Secrets in Her Eyes

I should have died.
Sometimes I wish I did.
At least then I wouldn’t be alone.

After my parents’ divorce, my mom moved on with her yoga-teaching boyfriend and my dad threw himself into work leaving me to figure out how to navigate my new reality on my own.

Transitioning from an all-girls school in Malibu to the elite Arlington Park Academy in the suburbs of Chicago means more changes than I can handle. I feel like I’m drowning, losing myself…craving the sense of belonging I lost.

Then the overly enthusiastic class president and my next-door neighbor, Emily, claimed me as her new best friend and broke through my fragile walls before I could even get out my name. She took me to a party that changed my life, I met the most popular kids of the Academy and the group of guys that made me feel like I found my home.

Luca, the one that saved me. Skyler, the one that made me laugh. Noah, the one challenged me. Vince, that one that understood me. And Gavin, the one that included me.

Too bad Emily and her friends don’t exactly get along with the guys. I can balance both groups. I have to. I can’t risk losing anyone else. Especially since the guys say they know the reason I survived the accident that killed her brother and best friend.