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
CHARLOTTESilence hung in the room after Reigh’s greeting, the others didn’t say a word, but they pointedly stared at the both of us as though waiting for something.I had to fight the urge to turn around and make my way back to the wreckage of my dorms, that suddenly seemed much safer than whatever
CHARLOTTE Taide was standing much closer than I expected him to be. His breath brushed against the crook of my neck, and I had to suppress the shivers that started in my spine. I'd rather jump down these flights of stairs than let Taide know how affected I was by his presence. I thought he wou
CHARLOTTE The sight of the out-of-place object stunned me. I walked over to the bed, letting the books in my hand drop in a heap next to it as I began to study the box. I ran a hand over the surface, awed. Then, when I read the name written in fine print on the cardboard, I was even more taken aba
CHARLOTTE After the chaotic and confusing events of yesterday, it wasn’t surprising that I found my attention drifting away more often than not. Instead of listening during lectures, I found myself idly tapping my pen against my notebook, lost in thoughts and theories as to what had happened. W
CHARLOTTE I said goodbye to Vance after a few more minutes of conversation, then I headed back to the house. The house was silent as usual, and after sending a quick text to Madeline, I headed upstairs, eager to rest a little before the party. All thoughts of respite left my mind when I climbed u
CHARLOTTE I wasn’t sure who looked more surprised.Emma, Avaria or Sarah.But I was sure as hell enjoying the stunned look on their faces, I wondered if I’d be able to get away with taking a picture of them like this. “You’re lying,” Emma said, breaking out of her state of shock, her tone became m
CHARLOTTE When Vance pulled away, I was left extremely out of breath, and just as confused. I could feel every single pair of eyes of every single person person present on me at that moment, but my shock outweighed my ability to be uneasy about the attention. My skin felt hot, and as much as I tr
Like we didn’t matter.My nails dug into my palms as memories slammed into me. I could still see it—the nights he reeked of alcohol, his head lolling to the side, completely oblivious to the fact that he had two daughters who needed him to pick himself up and be… more than the person he was choosing
CHARLOTTEThe car ride was too quiet.Too damn suffocating.The weight of everything that had happened in the span of a few hours pressed down on me—Madeline, the triplets, my father. My hands trembled against my lap, and I clenched them into fists for the umpteenth time, trying to force myself to f
It was only after the shock of silence that followed that I realized I’d spoken those words out loud. Dot gasped, reaching for me instantly, pulling me into an embrace. I didn’t expect it to be as comforting as it was. And so I didn’t fight her. She guided me to the steps outside the hospital, sitt
CHARLOTTE It felt like a slap to the face. The doctor’s words hit me so hard that I lost my footing. My knees wobbled, and before I could steady myself, the plastic cup in my hand slipped through my fingers and crashed onto the tiled floor. Water splashed across my shoes, soaking into the hem of m
CHARLOTTE The reality of the situation hit me with frightening clarity. Madeline was dying. I moved before I could think, panic exploding through my chest as I ran forward and fell to my knees beside her. My hands hovered uselessly, trembling as I tried to find something, anything, to hold o
Emma folded her hands across her chest, her mouth pulling up into a wicked smile, “Charlotte the Harlot.” Bitch. “Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, shouldering past her, she wasn’t worth the energy engaging with her would require. “I thought you dropped out,” She said to my retreating back, “Thought maybe
At first, she texted me every day. Then, as weeks passed, the messages became less frequent, less ecstatic. I knew she and Sean had been working through their issues, but based on some of her recent updates—the ones I still hadn’t replied to—they had hit a wall. They had broken up. Madeline thought
FOUR MONTHS LATER CHARLOTTE Running laps had never come easy to me, and today was no different. My lungs burned as I pushed through the last lap, my sneakers slapping against the pavement in a rhythm that didn’t feel natural no matter how many times I did this. My breath came in short bursts,
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