LOGIN(RORY'S POV)The garden had grown quiet. Most of the guests had left, and the fairy lights seemed dimmer now, like they were tired too. I could hear Nana laughing somewhere inside the house with Aunt Ryan and Sophia, their voices muffled through the walls.Todd and I stood near the back gate, the place where we wanted to say goodbye. His hand was still wrapped around mine, his thumb tracing slow circles on my skin."You should get some rest," he said softly. "It's been a long day."I laughed without humor. "That's an understatement."He pulled me closer, his arms circling my waist. I let myself lean into him, my cheek pressed against his chest. His heartbeat was steady beneath my ear, a calming rhythm I had come to depend on."I'm sorry again," he murmured into my hair. "I wish I could take it all back. Give you a do-over."I shook my head against him. "No. I needed to know. Better now than later, right?"He didn't answer right away. Instead, he tilted my chin up so he could look at m
(RORY’S POV)I wasn’t sure of what to do or to say anymore. Especially after seeing the pictures Todd had shown me. Private messages between Amanda and Leslie.It confirmed Leslie was not lying and that made my bones feel so weak that I sank onto one of the swings.Todd was silent for a few seconds and then he came forward and crouched before me.“I’m so sorry, Candy. I really wanted to keep this until after your birthday. I know how much Amanda means to you.” He said softly, his eyes clouded with guilt.“It’s not your fault. I insisted.” I said, avoiding his gaze and focusing on my fingers as they interlocked with one another.Todd took my hand in his quickly and I was forced to look back up into his eyes.“Are you okay?” He asked me. Softly, with concern.I nodded and shrugged. And then I sighed.“I don’t know what to think.” My voice came out like a shaky croak, and I realized that I was finding it a little less easy to breathe. “I shouldn’t feel too betrayed, I mean what was I thi
(RORY’S POV)“Wh-what’s wrong with Amanda?” The words rushed out of my mouth despite the rate at which my heart was racing.It suddenly felt like my birthday had been celebrated a long time ago. Like all the fun that had happened during the party was a distant memory and we were now present in a grey clouded environment.“Did the Williams find out that she helped us? Oh my God, is she in trouble?”Todd’s hand reached for mine immediately.“Hey, hey.” He called softly, his free hand cupped my face and held me firmly so that I looked directly into his eyes. “Calm down, okay? Amanda is fine and out of trouble. Also, the Williams don’t know that she helped you with evidence against him.” Then he added with a shrug. “At least, not that I know of.”I released a sigh of relief but my worry did not go completely. How could it when Todd still had that look on his face? The one that said something was terribly wrong.I got off the swing, his hand still in mine and made sure that I was standing
(RORY’S POV)My birthday turned out to be way cooler than I expected. I didn’t even think of the Williams for once when it started.After we cut the cake together, we had an open buffet that had all kinds of foods, a huge thanks to Nana. There was also a wonderful dessert table, which had different flavors of Candy fluff, assorted cookies, a variety of ice cream and so many types of doughnuts.Then there was a huge bouncing castle set up at the back of the house. It was almost like a kiddies party and though we didn’t have many kids around, the teenagers and adults present made sure they had a lot of fun as well.Everyone was playing and laughing. I got on the bouncing castle. Just once. And it was all because Todd and Rosalie forced me onto it. They made me the first person to get on the bouncing castle, opening the gates for more people to get onto the bouncing castle.By the end of the day, everyone was very exhausted. Even Dad. And trust me, that says a lot. I did see him on the b
(RORY’S POV)My birthday turned out to be way cooler than I expected. I didn’t even think of the Williams for once when it started.After we cut the cake together, we had an open buffet that had all kinds of foods, a huge thanks to Nana. There was also a wonderful dessert table, which had different flavors of Candy fluff, assorted cookies, a variety of ice cream and so many types of doughnuts.Then there was a huge bouncing castle set up at the back of the house. It was almost like a kiddies party and though we didn’t have many kids around, the teenagers and adults present made sure they had a lot of fun as well.Everyone was playing and laughing. I got on the bouncing castle. Just once. And it was all because Todd and Rosalie forced me onto it. They made me the first person to get on the bouncing castle, opening the gates for more people to get onto the bouncing castle.By the end of the day, everyone was very exhausted. Even Dad. And trust me, that says a lot. I did see him on the b
(RORY'S POV)The garden looked like something from a dream.Strings of warm green lights crisscrossed above our heads, twinkling softly against the late morning sky like tiny stars that had decided to come down and join the party. Lanterns in shades of soft pink and gold hung from the branches of the old oak trees, casting a gentle glow over everything beneath them despite the natural light streaming into the garden.“Oh my goodness.” I was too stunned to move, tears pricked my eyes and I didn't even notice that my hand was trembling until Nana squeezed it tighter and said:“It's okay, Mija. Don't get too emotional, okay? Let's go forward.”I turned to her, her smile was wide and she had tears filled in her eyes. I didn't realize that the tears from my eyes had slid down my cheeks until she reached forward and touched them gently.“Don't ruin your makeup, please. Rosalie is going to get mad.” She whispered and tilted her head behind me.I cast a glance behind me and sure enough, right
(RORY’S POV) The air in the car changed immediately, and I felt myself drawn so deeply into the intensity of Todd’s sharp blue eyes. My throat felt too tight for words and my body too numb for movement. “We haven’t gone to a dance together since middle school,” I managed to say when he would not
(RORY’S POV) I have been in Todd’s room a thousand times, but for whatever reason, the same room suddenly felt different. Tense, kind of. It still smelled the same, of Todd and lavender incense. I sat down carefully on his comfortable bed and Todd did the same, just beside me. It was natural for u
(RORY’S POV) “Awww! Are you serious?” Amanda said in a very low tone, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. We are seated in the back of English class and Amanda has forced me to spill everything that happened with Todd. I don’t spill everything, of course. I conveniently leave out the par
(RORY’S POV) “So, fortieth consecutive win, record holder,” Todd said, wriggling his eyebrows as the tech guy in the store helped package the new phone. I narrowed my eyes, my cheeks heating up with color. “You saw the database,” I murmured shyly, avoiding his eyes. He leaned closer to me, his







