I meet Seb in the parking lot, trying to control the giddiness I feel inside. People's gazes are on us, after all, almost tripping over themselves just to catch sight of him and probably thinking about how I don't deserve to be by his side. Seb and me getting together isn't something that I imagined until it happened. If you asked me about it before, I would probably be pretending to dry-heave at the thought. He was my stepbrother, after all. There are all kinds of things that anyone can say about that. I sigh, remembering the conversation that we had about keeping our relationship secret. I've been debating with myself about it overnight. Is this all going to be worth it? Hiding how we feel for each other just to keep other people comfortable? "Hey, you ready?" Seb asks me as I fasten my seatbelt beside me. I thought he would drive away as soon as he closed the door, but suddenly, he grabs me and claims my mouth. I gasp in surprise, but melted almost immediately in his warmth. We k

"Thank you," I tell Olive as soon as they're able to escape from our friends."You're welcome," Olive says as she washes her hands on the sink beside me. "And sorry about Brit. You know how overprotective she can be. Did you know that she almost scalped Dina when she found out she was talking to Dave?" They smile at each other. Of course, I know. I might have felt the same way about the whole Dina and Dave situation at the start, only I didn't have the kind of guts that Brit has. Sighing, I lean on the wall behind her, studying Olive, "Look, I guess I owe you an apology, too."Olive waves me off, "Come on, we already talked about this. Seb's actions were understandable, he was just thinking logically. Out of all of us in the council, Brit and I are the ones on the outside. Well...us and Victor, who's not around at the moment." "Right...what happened to him? Seb says he's on leave?" "Yeah, something to do with his...br

Seb looking at me with pity still haunts my dreams. It's probably stupid of me. I told him I didn't mind him knowing how devastating my life back in LA was, but now that everyone else knows about it. Somehow, it kills me to continue standing by his side. I don't deserve him. "You're spiraling in your head again. I know that look. Stop it." Dina observes from beside me. Yesterday, when my bleak past was revealed to the whole school, I pushed her aside, begging to stay at her house for the weekend. An act of self-preservation on my part, since there's no way I can face Seb right now. And Lucien...Lucien will know something is wrong. "I still don't understand why it's very hard for us to pin this person down." Dina continues. "This is really getting out of hand, Ari. Do you think we should take up Kier's suggestion about a private investigator?" "Maybe," I tell her sadly. I suddenly feel devoid of energy. Dina looks at me seriously fo

My hands shake as I pick up the cup of tea that the waitress just gave me. I finally did it. I called the number, and the blackmailer agreed to meet. After telling her of my suspicions and about the number that the blackmailer left me, Dina insisted on coming with me to confront her. I couldn't argue so she's currently sitting just two tables behind me, and I can feel her gaze burning a hole through my back. The bell to the cafe's door rang and I look up nervously, and behind a man in a dark suit entered a woman. I close my eyes, steeling myself. She isn't what I expected but it was close. "Brit." I murmur as she approaches my table, "Don't tell me...are you...?" "Ari?" Brit asks, taking a seat in front of me, her forehead scrunches in confusion, "What are you doing here?" I frown too, "I...um...I was just...what are you doing here?" "This is Olive's family's cafe," Brit replies. Olive. The sound of her name leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The moment Dina spelled it all o

I know it isn't going to be easy making things right with Olive. Even as she agreed to my plan, she isn't talking to me yet, and only does so when it involves the case against Lyle. I also know that it isn't going to be easy convincing Kier and the others to drop the charges against Olive. So, in order to do that, I had to tell the boys my deepest darkest secret, the truth about my life in California. Feeling like I just ran a marathon, I slump in the sofa of our living room, spent. It's hard for me to remember the things that my mother and I went through living with Lyle, and even harder for me to tell the boys about it. I close my eyes, unable to look any of them in the eye. Beside me, Seb moves, as if he's unable to stop himself from touching me. But I know he wouldn't. He had promised to give me space. Plus, our friends don't know about us yet. I don't know how they will react if they found out that Seb and I were keeping our relationship from them. The silence stretches inside