LOGINZuri The lock clicks into place behind me, and something in my chest clicks shut with it.The room tilts. I plant a hand on the wall to steady myself, but the wall doesn’t feel steady either, it feels like it’s breathing. Heat crawls up from my stomach and floods my skin until every inch of me feels raw, sunburned, wrong. I claw at the collar of my shirt just to get air against my throat.“I don’t know what’s happening to me.” My voice comes out thick, like it’s dragging through syrup. “I’m so hot. I can’t—the room won’t stop moving.”“That’s right.” Chase’s voice drops into something low and pleased with itself. He crosses the room slow, like he’s got all the time in the world now. “Finally.”I don’t understand him until his hands are on my waist.I shove him, hard, and the panic that rips through the fog in my head is the clearest thing I’ve felt in minutes. “Get off me.”His grip tightens instead of loosening. “Don’t fight it, Zuri. You should be grateful. Nobody else wants you.”
ZuriSomeone had dragged a low table into the middle of the living room and about a dozen of us ended up cross-legged around it, bottle spinning, red cups scattered everywhere. Mira sat pressed against my side, already three dares deep into the night and loving every second of it.Gabriela had wedged herself onto the arm of the couch next to Audric, one hand curled possessively around his bicep. Every time she tightened her grip he shifted, shoulder rolling just enough to shrug her off, eyes cutting toward me instead of her. She noticed. Anyone with eyes would have noticed. Her jaw got tighter every time he did it.The bottle spun and landed on me.“Truth or dare,” some guy across the circle called out.“Dare,” I said, mostly because Chase was watching me with that easy grin and I didn’t feel like giving anybody an honest answer tonight.“I dare you,” Chase said, leaning forward on his elbows, “to kiss me.”The circle erupted into hoots and catcalls. I glanced at Audric on instinct, a
ChrisMy hand closed around the cup in my fist until the plastic caved in completely, drink spilling over my knuckles. I barely noticed.What the fuck is Zuri doing letting him touch her like that? Chase had his arm around her waist, steering her up onto the little raised deck where everyone could see, and he raised his own cup like he was about to make an announcement.“Listen up, everyone.” His voice carried easily over the music. “My date for tonight — Zuri Sterling.”A ripple went through the crowd, half of them cheering, half of them exchanging looks like they couldn’t quite believe it.“Come on, babe.” He turned to her, holding out a cup. “Want a drink?”“She doesn’t drink,” Ethan cut in before Zuri could answer. “Don’t force her.”“I’m not forcing anybody.” Chase held his hands up, easy, unbothered. “It’s whatever she wants.” He looked at her. “You want a drink?”“I don’t mind,” Zuri said.“No.” The word was out of my mouth before I’d decided to say it. “She’s not dr
Zuri“Just pick something!” Mira called from my bed, where she’d already laid out four different outfits like some kind of fashion buffet. “We’re going to be late, Zu.”“I’m trying.” I held up a dress against myself in the mirror and immediately put it back down.Everything that used to fit right felt different now. The ones that looked good on the hanger clung to every curve the second I put them on, hugging my hips and stomach in ways that made my skin crawl with self-consciousness. I turned sideways, sucked in a breath I didn’t need to hold, and hated how much I was still doing that after all these years.“This one’s too tight.” I tossed a red dress onto the growing pile of rejects.“That one looked incredible on you.”“That’s the problem.”Mira sighed and got up, rifling through my closet herself until she pulled out a flowy gown in soft green, the kind that skimmed rather than clung, falling just past my knee.“Try this.”I put it on, and something in my chest loosened a little w
Audric“Fucking piece of shit,” I muttered, kicking the locker hard enough that it hurt. I didn’t care.Chase had a lot of nerve going after Zuri like that, when I knew exactly what he was doing. Guys like him didn’t chase girls like her because they meant it. They did it because it was fun to watch. And I wasn’t going to stand around and let him break her heart doing it.I’d left the celebration early, too pissed to pretend I was happy about the win. All I could think about was Zuri on her feet cheering for him. She’d only ever cheered for us. Today was the first time I’d watched her get up like that for somebody else, and it landed somewhere I didn’t have a name for.I was still catching my breath when Gabriela let herself into the locker room like she owned it.“You did so well out there.” She shut the door behind her, already crossing toward me.“You shouldn’t be in here.”“Why not? It’s not the first time I’ve been alone with you.”She reached for the towel at my waist and I caug
EthanI’d never wanted to lose a game more in my life, not because I didn’t want the win, but because right now hockey was the only thing standing between me and going after my own brother in front of a packed rink.I’d caught the whole thing from the bench. Audric running his mouth in front of everybody, throwing Zuri under the bus like she meant nothing to him, and Gabriela doing her little fake-injury routine like she wasn’t the most obvious liar on this entire campus. My jaw had been locked tight since the puck dropped, and I could feel it in my shoulders every time I hit the ice, a low simmering thing that wasn’t going away on its own.First period was clean. Fast, physical, the way our games against Whitfield’s team always were, old rivalry, old grudges, nothing personal. I put a shoulder into somebody along the boards and it felt good, felt like somewhere to put all this energy that had nowhere else to go.Then Chase scored.Clean shot, top corner, our goalie barely got a glove
RheaThe beach house materialized through the palm trees like something from a dream.I stepped out of the car, and the view stopped me cold. The house itself was stunning, all white stone and floor-to-ceiling windows, but it was what lay beyond that stole my breath. The ocean stretched out endless
RheaI was so focused on my laptop screen that I did not hear Greg come in the first time.“Morning, kiddo.”I jumped, my hand flying to my chest. Greg stood in the doorway of the dining room, already dressed for the day in slacks and a button-down shirt, a coffee mug in his hand.“Sorry,” he said
RheaThe morning air was crisp, sharp enough to sting my lungs as I carried my suitcase down the driveway. The sun had barely crested the horizon, painting everything in shades of gold and pink that would have been beautiful if I weren’t running on four hours of sleep.I could still feel the phanto
RheaThe cafeteria was loud. Too loud. Voices bounced off the walls, punctuated by laughter and the clatter of trays. I stood in line with my food, watching the chaos of students sorting themselves into their designated social hierarchies.I scanned the room for a familiar face. For someone who wou







