I felt sick. My stomach flipped so hard I had to grip the edge of the desk. Jason said what? That I was willing? That I’d trade myself for a job?He was still talking, unaware—or maybe just uncaring. "He said you’d do anything to keep your spot. That you didn’t like playing fair. So I figured, why n
It had been four days since the blowup. Since I walked in on my ex-best friend and my ex-boyfriend and found out, in the worst possible way, what they really thought of me.I was trying to be a better person. A calmer one. Maybe someone who didn’t get into screaming matches with the people who used
"Because you made it about you. Everything with you turns into some long, emotional monologue.""You said you believed in me. That we would always be best friends. I thought you meant it.""I did—until it got annoying," she snapped. "You never gave anything back. I brought you into this world. And e
It all hit me at once—the cold shoulder, the smug looks, Adam's distance. The way Jenny had turned everything inside out without blinking. I was still standing there, frozen just past the doorway, when the last piece clicked into place.And then, just before I turned away, I saw it: a bra, red and e
I exhaled through my nose. "It’s not valuable or anything."He paused. "But someone gave it to you?"I didn’t answer right away. Finally, I said, "It’s the only thing I have left from my family. My real family. My parents. There’s a little picture inside. That’s all."Richard didn’t say anything. He
I made it barely ten feet down the hallway before my hand brushed my collar—and panic hit like a slap.The locket.I stopped dead, checked my pockets, then checked them again. Nothing. My fingers moved to my neckline, frantic, hoping I’d just missed it. But I knew the weight of it. I knew what it fe