My heart sits in my throat. He won't return any of my calls or text messages. It's not like Sam to ignore me. In all the years I've known him, there has never been this kind of stereo silence between us.The more time that slips by, the more anxious I become. I just about died when I woke up this morning and saw that picture. The picture I snapped when he was sleeping has now been splashed across Instagram and Facebook, not to mention a few websites that are solely devoted to the Barnett football players. In case I hadn't already seen it first thing this morning, a ton of people thoughtfully forwarded the picture to me.I could only sit and stare in horror.I mean...I took that picture.It had been private.Meant solely for me.Sam hadn't even been aware that I'd snapped it. Which, yeah, makes this situation a bazillion times worse.So much worse.No matter how long I sit here racking my brain, I can't figure out how it ended up online. How the hell did someone get thei
I can't believe this!My mind somersaults. Bile rises in my throat until there's a good possibility I'll be sick.She shakes her head before her shoulders slump. Her voice is thick with regret. "I wasn't paying attention and I thought they were looking at something on Caroline's phone. It wasn't until you came back from the bathroom and she handed it to you that I realized it was yours they'd been messing around with." "Mia!" I groan, "She must have forwarded the picture to herself before spreading it all over campus!""I know," she whispers. "I'm so sorry, Vi. I was talking with Sasha about a class and wasn't paying attention to what they were doing."My body shakes with anger. "You realized they'd been looking at my phone when she handed it back, right?"Guilt flickers across her face before she drops her gaze to her fingers, which are twisting in her lap. "Yeah, but-""Why didn't you say something right away? I could have gone and...and..." I swallow down the thi
Even though the entire first floor is lit up, the house itself is eerily silent as I slip inside my family's home. This has been one hell of a long-ass day. Fending off comments, and the determined girls who chased after me to sign their photographs, is the most messed up thing that has ever happened to me.By the time I got to practice, I wanted to work myself over so I could stop thinking about all this bullshit. And Violet.For the life of me, I can't wrap my brain around why she would do something like this. If I didn't know better...if her bag wasn't in the shot...if I didn't remember the morning we woke up naked in my bed...I could easily conjure up another plausible explanation, but I can't.It was her.After inspecting the photograph carefully, I'm certain that it happened after the morning we made love for the first time. The memory now feels tainted.I still haven't returned any of her calls or text messages. It's killing me to avoid her. And yet, I can't bring m
Even though it feels like I've been put through the ringer today, I have one last stop to make before I can drag myself home for the night. No matter how bad I suspected it would go with my parents, it exceeded expectations and ended up being ten times worse. The idea that I'm what tarnishes my father's otherwise spotless political reputation makes me feel like a real piece of shit.That's the first time I've ever skulked out of my own house. All I want to do is head back to the apartment, crawl into bed, and crash for a solid fifteen hours. I want to avoid everyone until this thing blows over.But I can't do that.I need to talk with Violet.I need her to do the impossible and make what happened today-what she did-somehow okay.Today has been the longest we've ever gone without speaking. What's worse is that Violet is the one person I turn to when I need sound advice or someone to listen. She's the one I wrap myself up in when I want to forget about the rest of the world.
I wait for her to walk inside before silently trailing after her. My hands stay shoved in my pockets. I think we're both thrown off by the way I keep to myself. Her movements are stilted as she sets her bag down on the couch in the small common area in the suite.Even though Mia doesn't appear to be home, we head to the privacy of her bedroom. Once inside, she settles on the edge of the bed before her gaze lifts to mine. Instead of dropping down next to her, I grab the chair from her desk and turn it around so I can face her.The tiny spark of hope in her eyes dims as I continue to keep my distance. Violet may not realize it, but it kills me not to reach out and touch her. I want to hold her in my arms and make this all go away."Sam," her voice is scraped low and hollowed out with enough regret to leave me wincing, "I'm so sorry."I search her eyes and shake my head, trying to wrap my mind around what could have possessed her to do something like this. "You took that photo
We're fifteen minutes into Rickets' class, and Sam has barely spoken more than four words to me. Actually, more like three. Without meeting my gaze, he dropped down onto his usual seat and said-hey, what's up? I responded with-not much, and that was it.I'm not sure what I expected when shit hit the fan over that photograph, but this wasn't it. I'd thought he would eventually come around, and understand I made a mistake. That hasn't happened. Our relationship has shifted so dramatically in the course of a week that it is no longer recognizable.And I have no one to blame but myself.The loss of his friendship has been the most brutal part of it all. I never realized, even before we started going out, just how intertwined our lives were. Okay, yes, I did...but it's even more than I originally suspected.I miss Sam on so many levels. Without him, I feel empty and lonely. He's been a big part of my life over the last eight years. After I lost my parents and sister, Sam was
Unsure where to go, I stop at the front desk and explain why I'm there. I'm given directions to a waiting room. There are a few twists and turns down a sterile looking hallway before I spot my grandmother sitting in a chair, nursing a small cup of coffee.My heart spasms as I hurry toward her. "Gran? Have there been any updates?"Her gaze swings to mine before she shakes her head. She sets her coffee aside and rises to her feet before engulfing me in an embrace. Even though fear continues to pump through me, her thin arms have a way of offering comfort, just like they did when I was a child. After a few silent moments, we break apart. Our hands remain clasped as we sit down. Now that I'm here, I release a pent-up breath. "What happened?"Gran shakes her head as if she can't believe that we're sitting in the hospital waiting room, having this conversation. That a few hours ago they were at the breakfast table, starting their day just like they've done thousands of times
"Are you sure there's nothing else I can get for you before I take off?" I flutter around my grandfather like a high-strung butterfly, smoothing down blankets as I go. Even though he finds the attention unnecessary and most likely annoying, I'm powerless to standstill. I'm so relieved that he's back home again.He rolls his eyes and repeats his now standard refrain, "I'm fine, Violet. Stop fussing over me like I'm a child. It was just a little heart attack."I have to choke back a biting response.Just a little heart attack.Ha!The man needs to realize that he shaved a decade off my life with his little heart attack. Thank God, he's okay. For the most part. What happened could have been a lot worse. So yeah, I'm going to fuss around him a whole hell of a lot. Guess he'll have to suck it up because I won't be backing off anytime soon."And you don't need to stay at the house either. Your grandmother and I are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. We've been d