Chapter 1

In my senior year, a new transfer student joined our class. Her name was Ivy Mack.

She was nothing like the other girls. Ivy smoked, drank, and was totally one of the guys. She was that badass, stand-out cool girl everyone couldn't help but notice.

As soon as she showed up, she set her sights on my childhood friend, Ethan Cameron.

While messing around with Ethan, she brought me up.

"Dude, check out your little childhood friend. The way she walks is kinda off, you know? I bet she's already been around," Ivy said, clicking her tongue.

I thought Ethan would stand up for me like he always did.

But instead, he just chuckled softly. "Who knows? She's pretty good at pretending."

During the most stressful month before the college entrance exams, Ivy stopped him in the hallway again.

She said, "Wanna pull an all-nighter at the internet cafe tonight? I mean, your little childhood friend's reputation is already trashed. No matter how wild you play, she'll still cling to you like a dog."

I rounded the corner, clutching my test papers, and saw Ethan hesitate for a second before nodding. "Let's go."

Later, Ethan bombed the exams. He didn't even make the cut for a bachelor's degree.

Meanwhile, I was interviewed as the top scorer in the state, my photo plastered all over the honor roll.

He cornered me backstage at the graduation ceremony, his voice full of that patronizing tenderness, like he was doing me a favor.

"Liana, why don't we get together? I don't care about all those rumors. Even if what they say about you is true... it doesn't bother me," Ethan said.

*****

It was May, and the weather had already grown restless and hot.

During the break, the classroom was filled with chatter and noise, the air reeking of test paper ink and sweat. I was totally absorbed in a physics problem, sweat beading on the tip of my nose.

"Ethan! Stop for me!" A bold voice cut through the chaos. It was Ivy.

She was rocking a baggy basketball jersey and ripped jeans. basketball was tucked under one arm, while the other hooked naturally around Ethan's neck as he walked back in from outside, almost hanging off him.

Ethan was my childhood friend, the guy who'd always carry my backpack and be the first to stand up for me whenever I got picked on.

He wore a smile I barely recognized, somewhere between helplessness and indulgence, and didn't even try to push her off.

"What are you doing, Ivy? Guys and girls aren't supposed to get all touchy, you know?" Ethan said, his voice lazy and half-hearted.

"I don't give a damn! We're bros!" Ivy punched his shoulder, laughing like she didn't have a care in the world.

I looked away and went back to battling that physics problem, but there was this suffocating vibe in my chest I just couldn't put into words.

Ever since Ivy showed up, that feeling kept creeping up on me.

"Hey, bro." Ivy kept her voice low, but made sure a few classmates could still hear. She nodded toward me with her chin. "Check out your little childhood friend, Liana, right? The way she walks... Something's definitely off."

My pen jerked to a halt on the paper, carving out a deep, harsh line.

It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart.

The room went quiet for a moment, and I could feel a few furtive, excited glances sneaking onto my back.

I forced myself to look up, feeling stiff all over.

Ivy tilted her head, her gaze sharp and venomous as she sized me up with a knowing, shameless grin.

"Based on my buddies' experiences, she's already been around," Ivy said, her voice oozing with sleazy innuendo.

Blood rushed to my head, then froze in an instant.

Been around... Those words seared into my mind like a red-hot brand.

Instinctively, my eyes shot to Ethan. Even then, I was still holding onto this dumb hope.

I hoped he'd jump in front of me like he did when we were kids. Back when those jerks teased me for not having a dad, he'd always step up and snap, "Cut it out!"

Or at least frown and say, "Don't say that."

Just as long as he showed even the tiniest sign of having my back. Even just a little.

Ethan looked over at me too.

His gaze lingered on my face for a moment. It was complicated. There was scrutiny. A trace of suspicion. And even a hint of something filthy, stirred up by Ivy's words.

Then he turned back to Ivy, a cocky smirk tugging at his lips. He let out a soft chuckle.

That laugh was as light, but it hit me like a ton of bricks, shattering every last bit of hope I had left.

"Who knows?" Ethan said, sounding almost amused.

He paused, then added, his voice low but sharp as a blade, striking straight into my chest. "She does look pretty good at pretending."

"She does look pretty good at pretending." Those words echoed wildly in my head.

The room went dead silent for a moment, then a few stifled, mocking laughs slipped out. The stares became bolder, full of understanding and contempt.

I sat there, feeling like I'd been stripped naked and thrown into the middle of a crowded street. I was cold all over, my hands and feet numb.