ANMELDENDRE’S P.O.VThe police station is much colder than I expect. I stay in the car, hands gripping the edge of the seat until my knuckles turn white. Luke had insisted I didn’t have to go inside. He understands. The thought of seeing Ruth after her confession makes my stomach twist. I can’t face the girl who had tried to destroy me while pretending to be my friend.Through the window, I watch Luke walk in with Ian beside him. Ian had shown up the second Luke called, still angry but loyal as ever. They disappear through the glass doors, and I’m left alone with my thoughts.It had all happened so fast after Luke left Ruth’s house. He didn’t waste a single second. While she confessed, she was completely oblivious to the fact he was recording. Ruth had cracked, screaming about how I was a “life-sucking piece of shit” who didn’t deserve him, how she had done everything to get him back. How she never meant for him to take the fall, but I deserved what happened to me.The recording is brutal. Bu
LUKE’S P.O.VRuth’s hand pauses on my back for a millisecond—too quick for it to go unnoticed. But I feel her hesitation.“I saw Dre this afternoon, wanted to give her her phone, “ I explain even though I don’t see the need to.Ruth nods, chewing her lips lightly. “I know, Dre and I are in a bad space right now, but how was she? How’s she taking all of this?”I stay mute, purposely dragging out the silence longer than I need to. I want to see what my silence does to her.I lift my head. My eyes start to water. “Dre....Dre’s not taking it well. She hates me, Ruth. She really hates me.”Ruth’s blue eyes widen with surprise as I keep going.“She hardly believes me; she said she doesn’t know what to believe anymore. It happened with Nathaniel, TJ, and now me...me. she says the story keeps repeating itself. The guys she falls in love with keep violating her. And when I told her the truth, and told her why I took the fall...she called me dumb. She called me stupid for taking the fall and ru
LUKE’S P.O.V“Just got off the phone with TJ. Aside from the endless apologies, you’ll never believe what else he told me...He and Ruth hooked up a few times in his room after we broke up. I’m taking a wild guess that’s how Ruth got the tapes.”I can’t believe I never suspected her. Not once did she cross my mind. She’s the perfect suspect, but I thought she never had it in her. She wouldn’t do something this cruel to anyone. But I was very, very wrong.How low is she willing to go to hurt Dre? To separate the both of us? How low can she go?I don’t care to know anymore; I’m getting to the bottom of this today.***Ruth’s spare key burns a hole in my pocket. The house is quiet when I let myself in. I stand in the living room for a long moment, heart hammering, looking around like I’m seeing it for the first time. Everything feels tainted now.I start searching.I move carefully at first — opening drawers in the kitchen, checking the coffee table, even looking under the couch cushions.
LUKE’S P.O.VAfter, Dre saw Silver off, I told her everything. For the next hour, I narrate everything that had transpired between the sender and me from start to finish.From the day they sent the tapes to the day they stopped. I told her how I thought it was Nathaniel, and when the sender had gone quiet, I still assumed it was him, but stopped because he was in Juvie. I told her he was the only person I suspected at that time. She didn’t like it when I told her about my visit to his juvie. She didn’t have to say anything, but her face said it all.I didn’t leave out the chase, or how the sender had been spying in front of her house. How they’ve been watching our every move just to make sure I’ve been staying away from her. I let her know that was the reason I stayed at Ian’s and couldn’t spend time with her much, blaming it on practice instead.Not that it’ll change anything, but I let her know I couldn’t bring myself to watch her tapes. For months, I couldn’t do it, and that slow
DRE’S P.O.VShortly after, Silver told me, Luke was at the door, I hear his voice.“Hi, Silver...can you give us a second?”"Sure," Silver responds.I grit my teeth, furious with, Silver. I told her to send him away if he came to come see me, but she's doing the exact opposite.The mattress shifts as Silver climbs off the bed. I stay rooted in place under the thick covers, sweating bullets. I could die of heat under here if I wanted to; it’s better than the conversation I’m about to have with Luke.The door closes and I hear footsteps moving to my bed. I feel his hands in my arm through the sheets. The covers start sliding down slowly. Luke is tugging them off. I grip the edges tightly, trying to keep them over my head, but he pulls them away with almost no effort.The cool air hits my face. I keep my head buried in the pillow, refusing to look at him.I can’t. The room is silent for a long moment. I can feel him sitting on the edge of the bed, close but not touching me.Then his vo
LUKE’S P.O.VRuth gets the back seat door for me, helping me in like I’m incapable of doing that myself.She has a lot of throw pillows for some reason, and she props them in a pile in case I want to get some shut-eye on the way.“How did you find me?” I ask a question that’s been whirling in my mind the moment I saw her.“My mum receives packages at that warehouse. I saw your car on my way out.”I notice the small parcel bandaged in duct tape marked as “fragile” on top of a small opened box.“Okay, you still hear from her?”Ruth forces a laugh. “Of course, Luke. Why else would I be receiving her packaging for her?”Ruth makes another quick stop at a gas station, but not for gas. When she returns, she hands me a bag.“What’s this?”She rolls her eyes. “It’s just a toothbrush, deodorant, socks and underwear. Things you’ll need.”I narrow my eyes, taking the bag somewhat grateful for them. Although the underwear part makes me a tad bit uncomfortable, it’s not like I have money to get an
DRE’S P.O.V (Present day) The sound of the door closing jolts me awake. I sit up so fast I almost fall out of the chair. I look to the sofa opposite me, and Luke’s gone— that makes me fall out of the chair, straight onto my ass. I rub my bruised elbow, scrambling to my feet. *He just left.*
DRE’S P.O.VLuke kills the engine after parking smoothly in front of my house.He was quiet the whole drive here, and it’s been killing me.He’d been locked in Principal Dennis’s office for hours. Ruth and I had waited until the receptionist finally told us to go back to class.After school, he dro
LUKE’S P.O.V Dre sits cross-legged on the floor opposite me, scribbling in a notebook while she does homework. The medication had finally settled her, leaving her calmer and more focused than I’d seen in days. “Can you pass me my glasses on the table?” She asks, pointing toward the table witho
PROLOGUE (THREE YEARS AGO) LUKE'S P.O.V The sexiest girl in the entire school agreed to go on a date with me...Me, Lucas Ford! I couldn't contain the excitement I felt. My phone trembled in my hands as I re-read the text she had just sent me. *See you then* Nia fucking Saint, the sexie







