I followed Julian back up the beach, but when he returned to the mansion, I veered back to the bonfire. By now, the fire was dying down. Veronica and Jessica were sitting with their backs to it, facing the ocean. They each had a glass of wine and a marshmallow in hand. The opened bag sat between the

The next morning, I awoke to a knock on the door. Beside me Elva began to rub her eyes. I hadn’t indulged in too much alcohol, unlike some of the other girls, but I still felt a pressure in my head, probably from having stayed up too late. I wanted to turn over in bed and ignore the knocking, bu

He was entirely keeping his word when he’d promised to pretend the kiss never happened. I needed to get better at doing the same. I looked back to Nicholas, but a servant interrupted us next. “Please excuse me,” she said. “Nathan is calling everyone out onto the deck for a meeting.” “He’s no

After a few kisses, Nicholas excused himself to change into his own swim trunks. I opted to stay behind, knowing if I went with him, we would be thoroughly distracted for so long that our absence would definitely be noticed. No, it was better that we parted for now. I went into the bathroom and

Veronica and I sat on either side of Julian on the couch on the deck. Veronica held the bag of ice I had retrieved from the kitchen to the top of Julian’s head, even though he continually insisted it wasn’t necessary. “Your head could swell,” I said. “We don’t need you growing a bigger head than