Vicious Lies (Lies 1)

“There is no way you are going to pass calculus; you can barely do basic addition.”

I flip him off, which makes the immature asshole laugh even more.

I have no hope that Langston or Zeke will notice, but Enzo should.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t noticed me hiding out all summer.

He hasn’t noticed that I haven’t swum in the pool since that day. Or that I haven’t worn anything except bags for clothes to cover my body.

I haven’t hung out with Enzo or the guys for weeks.

I haven’t asked for a second kiss.

I haven’t asked for more.

Instead, I’m hiding and trying to move on.

“Nah, Liesel is smarter than you two idiots,” Enzo says, defending me to his friends.

I smile—it’s fake, but when Enzo smiles back at me, it turns genuine. Butterflies swarm in my belly as the familiar aches of being around Enzo return. After everything that happened, I still want him. His father didn’t take those feelings away.

He took more.

“Enzo! Walk me to class?” Bridget says, pushing her way into the group and grabbing Enzo’s hand.

My smile vanishes, gone from my face in one swipe.

Langston and Zeke give each other mischievous smirks.

Enzo throws his arm around her shoulder and walks her to class with Langston and Zeke strutting behind them.

They ignore me.

They forget about me.

They don’t see my pain.

I’m nobody to them.

I never make it to class.

Instead, I walk out of the building.

I walk to the beach.

And then I sit on the sand watching the world go by. I watch the sun rise high in the sky. I watch it fall below the edge of the water.

I’m alone. I have no one.

I pick up my glass water bottle and slam it on the ground, wishing I had something stronger than water.

Soon, I won’t need anything.

The glass breaks into several pieces.

I pick up one of the pieces under the darkness of night. The piece has a sharp edge—it will do.

Looking up at the sky with tears in my eyes, I slice through my wrist until it’s deep enough to hit a vein.