LOGINGREYSONMy teammate nods to the guy sitting at a table full of girls. “Jack, Greyson. Jack is the quarterback on the football team.”I quirk my lips. The football team lost spectacularly this year, no thanks to Jack here. It’s a good thing the hockey team is picking up the slack and bringing some attention back to this school.That’s where I shine.In the spotlight.Well, correction: that’s where I used to shine.My gaze goes to the girl beside Jack, who seems like she’s about to be violently sick. She looks familiar in the way most girls do. Like I might’ve had a chance encounter with her at some point in my life but nothing worthy of me remembering.Maybe we ran into each other here, at Haven. After a game.I smirk at her, and she flinches. Not the usual reaction.&nb
VIOLETA Widely known fact about me: I don’t like surprises. I’m jumpy. I make unholy noises. My face gets beet red, and my body gets hot and tingly, and sometimes I feel like I’ve run out of air. Unfortunately, that combination is the perfect reaction for people who do like surprises.Which is why I’ve spent my life being surprised. Birthday parties, jump-scares, visitors I wasn’t expecting… People love to see the dramatic reaction, and I seem unable to help but give it to them.And, naïve me, I keep expecting people will remember I loathe them.Not today.I’ve barely pushed open the apartment door when the lights come on and a dozen people scream, “WELCOME BACK!”I scream right along with them. My coffee goes everywhere, and my feet go out from under me. Only quick hands grasping my arms keeps me upright.And falling would probably suck a lot under my conditions.After my heart stops trying to escape from my tight chest, I find my darling roommate-slash-best friend at the center of
So y'all won't be confused... the first book is over This book is titled BRUTAL OBSESSIONEnjoy??BRUTAL OBSESSIONGreysonThe cash slides from my palm into the valet’s. His fingers curl around the wad of bills as he pulls back, and he looks away.Aw, he’s embarrassed.The girl on my arm giggles and leans into me. Money and good looks will help people get away with just about anything. I learned that at the tender age of five from my father, thank you very much. He toted me around and flashed his smile or his wealth, and doors opened for us. Sometimes literally. Sometimes figuratively.We were invincible. Look at that sentence. Then read it again.*We. Were. Invincible.*Back when I was a kid, my father and I wore gilded armor. He was a king, and I was a prince. We floated above the rest of society, and nothing was out of our reach. I experienced the world through my father’s view of getting everything he fucking wanted. It’s only natural that I became him.Look, I’m not saying it’s r
RaquelFOUR MONTHS LATERBOOM!The ceiling shatters and the walls crumble, burying me beneath thick dust, chunks of concrete and splinters of glass. I groan, gesturing toward the screen in frustration.“I’m so bad at this game,” I lament, watching my video game character once again meet her untimely demise while under my shaky and indecisive control. “I swear to God, this level is impossible.”“Lemme try!” Odette says, taking the PS5 controller from me. She settles on the couch, a look of determination and concentration on her cute little face. What took me thirty minutes to fail, she beats in under five. “See? It’s easy.”I comb my fingers through her hair, adoring how much her smile looks exactly like Gabriel’s. “What can I say? You’re so much more talented than me.”“Can I try the next level?”“Sure, sweetie, but then afterward you have to promise to go wash up for dinner.”“Okay, Mom.”Mom. My heart sings at the word.I check my wristwatch. Gabriel was supposed to be home almost a
GabrielWe don’t end up in New York or Los Angeles, but Seattle. It’s a strategic move on our part. The weather is milder, the city’s by far more affordable, and there are plenty of good schools for Odette to attend.I walk my daughter up the path toward her school, my hand giving her shoulder a gentle push as she clutches her pink Dora the Explorer backpack. It’s her first day, so I don’t blame her when she shoots me a hesitant look.“What if I don’t make friends?” she asks in a small voice.I crouch down and kiss her forehead. “I’m sure you will.”“And you promise they speak French?”I nod. “Yes, ma chérie, I promise. This is a French-immersion school. Do you know what that means?” Odette shakes her head. “It means they teach everything in French. You’ll be able to understand all your teachers and fellow classmates.”My daughter gives me a hopeful smile, her nerves slowly starting to melt away. She gives me a big hug before turning toward the lady standing at the front door, her hom
RaquelWe have to stop for the night just outside of Toulouse. Even though we trade off driving duty between Dad, Gabriel, and me, there’s only so much sitting on my ass that I can handle. By the time we find an available hotel, I’m practically vibrating in my seat, looking forward to stretching my legs.Dad offers to take Odette out for a quick bite to eat and grab some supplies.“I think you two need a chance to talk,” he whispers to me before he leaves, little Odette holding his hand tightly.And then it’s just Gabriel and me.He doesn’t even wait for the door to shut before he closes the distance between us, pulling me into his arms so he can crash his lips against mine. I meet him with equally feverish passion, glad to finally have this time alone with him.“This is so much better than talking,” I murmur as I slip a hand beneath his shirt.“We can multitask,” he says with a hearty laugh, ushering me toward the edge of the bed.We fall onto the sheets together, a tangle of arms an







