Jessie Kensington thought she had escaped her troubled past when she faked her death and started a new life as Violet Arrowood. But three years later, she finds herself at Vanguard University on a scholarship, trying to build the future she always d...
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"This is your house?" I ask, peering out the car window. Despite the heavy rain and darkness, the house, no —mansion, is unmissable. It's the most magnificent house I've ever seen, even bigger than Josie's.
"No, I'm just rolling up to some random person's house at 8pm with a soaked, bleeding, and evidently strange girl," Ty retorts.
"Definitely strange," Cass chimes in as the car doors swing open. There's a moment of silence and then a thud, before he adds, "What?" He rubs the back of his head, "I didn't mean it in a bad way!"
Ignoring their banter, I step out of the car and take in the entrance. The rain pelts down but the rain barely feels cold anymore. The lights beaming up the sides of the driveway make everything look magical—the entire scene looks like something out of a fairytale. It makes me want to stretch my arms out and spin in circles, letting the stars blur into bright streaks as the rain hits my face. But before I can act on the impulse, Ty is already ushering me inside.
"Holy crap," I mutter as I walk through the door.
The guys brush past me and head straight into the next room. I follow, afraid of getting lost in this place. The marble floor is so shiny I can almost see my reflection in it. I find them lounging on a kitchen island, which, no exaggeration, is bigger than my entire dorm—just the kitchen island alone, not the kitchen.
I walk over, careful to not touch anything. Everything is so perfect, I feel like I might break something just by looking at it. I glance at the guys, who seem to be passing around a drink, but as I get closer, I realise they're applying hand sanitizer to their hands and up their forearms.
Ted passes the bottle to me with a nonchalant nod. I squirt some into my hands and follow suit, It's no surprise that this is a requirement— the place is immaculate.
I let out a sharp hiss as the alcohol from the sanitizer finds every cut on my hands. I hadn't realised the extent of my injuries from the fall.
"I'll take her to get cleaned up," Ted says, pushing his bar stool back.
Ty slides a bowl of chips over to Ted. "Can you take this up to Georgie? I'll catch up with you guys later." After a quick hand wash, Ty gives me a brief, wary glance before heading off. I hear the sound of fading footsteps going up what I assume are stairs.
With only Ty and me left in the kitchen, I ask, "Who's Georgie?" My voice sounds too loud in this place.
"Come on," He says, pulling me away from the kitchen without answering. His abruptness seems to be a recurring theme—one moment he's flirty, the next he's stoic, hot and cold. It's like he flicks a switch.
His grip on my wrist is warm as he leads me up the stairs. I struggle to keep pace with his long strides. "I can walk on my own, you know—"
