PROLOGUE

Summer

I can't help the skip in my step after getting out of the Uber in the gym parking, my backpack close. I can't wait until we get to his place. I am so excited to tell Harvey I finally found the vinyl. When the store called me to tell me it got delivered, I rushed over. I couldn't wait any longer. I had to have it. We had to have it.

I smirk devilishly to myself, thinking of everything I can make him do to me so he can borrow it.

Definitely something extra nasty. I sigh happily.

Pushing the double doors of the building open, I hope to catch the last of their practice. Tracey and her two assistant witches congregate in front of the double doors leading to the stadium. The queen witch sees me first and smiles that nasty smile of hers.

Hate grew into loathing, on her side, once I started dating the boys. But I don't care about her at all. The witches line themselves to block my path and I slow down as I near them adjusting my backpack.

They smile like they know something I don't. Something I don't doubt they're just dying to tell me.

"Tracey and the two donkeys," I say, a fake smile of my own.

Their grins don't falter.

Okay, that one usually works.

"Summer, oh, Summer. You should be nicer to people who hold your happiness in their delicate hands," Tracey says, looking triumphant, and I don't like it.

"Yeah, bitch," one of the donkeys adds, and I pull the biggest eye roll in the history of eye rolls.

I don't have time for this. I start advancing on them and they band together. Clearly not wanting me to pass. I step back, pissed now. Tracey pulls out a phone in her bag, presses it, and shoves it in my face. And I take it because, well, what else can I do?

My face falls immediately. My body goes cold instantly. My heart feels like it's getting pulled and squeezed from the inside. Increasing the volume only adds to my torment. Her moans echo down the hall as she writhes on top of Harvey in pleasure, but I can't stop watching.

It's hard to believe what I'm seeing. Is it true? He holds her face like he does mine,. It and I shudder as he looks up to her with lazy eyes, smiling at her fondly. She smiles back at him, clearly elated and victorious.

And my heart?

Ruined.

Utterly shattered.

The gym door bursts open as the football players exit, rowdy with boyish excitement. My eyes blur, every sound just a buzz, mushed together and I can't comprehend one thing separately.

"Hey, baby!" Harvey says with too much excitement.

My anger boils over.

He's fucking happy after what he's done? He's fucking smiling like everything is okay.

I want to launch myself at him and rearrange him.

"Sunshine, what's up?" Jaden comes closer.

I raise my eyes to look at the source of my pain.

Jaden moves next to me, sees what's in my hand, and takes it from me.

I see red. My body trembles; I feel cold on the inside. Like I'm about to fall apart.

"You shouldn't have seen that," Jaden says.

Caleb comes to my side and I stand still, tears falling as I look Harvey in the eye.

"What is this shit, Harvey?" I manage, pushing through the emotions clogging my throat.

His lips quiver. "Baby, I'm sorry. It meant nothing." He advances my way, trying to hold me, but I flinch away from him.

He's not denying it.

All hopes of him stopping my disintegration are slipping, and fast.

"Nothing, Harvey? I want you to tell me it's a lie," I demand, no, I plead. Begging him with my eyes to tell me it never happened. That she's just a liar. If he tells me it's all a lie, I'll believe him. I need to. Desperately.

"Sunshine, let's go and discuss this in private." Jaden tries to nudge me to move and I don't budge.

"Jaden, I don't give a shit about private." I look at Caleb, then Jaden, then Archer, who is beside Harvey, looking sorry.

They all look pathetic and sad.

Stepping back, I feel like I've just been punched in the face four times. When I think I'll break, I turn on my heel and walk away. I'm barely hanging on to my sanity, and need to get the fuck away from here. From all these eyes. I need to be alone.

Everyone's gazes are hot on my skin and it feels itchy, the kind of itch you can't scratch. I have to get away.

Footsteps rush behind me, and they are all surrounding me the next moment, giving me no choice but to stop.

"Baby, listen. I'm sorry. It was a mistake. I…it's not what it looks like. Let me explain," Harvey tries again, but my focus is no longer on the cheater, it's on the others.

Foolishly, I hope they didn't do it too, or were involved in any way. But I have no hope. How could I? I would have sworn on my life that Harvey wouldn't be unfaithful to me, but he has. And I don't know what could be real and true anymore.

"And all of you, did you know? Did you also fuck her or anyone else?"

"We didn't cheat," Caleb says quickly, like that is supposed to make me feel better. They stayed faithful; I should reward them.

Fucking liars.

"You fucking knew!" I push Archer, who hasn't said anything but looks like he wants to die. "You knew. How fucking long?" I yell.

I trusted them. I trusted him . Archer was never supposed to keep anything from me. Or hurt me ever.

"Baby, please. Let's go and we'll talk," Harvey says again.

"I don't want to hear your shit. How fucking long!?"

"It was once. He wasn't himself," Jaden says.

"When?"

"At Simon's party two months ago," Caleb says.

His words are another hard slap to my face. I was home sick with the flu, and they went without me because my nana wanted to take care of me.

Finally collecting myself, I look at all of them, trying to find the guys I fell in love with. But my heart and mind can't see anything but cheaters and liars.

My heart fills with so much rage, so much loathing. So much heartache. So much heartbreak.

I hate them.

"It's over. All of it." I move to leave, but they stop me.

"Dump me, baby. I fucked up, but not them. Please." Harvey gets on his knees and I just move around him only to meet the others looking like they suddenly lost their ability to articulate speech or comprehension.

"Let me leave. I have a project to work on," I say in an even tone. Tears still falling, but they are silent tears now. Closing my eyes, I dig for one last ounce of strength, remembering the record I bought, then pull it from my backpack and look at him.

"And here, I got this for you." I shove it in Harvey's hands and walk away.

Archer grabs me and holds me. "Please, Peach, don't leave. We can work this out. We can explain. He was—"

"I don't care, Archer," I say in a low, now tired voice.

I stand there unmoving, staring at him, sniffling as my tears fall freely.

Realizing he is hurting me by keeping me here, he loosens his hold after a few seconds. I remove his hands and walk out, not looking back.

Never looking back.

The Uber back to my house is a blur, the night is a blur.

So is the next one and the next and the following week.

The last month of high school is torture with them constantly in my face with their empty apologies.

But I have no forgiveness for them. Any of them.