All Chapters of The Sweetest Monster : Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

People often say that you can tell what kind of person someone is by looking into their eyes.I never believed that.Eyes lie.Smiles lie.Even tears can lie if the person wearing them knows exactly when to let them fall.I've spent most of my life learning that people don't really see what's in front of them. They see what they want to see. Give them a warm smile, remember the little things they tell you, ask how their day went, and suddenly they'll trust you with the parts of themselves they've hidden from everyone else.It's surprisingly easy.My name is Dahlia Gray.I'm twenty-two years old, a university student, a daughter, a sister, and according to almost everyone who knows me, one of the sweetest people they've ever met.I smile at strangers.I bring coffee to my professors.I remember birthdays without checking social media.I listen when my friends need someone to talk to, and I never interrupt them when they're crying. I know exactly when to reach for their hand, when to of

There are things about me that people know.And there are things about me that they never will.I learned that distinction when I was young.Hindi naman ako ipinanganak na may alam kung paano magsinungaling. Nobody is. We learn it slowly, usually because we realize that telling the truth doesn't always give us what we want.For some people, lying is a way to protect themselves.For me, it became something else.It became a habit.Then a skill.And eventually, it became the easiest way to survive.I wasn't raised in a terrible family. Hindi ako lumaki sa isang bahay na puro sigawan, violence, or hatred. In fact, from the outside, the Gray family looked perfectly normal.We had a beautiful house.A comfortable life.Parents who made sure we had everything we needed.Ava, my older sister, was the kind of daughter every parent could be proud of. She was warm, responsible, affectionate, and naturally caring. She remembered birthdays, called Mom whenever she was away, and somehow always kne

I didn't expect Max to remember what I said the other day.Most people didn't.People listened, nodded, and forgot.That's what made them easy.But Max Holland remembered.He remembered the questions I asked, the things I avoided answering, even the little changes in my expression that I didn't realize I was making.That morning, I found him waiting outside our classroom.He was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone, looking completely relaxed.But the moment he saw me, he put his phone away."You're early."I stopped in front of him."You've been keeping track?""Maybe."I raised an eyebrow."That's a little creepy."He smiled."You don't seem scared.""I'm not.""Why?"I adjusted the strap of my bag."Should I be?"He looked at me for a moment."No."There was something about the way he said it that made me curious.Not 'not yet.'Just no.I walked past him and entered the classroom.Sienna was already sitting at our usual table.She immediately waved at me."Girl!"