Chapter 71

Finding out that I was just a bet to Zack is … well, it’s devastating. I’m a zombie for weeks, going through the motions, focusing on my schoolwork and my harp. Nothing else matters. It hurts too much to think about what he did to me. What Lizzie did to me.

And the Idols … they’re still being nice to me, still acting like they want me, but … they had to know how much that revelation would hurt, right? Yet, they did it anyway.

Still, it's hard to stay mad at them. Zayd is always charming, popping into my room at random times, flopping down on my bed and joining me for TV night without ever saying a word.

My tutoring sessions with Creed are tense, but in a good way. That spark between us burns hot, whether we’re doing math, or working on essays side by side. Every time he touches me, I can feel it, a rush of heat that infuses every molecule in my body.

Tristan … he's a lot harder to get a read on. But he does sometimes sit in on my orchestra practice, watching