In the blink of an eye, my world is split at its core, and I’m faced with an impossible decision, one that leads to a single outcome: betrayal. 

I had a plan, and it was solid. Track down what was hidden away and take pleasure in toying with it. Toying with her. That plan, it worked like a charm. Until it didn't. Turned out, the feisty little thing I found was far from what I hoped for. She was different from all I knew and more than I expected. She was light, and I'm the bastard who led her into darkness. But this girl...she followed with a smile. I told her I break pretty things. She asked me to promise.

"Trust only those who earn it." A sentiment I follow without direction but holds more consequence than ever before. One decision, five lives, three futures. This is what's at stake. One night, one choice, four broken Brayshaws. That is where we're headed. Unless I stop it. I have to stop it. I have to remind him of what he's chosen to forget. My town. My choice. My ending.  

Fake. That's what we are. That's what we agreed to be. So why does it feel so real? I thought it would have been harder, convincing everyone our school's star receiver was mine and mine alone, but I was wrong. We played our parts so well that the lines between us began to blur until they disappeared completely. The thing about pretending, though, is that someone's always better at it, and by the time I realized my mistake, there was no going back.

“You don’t belong.” No words whispered in anger have ever rung more true. They’re the Kings of Brayshaw with the world at their feet, destined for greatness and in need of control. I’m the girl from the ghetto with nothing to offer and as defiant as they come. They say it doesn’t matter, that I’m one of them now, and nothing could ever change that. Not even me, should I dare try. But they’re wrong. They underestimate how far I’ll go to protect them. Trouble is coming...and they have no idea.

After months of silence, here she stands on my front porch, waiting to be let in again. But it's the same play every time, and I know how this ends - I give her all I have, and she carries it with her on the way back to him. I should turn her away, but I won't. Couldn't do it if I tried. Because no matter how many times she pops back up, pulls me in, and drags me under, it will never be enough. I'll always want more. More of her. More for us. And she'll always choose him.

I don’t want you. You mean nothing to me. I never loved you. I turned my words into swords. And I cut her down. Shoved the blade in and watched her fall. I said I’d never hurt her and I did. Years later I’m faced with all the little lies, the untruths, the false realities, the damage I inflicted when all I wanted was to indulge in my obsession. Lavender Waters is the princess in the tower. Even her name is the thing fairy tales are made of. I used to be the one who saved her. Over and over again.

He barged into my life my junior year of college. Brooding, mysterious, and barely talks to anyone - Joshua Travin is allegedly as skilled in the bedroom as he is on the rugby field. He’s everywhere I go, always watching. Despite his obvious distaste for me, I find a familiar comfort in his green eyes. I’ve spent every day since I was seven hiding my past, trying to forget the attack that killed my mother and my sister. The attack I barely survived. Now, I never let anyone in. Even the people who would consider me a friend? They don't know the real me.

"Go live with Nate Ryder," they said. "Everything will be fine," they said. Are they nuts? Nate Ryder has been the bane of my existence for the past five years. He's made it his personal mission to make my life a living hell and now my parents expect me to go and live with the guy for the foreseeable future. No thanks. I'd rather gouge out my eyes with a toothpick than live with him and his little brother, Jesse. Only problem is, they have my parents wrapped around their little fingers, thinking they're the good little boys they pretend to be.

Grace doesn’t know much about anything beyond her town’s limits, but she does know this: She is falling in love with the hottest guy in Sheridan U. And when you play with fire - you ought to get burned. 

It’s natural to want the one you can’t have. And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace. He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had. Fast forward a decade. We were all in our 20s now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died. It was just the three of us - an odd family dynamic. Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever. But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated.

Cutler Ryder was everything I wasn’t. He was the hockey star. I was an outcast. He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me. His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me. Years passed. I got my life together. Cut went onto NHL stardom. Then there was a text. 

I never wanted to come here. The scholarship to Hawthorne University is my ticket to a better life, but I don’t fit in with these rich, privileged students. I’m the daughter of a drug addict. A girl with a half-remembered past. A foster kid who’s seen too much of the wrong side of humanity. My tattoos are my battle scars, and my heart beats for no one. Until I meet them. Gray, Declan, and Elias.

Elle: Phoenix “Nix” Russo's the big man on campus. Everyone lines up at his games to make sure he knows it. Sure, he’s got piercing blue eyes, abs that don’t quit, and a smile that could set panties on fire from a hundred yards away, but he’s also the biggest pain in my ass. Nix: Elle Masterson called the cops on one of my parties - again. My sweet talking usually gets me out of trouble, but this time it got me into a nice pair of silver handcuffs. Now I’m on a reputation rehab tour with a stop at a spring break community service project. Guess who’s my new boss?

I crawled into Ryan Jensen’s bed that first night by accident. I barely knew him. I thought it was his sister’s bed - her room. It took seconds to realize my error, and I should've left... I didn’t. I didn’t jump out. I didn’t get embarrassed. I relaxed. And that night, in that moment, it was the only thing I craved. I asked to stay. He let me, and I slept. The truth? I never wanted to leave his bed. If I could've stayed forever, I would have. He became my sanctuary. Because - four hours earlier - my twin sister killed herself.