Chapter 1

At the party after the SATs, Janet Stuart lost a round of truth or dare and had to kiss someone.

Out of all the single guys, she chose my best friend and boyfriend, Harris Ruiz. And he didn't say no.

So I broke up with Harris.

Harris stared at me, baffled. "Seriously? You're dumping me just because of a game?"

"Yes!" I shot back.

Harris, mad I'd embarrassed him publicly, turned around and kissed Janet right in front of my face.

And as if that wasn't enough, the very next day, he invited Janet to join him on the graduation trip I'd spent months planning for just the two of us.

Harris was sure I was head over heels for him, convinced I'd come crawling back and beg to make up.

But two weeks went by without so much as a text from me, and that was when he really started to freak out.

On the day our test scores were released, Harris texted me: [Faye, don't forget we both applied to the same college!]

When I got his message, I was at his house with my parents, returning the keepsakes we once shared.

There was just no chance I was ever going to college with Harris.

Harris had no idea. I only chose the same college because I was settling for what he wanted.

Now that I'd let go of him completely, I didn't have to compromise anymore. I headed straight for Cypress University, the place I'd always dreamed of.

*****

I was half an hour late to the party after the SATs because I was getting my hair done.

When I got to the door of the private room, the air was filled with deafening shouts, "Kiss! Kiss!"

I thought someone in our class must be making their relationship official.

Curious, I pushed open the door, and the scene inside hit me like a bolt of lightning.

Right in the middle of the room stood my boyfriend, Harris Ruiz, and Janet Stuart, the new transfer everyone knew was barely scraping by.

Janet gave Harris this lovestruck, bashful look, her voice coming out all sweet and nervous. "Harris, thank you for stepping up for me! I've never kissed anyone before, so... go easy on me, okay?"

Harris just flashed her that lazy grin, not even pretending to hesitate.

I just stood there, stunned, barely able to process what I was seeing as Janet rose up on her tiptoes, about to kiss Harris.

"What are you two doing?" I blurted out.

At the sound of my voice, people finally turned to face me.

"Faye's here!" someone shouted.

When he heard my name, Harris turned to look at me.

He locked eyes with me standing at the door, then strolled over like he owned the place, reaching for my hand. "Faye, you're here!"

I yanked my hand away, my voice shaking with anger. "Harris, what the hell were you about to do with Janet?"

Harris didn't say a word, but Janet immediately butted in. "Faye, I'm really sorry! I lost at truth or dare and needed someone to kiss, but nobody else would help me, so I could only ask Harris. It was just a game, honestly! Don't be upset, okay?"

Harris chimed in too. "It was just a game, Faye. Janet's like a younger sister to me. You don't need to worry about anything."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I asked him, "Harris, I'm your girlfriend! And you just kissed another girl right in front of everyone. Don't you see how messed up that is?"

Harris's face flushed with embarrassment, and our classmates quickly jumped in to smooth things over. "Come on, let's just drop it!"

But Janet just wouldn't drop it, sniffling louder as she begged. "Faye, it's all my fault! Please don't blame Harris, okay? I'll just down twelve shots if you want. I'm allergic to booze, so if I end up in the ER, that's on me!"

She reached for a glass to pour the alcohol, crying, and Harris immediately stopped her.

"Faye, come on, you're taking this way too seriously. It was just a stupid game. We had to follow the rules. Janet can't handle alcohol, so I had no choice but to step in," Harris protested.

I snapped, "Oh, how heroic of you. There are so many single guys here. Why didn't she ask them? And if she knew she couldn't drink, why play at all?"

Janet started bawling even harder. "I grew up in the countryside, okay? I don't know all these city games. I just wanted to join in, that's all! Was it really so wrong for me to try and fit in?"

I wasn't about to let her play the innocent card. "Playing the game is fine, but going right after someone else's boyfriend just for a kiss? That's trashy."

Janet bawled even harder, like I'd slapped her right in front of everyone for no reason.

"I knew it! You've always thought you were better than me! I'm just some girl from the sticks. You're the spoiled rich kid. Why do you have to rub it in and make me look so pathetic? What have I ever done to you?" she cried, voice shaking.

Watching Janet put on her tearful show, Harris's expression turned downright stormy. He shot me a glare and snapped, "Faye, that's enough. It was just a stupid game, and I was only trying to help..."

He still didn't think he'd done anything wrong. He just kept defending Janet, making it sound like I was blowing things out of proportion.

I felt a cold pit in my stomach and interrupted him, my voice frosty. "So tell me, if her dare was to sleep with you, would you just 'help her out' with that too?"