Chapter 1

Chloe had been taking my things for as long as I could remember.

And every time she wanted something of mine, Asher would step in front of me and tell her off.

On my eighteenth birthday, with all our friends hooting, he pulled me into a dark alley and kissed me.

He said that once college applications were done, he’d take me to New York, away from the parents who’d always loved my sister more.

I believed him. I was even happy, counting down the days.

Until the last night before the application portal closed.

At a party with kids from high school, Asher was a little buzzed, a red Solo cup in his hand. He threw an arm around my shoulders and leaned in, grinning. “Winnie, I’ve got good news. Chloe applied to schools in New York too. I helped her with her essays.”

I stared at him and said nothing.

He reached for my hand. “She’s so helpless. If we leave her on her own, who knows what kind of mess she’ll make. If she’s with us, I can keep an eye on her. Don’t worry. If she gives you a hard time in New York, I won’t let her get away with it.”

He knew I’d stayed up night after night on those applications. He knew I’d given up every bit of a social life—all so I could get away from Chloe.

And he’d personally dragged the girl who’d wrecked my entire adolescence right into our future.

I looked down at my phone.

Less than ten minutes until the portal closed.

I didn’t cry. I didn’t lose it.

I opened the email buried at the bottom of my inbox and sent a message to Professor Evans in London:

Professor, is the London offer you made me still open? Is there still time to accept?

————

He replied instantly:

Of course. Just hit confirm before the portal closes, and the full scholarship is yours.

A while back, Professor Evans had come to give a talk at our school, and he’d been impressed by a research paper I’d done on my own.

The program at the University of London covered all tuition. The only condition was that I had to spend all four years in the UK.

I’d turned it down without a second thought back then, because Asher said we were going to New York together.

Now I opened the link and hit Confirm without a moment’s hesitation.

When the screen said my submission was complete, there was one minute left.

Beside me, the guys were still egging him on.

“Asher, you’re a legend, man. Taking your girlfriend to college wasn’t enough—you’re bringing her sister too?”

Asher laughed and kicked the guy. “Shut up. Her sister’s a walking disaster. If I don’t keep an eye on her, who knows what she’ll get into.”

He turned to me, his eyes full of that easy certainty. “Babe, are you still mad?”

I turned off my phone. “No.”

He visibly relaxed and ruffled my hair, like he was soothing a pet. “I knew you weren’t that petty.”

I gently pushed his hand away. “I’m tired. I’m going home.”

He didn’t push it. He called after me, laughing, “Tomorrow I’ll take you to that brunch place you love. To make it up to you.”

I didn’t turn around. In my head, I answered him: Don’t bother, Asher. There’s no tomorrow for us.

When I opened the front door, the living room lights were on.

Chloe had the whole couch to herself, with a few college brochures scattered on the floor.

The moment she saw me, she draped herself over me, hooking her arm through mine, her eyes wide and bright and innocent. “Winnie! I’m going to New York too! Asher picked my school—it’s right next to yours!”

I pulled my arm back, expressionless. “Why do you have to go to New York?”

“Because you’ll both be there.” She blinked, like it was obvious. “If I went somewhere that far all by myself, Mom would worry.”

Mom poked her head out of the kitchen at once, her voice rising. “Winnie, what kind of attitude is that? Chloe’s being sweet—she wants to be near you. Don’t be ungrateful.”

“Is she going to be near me, or is she going so I can keep being her babysitter?”

Dad lowered his newspaper and gave me a long, heavy look. “You’re older. Isn’t it only natural for you to look after her? Have we ever treated you badly? Just because we took Chloe to Disney World on your eighteenth birthday and didn’t take you, you’re going to hold a grudge for the rest of your life?”

Chloe let go of me at once and hung her head, her eyes instantly red. “If Winnie hates me that much, I won’t go to New York. I don’t want to make her mad.”

Mom pulled her into her arms and turned to me coldly. “She worked so hard to get that offer. Do you have to ruin it right now?”

See? This was my family.

Chloe’s job was always to play innocent. My parents’ job was always to blame me.

I’d thought Asher was the one who’d get me out of this swamp. Now he was on Chloe’s side too.

I took a deep breath and suddenly realized I didn’t even have the energy to fight.

In this house, if I didn’t give in, I was the selfish, immature bad guy.

“I never said she couldn’t go.” I tossed it over my shoulder and went straight upstairs.

Behind me, Chloe asked timidly, “You’re… not mad anymore, right?”

“I’m not mad.”

Wherever she wanted to go had nothing to do with me anymore.