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PROLOGUE
JAZZ
It’s funny the things you think of when you’re dying Like, I wonder what kind of birthday cake Ainsley got? I was hoping for chocolate, h, I suppose it doesn’ton the beach right now, feeling the ocean tickle ainst the shore I bet so will find my body Haven’t you ever noticed that? Runners always find the dead bodies I can see the headlines now:
Teenager Stabbed to Death in Quaint, Mountain Town
It’ll shake up this community teirl who died by the water’s edge Goosebuh my body Damn, it’s cold up here Of course, the one tiet stuck out in the wilderness
What really pisses ht to be pissed as I lie here bleeding out—is that I can’t stop thinking about the fact the people responsible for this will get aith it They’ll graduate high school, go off to college, eventually getback Never knohat it’s like to have consequences for their actions These people will always live in a world where you can solve any proble a little money around
My body sinks into the ground, the set help, butisn’t one either—I’ve already tried that, and all I have to show for it is a raw throat My head lolls to the side, eyes falling to the glassy surface of the lake as the fingers on my non-broken hand flutter overto staunch the flow of sticky blood
As I stare unblinkingly at the fulloff the lake’s surface, I realize the irony of er to violence—I’ve spent most ofyour next fix, you’d be surprised what people will do when desperation sinks in That’s why ilant, to take precautions I took her lessons to heart and ed to survive over seventeen years without incident
It fucking figures that when I actually do become a victim of violence, it’s in a place drenched in wealth
I suppose that’s what I get for trusting a liar
CHAPTER ONE
JAZZ
“Here we are” My social worker, Davina, shifts her rusty old Ford Focus into park
I stare out the windshield at the sprawlingme when you said he was rich, huh?”
Davina’s brown eyes light up in ae around your father, Jazz”
“Don’t call him that,” I snap
She gives me a sympathetic look “Honey, I know this is hard, but—”
I scoff “You think?”
Davina is undeterred by my interruption “Jazz Listen I know you irl in your situation would But I’d hate to see you screw up an opportunity like this because you have soainst rich people”
“I don’t have anything against rich people,” I argue “I have soainst a man who can obviously afford child support but would rather pretend his kid didn’t exist”
“Who said he was pretending?” she challenges “He claie of your existence until your mother approached him shortly before her death”
I shake my head “I don’t believe it Whenever I asked my moood man, that ere better off without him, and that’s all I needed to know Why in the hell would she go to hihteen years? Why didn’t he ask to ht ahen she did supposedly inform him that he has a kid?”
“Jazz, I can’t speak for your hs “He’s an upstanding citizen and successful businessman Philanthropic, even He didn’t hesitate for one second e contacted hiive you a better life than anything you’ve ever known You’ll have opportunities you’ve never had before If you don’t care about yourself, think about your sister and how much you could improve her life with access to resources like this”
“Just because ere poor doesn’twould be okay as long as we had each other”
She gestures to the giant house in front of us “I know that, honey, and I respect it Yourthe best out of a crappy situation But she’s gone and you and I both know your sister is not in the ht now”