Prologue

"What do you think she"ll say?" Kim bounced his leg as he watched out the window. His deathgrip on the wildflowers almost crumpled them.

We were only about ten minutes away. Graduation should be well under way. Just as I"d planned.

Atlas and Kim had made it in the fashion industry. They were recognizable on the street in most big cities, and I was sure everyone in our old town would notice us walking in.

They were gossiping bitches and we never hid why or how we left, especially when it pulled them out of school.

What we didn"t need was to be ambushed before we could find our seats.

"She might not say anything. We left her by herself for years," Atlas grouched, crossing his arms and glaring at me.

He"d excelled at modeling, and he supported Joaquin and me when we found our purpose in the group. But he"d never quite let go that I pushed them to take this opportunity.

I didn"t regret it, but I"d be lying to myself if I didn"t think he had a point.

We"d left. No goodbye. No notice. One day, we were just gone.

If she thought about us at all, it probably wasn"t kind.

Like I said, I"d never admit it. Atlas would hold it over my head.

"I think she"ll cry tears of happiness, then jump in our arms for a hug because she missed us so much." Kim bit his lip, looking at Joaquin and Atlas briefly before turning his gaze back to the outside.

Squinting at Kim, Joaquin mashed his lips together. "That"s a good guess. We"ll go with that. It"s better than her spitting on us or just walking by without acknowledging us at all. Which, come on, why wouldn"t she ignore us? We never talked to her."

"Kim could"ve," Atlas still griped.

The closer we got to the school, the more irritable he got.

He was about to get what he"d been craving for years. A chance to talk to Beasty. To see her. To take her with us and away from this place.

And he was focused on the negative.

My stomach soured as we rode through town. In the grand scheme of things, we hadn"t been gone that long. But it felt like a lifetime ago that we left my rickety old apartment.

Our absence was long enough that the rundown buildings that needed a paint and power wash jarred my senses. It was downright depressing after being in the bigger cities with nice neighborhoods and manicured lawns.

The driver pulled up to the front of the school.

The large brown building was still standing strong, but there was a drabness about it that seemed more like prison than school.

Taking a deep breath, I centered myself. The last thing I needed to do was let on that I was nervous as fuck.

Kim didn"t wait for anyone as he jumped out.

"Kim!" I called, cursing under my breath. "I"m supposed to go in front of you." I kept my voice low, but it didn"t hide the fact that he was being an idiot.

Joaquin and Atlas let me out, then as I took my place in front of them, they fell in behind me.

A couple groups of smokers huddled around the entrance. The adults gave us one glance then turned away. There was one group of high schoolers who immediately recognized Kim and Atlas. I glanced back to check on them.

Atlas acted like they didn"t exist. Kim fidgeted and watched the concrete. He wasn"t used to the mass attention yet. He could handle it when he prepped himself, but he was already so nervous about Beasty, he was screwed here.

For the most part, we made it to the top of the stands without any issues.

One girl tried to step out in my path, but I moved her out the way and kept heading up the stairs. Hearing her umph of indignation did feel good.

How the tables had turned. The outcasts were now desired because of our fame. Or Atlas and Kim"s, mine by extension.

In the nosebleeds, there were more students and recent graduates but the lights were dim. Thankfully, no one tried to sit close to us, leaving a good three-foot buffer around us.

The person calling out the names were on the G"s. We still had time. Shit, that had been close.

A side glance at Atlas glaring at the stage told me he understood just how close we made it.

But I didn"t regret this either. It would have been a nightmare to show up before graduation started, and get bombarded by people or have to listen to their whispers travel around the stands.

I watched the crowd for anyone who even hinted at coming too close, and looked for Beasty in the seats.

It was too hard to see her.

Then her row stood up and when they turned sideways, I picked her out.

My hands curled on my thighs as I held my breath. She was beautiful in a way that society didn"t appreciate.

Her beauty was the very core of her being.

She was so strong. Fierce. Wild.

I smiled remembering how many fights she"d gotten into over the years.

The other guys gasped as they saw her. We all leaned forward, glued to her every move as she walked to the stage, then up the stairs. She held her chin up the entire time.

That"s right, Beasty. Fuck everyone here. You"re better than them.

"Cressida Hart..." the announcer said over the speakers.

We didn"t plan it, we didn"t even talk about it. But as soon as her name was called, we jumped to our feet, whistling, clapping, screaming. All for her.

For the first time in my entire life, everything was right.

Kim could be anxious. Atlas could be angry. Joaquin could placate both of them.

But I knew Beasty was going to say yes. She was going to come with us.

Then nothing and no one could tear us apart. We were going to make the world our bitch, and give everyone else a big fuck you.

Our life was starting now, with Beasty.