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Prologue

Park

Have you ever looked back and tried to figure out where your life took a wrong turn? The exact moment--that precise action--that turned your whole life to shit? And now you wish like hell that you could go back and change it?

Here’s life lesson nuo back What’s done is done Whatever dae you’ve caused is permanent Life doesn’t have an undo button--no matter how much you wish it did

Which leadsIt doesn’t work and you just wind up looking like a fucking loser Don’t believe me? Let’s try a little experiment Wish in one hand and shit in the other Now tell me which hand filled up faster

Life lesson nu deal with it You want so and everybody else There is not a line outside your door waiting to hand it to you

I can pinpoint the exactthat I’ve done probably fifty ti his equiph to hand it over, the least I can do is honor his siirl, to take Jessie’s shit back to hi act that I’ve done so irl My best friend has betrayedthat’s mine

I lower myself onto the bed beside Hope and notice the spot’s war in it I hope it was Guy, because if it was Mason, I’ to loseat Hope I don’t like the way she looks at him, either

I’ve had this feeling lately, like this itch I can’t quite reach, and it’s been drivingparanoid or not, but I feel like so’s shifted between et it back I haven’t ht

I press into irl and kiss her on the cheek I want to remind the new dude she’s aze auto and he doesn’t like it His face is expressionless, but his body is coiled tight, his hands fisted at his sides What the fuck? I shoot a questioning look at Guy My best friend Hope’s foster brother My Best Friend

My stouilt I read in his eyes as he looks away froood," I say softly as I try to fight against the panic flowing through et her away froo somewhere" Mason clenches his jaw and I add, "Alone"

"Yeah, okay," she agrees "We need to talk" But she isn’t even looking at lued to Mason and he--fuck--he looks relieved, and happy, and fucking hopeful as hell

My head is getting hot fro in slowand Mason follows hi we sit in the unco to puke So I turn to her, hoping she’llon?"

And then she just does it She ripsheart out of my chest "We need a break"

We need a break We need a break We I stare at the door Mason just walked through while her words replay in h Not because it’s funny It’s anything but funny I laugh because I was right As , wished for it to not be true, deep down I knew it "We don’t need a break You do" I shake my head hard "Why? Or should I say who?" I already knohy I knoho I just want to hear her say it

She glares at ht to be pissed "We had a deal," she fires back

"Mm, yeah Our non-committal relationship that isn’t really a relationship Except it is For me It is" It alas From the moment I met her, I kneanted her for life How can she do this to et? "So that’s it? We’re done? Do I even get to knohy? What I did wrong?" Maybe I can fix this I can change I’ll be whatever she wants Whatever she needs

I love her

I never told her that I should have told her

Hope’s breathing increases until she’s panting, fighting for air Fuck She’s having a panic attack Because ofto calet bad any second "You didn’t do anything wrong," she whispers I s roughly Yeah, it’s bad when she starts whispering "I just need…" she trails off, searching for the right word Or name

Hope stands up abruptly and flies toward the door I shoot up after her as she tears the door open so hard it sla the s I pull her into h I wish I was enough But it never is I never am

"Calm down," I say quietly "It’s okay" It’s not okay, but I lie to her, hoping it ork even though I knoon’t "Just calm down"

She shakes her head, back and forth quickly, her brightly colored hair brushing against my chin I can s e the fact that I love the way she s to miss her scent

"No…it’s…not okay"

Shit She can barely catch her breath I can’t do this I don’t kno to o and move as fast as I can down the stairs and out the back door As soon as he sees uish the color He breaks away fro to and Mason follows

"Where is she?" Guy asks

"Room," I pant I watch them run back inside and I take a second to breathe To orient ht I wonder for a moment if this is really et to Hope’s roo She doesn’t wantin front of her and she’s clinging to him like he’s her savior As if he’s all she’ll ever want and need for the rest of her life And I just…snap