Chapter 1

At the class party after the SATs, someone suggested playing a game of "Expose Your Friends."

In the first round, the bottle spun and pointed at Chloe Jenkins and me.

She jumped at the chance to speak first.

"Sera never wears skirts because she has a massive, ugly scar on her thigh that looks like a giant centipede."

In an instant, everyone's eyes locked onto my legs, covered by my long jeans.

Only Ethan Sinclair knew about that scar.

He had promised me he would keep it a secret forever.

Yet right now, he was laughing the loudest.

"Yeah, it's honestly super gross!" Ethan chimed in.

When it was my turn to speak, Ethan suddenly covered my mouth.

The crowd started teasing us.

"Oh, come on! You're being way too protective, Ethan. Sera hasn't even exposed Chloe yet, and you're already shielding her."

"No way, you and Chloe have to kiss as a penalty!"

With a flushed face, Ethan grabbed Chloe by the back of her neck and kissed her deeply right in front of everyone.

The air conditioning in the room blasted cold air over me, making me shiver.

I placed my hand on my thigh—the exact spot where I had received forty-two stitches years ago to save Ethan's life.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Lucas Vance:

[Come to Harvard with me. Let's go to the same college, please?]

I typed back:

[Okay.]