Chapter 77

He takes it in his tattooed fingers, and then meets my eyes. There’s nothing there, none of the fun-loving, playful asshole I hung out with on spring break or danced with last night. He’s just … blank.

Kind of like my emotions.

Inside my head, it’s all white noise. Marnye Reed isn’t even here anymore; she’s checked out completely.

“Do you want to know what it’s for?” Creed drawls, tucking his fingers into his pockets. His blue eyes are half-lidded and focused on me as I stand there, dripping and shaking.

Zack’s words echo in my mind: You might not have been here for that bet, but you’ve been around for worse. This is not out of line with something you’d do.

Something they’d do. Make a bet.

“We wanted to see who could make you fall in love first,” Zayd supplies, hefting the trophy in his hand. He looks up at me and then drops it by his side. “Whoever got you to the graduation gala was the winner. Honestly, I thought it’d be a bit harder than that.”