CHAPTER TWO

Ari's POV:

“Oh my god, harder, Nathan… yes, like that.” A high, keening moan. “Oh, please, don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.”

I bit down on my lip. Hard. But it was nothing. Nothing compared to the raw, tearing ache spreading through my chest. My heart wasn't just breaking. It was bleeding out.

He grunted, his body moving in a rhythm I knew by heart. A rhythm that was supposed to be mine. “God, never. Why are you still so tight?” In. Out. “Even after all this time.”

How long has this been going on?

Her hands slid around his neck, then down the length of his back. Her long nails dug into his skin. But that wasn't what made the room tilt.

It was her wrist.

Dangling from it, was a woven bracelet. Blue, green, and a thin strand of gold.

The exact same one I was wearing.

I made them on her birthday. “So we always carry a piece of each other. Best friends for life.”

That was eight years ago. Eight years of secrets, of laughter, of her holding my hair back when I was sick and me staying up all night to help her study. That she was wearing now, in his bed, while he moved inside her.

A shaky gasp tore out of me first.

It was broken and soundless

Then the tears came. "Mary. What are you doing?"

It was enough. Nathan flew off of her like her skin had burned him. Like he hadn’t been inside her seconds before.

“Ari,” he said, breathless, grabbing for the sheets. “What are you doing here?”

I couldn’t look at him. Not with the sweat still on his skin.

Mary pulled the bedspread around herself, avoiding eye contact.

“What you saw… it’s not what happened,” Nathan started, his voice rushing.

That’s when I turned to him.

“It’s not what happened? Nathan. It’s not what happened?!” My voice rose, cracking on the last word. “You weren’t just fucking my best friend?”

“She came onto me first!” he blurted, taking a step toward me. “You know I would never cheat on you.”

Mary stood up then, letting the blanket fall. She didn’t try to cover herself.

“Is it my fault?” she scoffed, “You were the one complaining about dating her. Your friends were all laughing at you for being with a waitress.” She looked right at me, her gaze hard. “And it’s true. She’s not on your level, Nathan. I am.”

“Mary, shut up!” Nathan snapped, his voice sharp with warning.

She didn’t. She screamed it.

“Why are you still with her? She’s got a mountain of debt! She has no money! She’s always sad, always depressed, being around her is exhausting! All she does is whine about how unfair life is!” Her next word snapped something in me. “Her mother’s sick with cancer. Her mother is dying. Hell, she’s dead already! I don’t even know why she’s still trying to live!”

My body moved before my mind could catch up. I lunged forward and slapped her, hard. Her hand flew to her cheek. But I wasn’t done.

I grabbed her by her hair and yanked her forward, slamming her head into the nearest wall. Over and over again. My vision was blurred with rage, my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

“Ari, stop! You’re going to kill her!” Nathan grabbed my arm, pulling me back with force.

Tears were still streaming down my face, hot and humiliating. I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t stop the way my chest felt like it was suffocated.

I couldn’t breathe. I needed air.

I turned to leave just as Nathan reached for me again.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” I choked out. “I hate you. You’re disgusting.”

I stumbled past him, down the hall, ignoring the stunned faces in the doorway. I pushed through the crowd on the stairs.

At the bottom, someone stepped directly into my path, refusing to move.

“Oh my. If it isn’t the pathetic loser.” A familiar, high-pitched voice cut through the noise in my head.

Angela.

She looked down at me, a cold smile on her face.

“You’re crying. Of course you are. Finally figured out your best friend was fucking your boyfriend, huh?” She tsked. “God, you’re hopeless. Right under your nose, and you had no idea. Did it break your little heart?”

I didn’t think. I shoved her hard.

She stumbled backward, crashing into a table loaded with drinks. Glass shattered. Liquor splashed across her dress and onto the floor. A chorus of gasps and shouts erupted around us.

I didn’t stay to watch. I ran out the front door, and the cold night air hit me.

It was only then I noticed the sky was crying too.

When did it start raining?

I walked without direction, my arms wrapped tightly around myself. The rain soaked my thin dress, mixing with the tears still streaming down my face.

I found a park, and let the sobs finally break free when I sat on a swing. Ugly, wrenching cries that shook my whole body.

My phone buzzed in my purse. I fumbled with numb fingers, pulling it out.

"You picked up! So? How was it? Did he say yes?" Her voice was bright, impatient. "I know I said I'd wait till you got back, but I couldn't....."

She stopped.

"Wait… Ari? What's wrong? Sis, are you crying? Are you outside? It's raining… I can hear it."

My breath hitched. "Lena," I whispered, my voice raw. "Please… come get me."

"Where are you?"

"In a park."

I don’t know how I got home.

When I came to be, I was in our living room, stripped down to my underwear. A warm blanket was wrapped around my shoulders, and a mug of something hot was pressed between my cold hands.

Lena walked in with her own mug and sat close beside me on the couch. She was already in her pajamas. Guilt consumed me. I’d dragged her out in the middle of the night.

Before I could open my mouth to apologize, she spoke first.

“Don’t,” she said softly. “Don’t apologize for calling me. Just tell me what happened. You were supposed to be at that fancy dinner, not sitting alone in the rain.”

Tears welled up instantly, blurring the steam rising from my mug. “Nathan cheated on me.”

Her face hardened. “That son of a bitch. Mary mentioned something like that the other day. I thought she was joking.” She reached for her phone on the coffee table. “Does she even know? I can call her.....”

“No,” I cut her off, my voice low and tired. “Nathan cheated on me… with Mary.”

Lena went perfectly still. “Mary? Your Mary? Your best friend in the whole world?”

I let out a hollow laugh. “Yeah. My best friend in the whole world.” I looked up at the ceiling. “I’m such a fool. And a bad daughter. All because of that stupid surprise, I spent everything. I only have a little left for Mom’s treatment now.”

Lena wrapped her hand around my wrist. “Don’t. Don’t you dare feel guilty. You’ve done more than anyone could ask for. You deserved something nice for yourself, even if it… didn’t go how you planned.” She paused, her voice softening. “Which brings me to the other thing. I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”

My heart skipped. Was she being kicked out of school? Had the tuition payment bounced?

“I sent your information to Blackwood Holdings,” she said in a rush. “They posted an opening. A secretary or assistant position. It didn’t require a degree, just strong organizational skills and… resilience. I sent them your details last week.”

I turned to stare at her like she’d lost her mind. “Lena. What would a company like Blackwood Holdings want with a university dropout? They hire from Ivy Leagues, important universities."

“Their posting said all backgrounds would be considered,” she insisted, her eyes pleading. “Ari, please don’t shut this down before it even starts. Let’s just… hope. Maybe this could be our chance. Our light in this dark tunnel.”

And I did. I let myself hope. Not that I had any more choice.