All the Lies (Lies & Truths 1)

Thank you, Santa, for sending me a gift wrapped in the form of Lucy. Oh, and screw you, Old Reina, for not appreciating this girl.

Sebastian watches me in that suspicious way that’s become everyone’s MO around me.

The intrusiveness of his gaze reminds me of Asher and the death glares he’s been giving me lately.

No matter how much I try to avoid his existence, a part of me always gravitates toward him.

“Prove it,” Sebastian says firmly.

“Prove what?” I ask.

“That you’ve changed.”

I’m tempted to flip him off, but that’s not how redemption works. The best way to prove oneself is to give, not take, which means I have to focus on Sebastian’s weaknesses and make them better.

My mind works around what I’ve learned about Sebastian so far—which isn’t much. Since he’s Asher’s friend, getting close to him means circulating in Asher’s orbit.

No, thanks.

But, oh well—if what I have in my mind works then it’s worth a shot.

I raise an eyebrow. “You're failing psychology.”

“What does that have to do with proving you’ve changed?”

“If you fail this semester, the coach will bench you and you might lose your chance to go pro.”

His jaw works. “If there’s a point behind all this, you should reach it now.”

“I will help you nail psychology.”

Not only am I the captain of the cheerleading team, but I’m also a straight-A student. Studying makes way more sense to me than the black and white cheerleading uniform I still haven’t mustered the courage to wear.

“You lost your memory,” he argues.

“I still got a perfect score on the practice test last week.” I lift my shoulder. “I guess genius can’t be wiped away, huh?”

Lucy smiles, shouting, “Hell yeah! She’s an amazing tutor, by the way. She helped me ace Debate the other day.”

“Thank you.” I face Sebastian. “So what’s it gonna be? My offer has an expiration date in about…” I stare at my watch. “Ten seconds. Nine, eight, seven—”

“Fine. Jesus, it’s like you had a personality transplant.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Lucy, Sebastian, and I part ways inside since we have different classes.

I say good morning to anyone who greets me, and much to my dismay, it still shocks some students, as if something holy has landed in town.

My next class is Sociology. When I walk in, no one is inside. It’s only empty chairs and a screen. I turn around, searching for any human presence.

Was it canceled?

I really need to start checking the college’s website more frequently.

“Is anyone here?” When no one replies,

I head for the exit.