Annie The plan was to go to Denver by car, and for that, we had to settle for about 26 hours on the road. That trip had everything to be a great bore, but incredibly, there was nothing boring when Peter was around me. He and I simply had no reason to turn around and obey our parents for what they
Annie Peter and I were in the car as we got closer and closer to the patrol car in front of us. The police officer had the traffic lights up, indicating that we had to pull over. I swallowed hard when Peter did this, the gun in my pink purse felt heavy, as if it carried the full weight of my guilt.
Annie After Peter was searched like a criminal by the police officer, we were released. “Thank your girlfriend and her willingness to visit Pennsylvania, young man,” the officer was saying. “Otherwise, I would send you back to where you left!” The man had a menacing look to him as he spoke, and aft
Annie Peter and I spent some more time on the road until we both felt hungry, and the car ran out of fuel to continue, so we stopped at a pub to eat and replenish our energy. I was wrinkling my nose at the smell of onions on my burger while Peter was stealing my fries. “Ugh! I hate spiced onions,”
Annie It was as if the world around us had disappeared. Peter and I were having one of those perfect days, where everything seemed possible, where there were no worries, just fun. 2000s pop music played softly through the store's speakers, and it felt like the soundtrack to our story was starting t
Lindsay When my doorbell rang, and I went to answer it, I frowned when Gideon Bathory was there at my door. "You? What do you want here?” I asked, being more surprised than intrigued. Since I divorced him, he never came directly to me, he always sent someone to pick up his son and then returned him
Lindsay “I'm talking about you, Lindsay,” he said. “I want you back.” I chuckled skeptically. "What are you doing now? Why are you saying this? Do you really want me to believe that?” I asked being skeptical of his words. I mean, our marriage had taken years and all that time I was doing everythi
Annie The park was shining, illuminated by a thousand colored lights. I looked around, marveling at the place. I had never been to an amusement park at night, and the vibrant atmosphere made me feel like I was in a movie. Peter looked just as excited as I did, with his eyes shining and a wide smile
When I met her last week at a council meeting, I could tell she’d be a challenge—confident, charismatic, the type who knew how to play the game. “Ugh, Madison Goodwin is here too. What a rotten day,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes. Of course Abby would get close to Madison—she was her adopted cousin.
Annie POV I was still trying to process everything that had happened at the square. Caleb’s words—“I hope you suffer”—mixed with Nadia’s ultimatum about my revoked candidacy had left me in pieces. My dream of leading the student council, something I saw as the first step toward following in my mom’
Annie POV I was still sitting on the bench in the square, the echo of Caleb’s words reverberating in my head like thunder that wouldn’t fade. "I hope you suffer." He had shoved the bouquet of pink flowers against my chest and stormed off, leaving me with a mix of shock, anger, and something that
He hesitated, his smile faltering, but he sat, still clutching the bouquet like a shield. “Sure, about what?” I took a deep breath, looking straight into his eyes. “About you following me around. Showing up in my classes, staring at me all the time. It has to stop, Caleb. I’ve already told you I
Annie POV A month had passed since the first day of classes, and it felt like the universe was determined not to let me have any peace. Caleb was everywhere—in my classes, in the hallways, at every corner of the campus—always watching me from a distance with those brown eyes I once found comforti
Annie POV I was still standing in the hallway, Caleb’s words echoing in my head like a poorly tuned radio. He wanted to surprise me by coming to Oxwell. He still thought about me. He thought I was jealous. Each of his sentences looped endlessly, and I tried to figure out what I felt—anger, confus
“I know, I know,” he laughed, a light sound that seemed to brighten the space between us. “I couldn’t believe it myself when they accepted me. But it was a chance I couldn’t pass up.” I nodded, trying to find something to say that didn’t sound like the chaos swirling in my head. Caleb here, at the
Annie POV It was the first day of classes at college, and the tension between Abby and me still hung in the air like an invisible fog. Though we shared the same dorm, we didn’t speak to each other. We ignored one another completely, pretending the other wasn’t there. I spent my time interacting
Max POV The club was a circus of flashing lights and bass that made the floor feel alive, pulsing like a heart about to burst. The air reeked of gin and tonic, sweat, and overpriced perfumes, and I was at the bar counter, swirling the ice in my bourbon, watching the crowd throw themselves onto the