Chapter 10

Eric’s Point of View:

When Grace first told me she’d been unfairly failed in one of her classes, I acted impulsively. Driven by some misguided sense of heroism, I walked into Tess’s first lecture of the semester and slapped her in front of everyone.

The moment I did it, regret hit me. However, with tears in her eyes, Grace clung to me like she always did, playing the delicate, helpless girl. Besides, Tess had become so dull, so buried under the weight of everyday life, that it seemed like she didn’t even care anymore.

It wasn’t until later that I found out the truth: Grace had been caught cheating by someone else, and Tess had nothing to do with it.

I was furious when I realized Grace had lied to me and manipulated the whole situation, and once again, I let myself get caught up in her sweet words and gentle touch.

I told myself it was fine—Tess was strong, and she loved me. I figured I could smooth things over with her like always. However, when I finally made my way back home,