked, my voice dripping in spite.The auditorium was silent, causing my voice to echo loud enough for him to hear the venom i
CHARLOTTERunning my tongue over my dry lips, I stretched my hand to get the glass of water for my parched throat, gulping the liquid, while keeping my eyes on the book in front of me. I dropped the glass, my eyes moving to the last line on the page before I flipped it open."Char, look at my nails!
CHARLOTTE Holy shit!” Madeline voiced the thought that’d just flashed through my mind a moment ago. Now, it seemed like too small of an expression in light of the chaos that broke out around us. People pointed and gasped at the burning building, smoke filled the air and debris made it almost imp
CHARLOTTEI shuffled out of the library with my hands aching from all the books I was holding.If I was going to keep that damn scholarship, then I couldn’t let the tragedy of the fire stop me from studying. A parole officer had told us we could go see what was salvageable by the weekend, but until
CHARLOTTE“Why are you even agreeing to this anyway?” Madeline asked, stepping over what seemed to be the charred remains of our bed.A few feet away, the sounds of other girls rummaging through the wreckage of their rooms could be heard.The dean finally gave us the all clear to return to the left
He hadn’t even raised his voice, yet despite the distance, his words carried like he had just whispered them in my ear. Seductive and bitter. My damnation. “But you made it too easy, Harlot. You almost ruined the fun.” Harlot. It was the first time I had heard him call me that in months. All
But then again, what made me think I knew what strange was for Reigh? Yesterday had taught me that I really didn’t know anything about the brothers I had given my heart to. Caeson pulled away from the small crowd, ever the individualist. Always the grand tormentor. He refused to let me walk
No. It fucking burned. “I’d say I’ll miss you, Charlotte,” he continued, only loud enough for me to hear, “but I never lie.” No, he didn’t. Except when he did. “Go home, Charlotte,” he said with finality, pulling away from me. His words were soft, but his eyes were not. I could see the w
They were there to see me off. To remind me never to show my face on their turf again. But I refused to let myself be bossed around by the same people who had taken it upon themselves to ruin my life. Fuck the Deviltree. Fuck their elite group of preppy rich kids who had only made it this f
PRESENT DAY CHARLOTTE Whoever said a person’s world couldn’t go up in flames in the blink of an eye deserved an award. It was the best lie ever told. I stood alone, even though I was surrounded—by the same people who had set out to destroy me ever since I showed up at this school two years a
I started pacing the room, my mind racing through the words I’d planned to say. I knew I had to be strong, I had to tell her the truth, even if it was going to hurt her. “Madeline,” I said, my voice rough. “Sit down.” Her brows furrowed in confusion, but she did as I asked. She perched on the edge
24 HOURS BEFORE JUNIOR YEAR GRADUATION REIGH I arrived at the clinic with a weight on my chest, one I hadn’t been able to shake since the night before. The door clicked shut behind me as I stepped inside, and I had to remind myself to breathe. The lobby was empty, save for a flickering TV mo
Vance’s expression didn’t change, but I saw his jaw tighten, just a little. He was listening. I could tell he understood what that meant. He didn’t need me to spell it out. He knew what our father was capable of. Vance’s father, Bernard, had worked for ours for as long as I could remember. And Vanc
48 HOURS BEFORE JUNIOR YEAR GRADUATION REIGH I slammed the door shut behind me, the sharp thud echoing in the quiet morning air. I didn’t wait to see Caeson drive off. It was like we were all just going through the motions, pretending we weren’t about to destroy the one thing that mattered m