登入Tyler “You’re just going to talk to her. Explain everything. Tell her the truth. Just…don’t be an asshole, Tyler.” That was me. Thirty-six minutes past two that Monday morning, standing in front of my bathroom mirror after those stupid pills finally wore off. Because honestly, that was the only thing that kept me sane those four days between Monday. Believe me, I didn’t plan to go completely mute on Sydney. But what exactly was I supposed to do when the entire school was still talking shit about the party and I’d done absolutely nothing to stop it? I’d just watched everything happen. Ignored it like a complete coward. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to text her. But sending a text in the middle of all that noise felt…wrong. I wanted to see her. Talk to her. Explain the parts she couldn’t see. Tell her what I desperately wanted Sydney Walker to know. ‘Should have gone to her house, Tyler,’ my mind whispered mercilessly. ‘Mom wasn’t home for almost the entire week.’
Sydney I turned, trying to step around him again. But he lifted his arms—instinctively. Not to touch me. Just enough to stop me from walking away from him. “Sydney…” I held his gaze for one second again before stepping back, wrapping my arms tightly around myself. “I’m tired, Tyler.” “I know.” “No. Stop saying that.” The words escaped before I could stop them. “You have no idea.” He didn’t argue. He just stared back at me. And God, I hated the look on his face. If only guilt could erase the past four days, maybe I’d have forgiven him already. Instead, he took one careful step toward me. I stayed where I was. “I’m sorry, Sydney.” I looked away. “Sorry for what?” My voice was smaller than I wanted. “For encouraging them while they tore me apart?” “That’s not fair.” He said. “I didn’t even say anything.” “Exactly!” My eyes snapped to his. I scoffed bitterly. “Exactly, Tyler. You never say anything. Don’t you see that that’s the problem? He didn’t res
SydneyThe bell for the second half of class rang while I was seeing how long I could keep a giant covalent structure going before I ran out of space on the page.And turns out…it takes a surprisingly long time.Which was great, by the way. Because the alternative was thinking about the table full of jocks across from me in the cafeteria.The way Brooklyn had looked away just when I thought she’d say something different. That stupid smile on Tracy’s face. The way the others had just gone quiet when she talked, like some silent approval no one wanted to admit out loud.Then she’d flipped her hair when she said she wasn’t sure I had a virus.That part stung. I won’t lie.Because what the hell did she mean by that?I swallowed, shutting out the snorts that came after. And then there was Tyler.Gone frozen again right after telling Tracy to stop.Like why couldn’t he just say something when it actually mattered?Or had he actually been drunk, but my heart didn’t want to accept it?God!
SydneyI was stuck with two options.Either hold my breath, walk over to a table directly opposite half the basketball team and the cheer squad, and spend forty-five minutes pretending not to hear them laughing like they owned the entire world…Or walk over to the sweet lunch lady, flash her a smile, ask her if I could throw away perfectly good food, then go hunt down Maeve and potentially find out who Carrie and Isabel were.Monday really was determined to outdo itself.My phone buzzed. And I glanced down at it on the tray beside one sad looking lettuce.“Alive?” Maeve’s text read.And as much as I wanted to send a full-blown distress call, I really didn’t want to interrupt whatever she was doing.Besides, the longer I stood there, the more I felt like my knees were going to give out.So I fixed my eyes on the empty table, ignored the murmurs drifting around the cafeteria, and walked.And the second I reached it, I dropped onto the bench.“Hey, easy.” Someone said behind me, accompan
SydneyBy the end of class, I’d concluded that the frozen look Tyler had worn at the announcement was either his own way of reacting to the news, or he was just really good at hiding whatever had gone through his mind in that moment.And knowing Tyler, the second option seemed far more likely.But that wasn’t the most annoying thing that happened that stupid Monday.Because Lakeview High was never beating the hellhole allegations…Oh, and I confirmed that Tyler Sinclair was probably drunk when he said those things to me in that bathroom.Let me explain.The first half of classes felt like I’d strolled through hell barefoot.Because…try sitting in a class with about twenty other students after finding out earlier that one of them had broken into your locker and stuffed something potentially awful in there.Then somebody else had apparently broken into it again, just to save you.I didn’t even know the school lockers were that easy to hack.The entire thought made me exhale tiredly and
Sydney Great. I mean, it can’t be called a Monday morning without surprises, right? And what better combination than slowly recovering from probably the worst party I’d ever attended, almost getting hit by whatever some teenage manic had stuffed in my locker…and then getting called to a mandatory assembly? My life’s perfect. “Come on,” Maeve said, gently tugging me along with the crowd. “It’s probably nothing.” But I hadn’t heard about anyone dying or any other disaster happening recently. So yeah, a Monday morning assembly was probably nothing. Right? Still, the crowd swallowed us almost immediately. So did the stares. Whispers along with murmuring drifted from every direction. Some people had been at the party. Most hadn’t. But somehow that didn’t stop them from looking at me like they’d all witnessed the whole thing themselves. ‘It was just a party, Sydney. The assembly has nothing to do with it.’ I told myself as we stepped into the noisy gym. And almost
Tyler“What happened between you and Dean Monroe?” I dragged a hand over my face, nearly throwing my phone across the room from seeing that damn question for the hundredth time in less than forty eight hours.“I mean, one minute you’re walking to Coach’s office, the next Dean’s neck is moving side
SydneyFor a second, I just stood at the door, my chest tight, eyes partly wide as I stared at Mom.She had her hair sleeked into a neat bun, her face smooth like she’d just finished her night routine, her lips pressed into a thin line as she looked back at me.And I just felt like running past her
Sydney“Did you see Dean’s face?” “Forget Dean. Did you see how angry his uncle was? I heard he threatened to sue the principal.” “I heard the fight was about money.”“No way.” Another voice said. “Probably basketball.”“Dean insulted Tyler’s Mom.” “Heard Chirag say it’s about a girl.”Every whi
SydneyA door slammed open at the long end of the hallway.The noise died down slightly, and the ringing in my head stopped as I lifted my head, sighting Aaron walking forward first.Then Coach Bradford stepped into the hallway behind him.“Oh my God,” someone whispered. “They’re so dead now.”“Tyl







