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Prologue

Then

The slap can be heard all the way down the beach

The sound of fleshflesh, sharp and loud, is unirl in a red swiest bully of the beach, a sixth grader named Heather

The su hot, but ly expression on Heather’s face as she towers over the sirl who can’t beher cheek with her hand

I look around, but there are no adults in the vicinity, and Heather knows it Her leer gets even wider as she leans down into the younger girl’s face, intent on doing even e than a handprint on a cheek

That’s all it takes to sendup fro sand in the air as I run I reach theirl’s small hand

A tear slips down the girl’s cheek, which causes Heather to grin “Go cry to your ly way only a middle-school bully can

The sheer sight of it ic as I rush toward the pair I forget that Heather has toret that I can’t be any older than the skinny girl in the red swimsuit

In this moment, it doesn’t matter

“What the hell, Heather?” I deirl, the skinny one, sucks in her breath at roundable offense, butin the shade “Give her the money back”

Heather stares down at listens on her plump chin “Or what, shrimp? What will you do if I don’t?”

I lift my chin and look her in the eye

“I’ll tell everyone, including your friends, what you were doing with Jamie Rawlins under the pier a while back I saw you I sahat you did And if you don’t give her the money back, I’ll tell everyone”

Heather’s eyes widen, then narrow “You wouldn’t”

I nod, calmer now than I probably should be “I would”

Heather looks out over the lake and thinks about it for a minute before she tosses the crumpled up bills at my feet

“I hope it orth it,” she tellsto make your life hell”

“Whatever” I sniff, trying to appear unconcerned “It’s not like you don’t try already”

Heather glares atit to the skinny girl I smile at her

“Here you go I’m sorry she’s so mean I think someone pees in her cornflakes every day”

The girl seems speechless and she stares atme a white shell

“Thank you for getting my ice cream money back,” she says so softly that I have to strain to hear her “I collect these The big nice ones are hard to find in the lake”

I sht, it’s hard to find the to swim out to the buoy line Wanna come?”

The girl stares out at the battered line of buoys that bob up and down in the current a hundred yards out She looks a little uncertain, a little scared

“I can’t,” she finally answers “My mom would kill me The current’s too bad”

I nod as if I understand what it’s like to have a mother that cares My own doesn’t even know that I can swim

“Okay,” I tell the girl “I’ll see you around”

She watchesback and drop the shell onover and under the frigid waves like a seal When I finally reach the buoys, I grab onto one, clinging tightly as it bobs, while I push ers

Glancing back toward the beach, I hunt for the girl in the red swione, and I realize so

I didn’t even ask her name

Chapter One

Dominic

Now

I like to watch

I know that I shouldn’t, but I don’t really give a shit I like the flash of skin, the sweaty li…

Watching s that does

“Soe, Dominic,” Kirabrown hairmy chest as she watches with me “You’re just the same… a freak I love that”

I don’t answer because she’s right I’ freak She knows it and I know it, and neither of us care If anything, Kira likes it Shetime She knows me better than anyone… and she definitely knohat I like

Even though she’s beautiful and faraze the tips of my nples, and trail down to ht and remains soft inside my pants Not because she’s not hot or sexy, because she is