Chapter 2

Vivienne's POV

A couple of people walking past slow down to stare.

Sienna's face goes white and the tears come rolling down. "Viv, how can you say that about me? I've treated you like my best friend this whole time."

"That's enough!" Colton hurls the bottle at the ground and points at me. "Vivienne, what is wrong with you? She gets scared, I took her on a couple rides, so what? You've gotta stand here in front of everyone and lose it like some psycho? If you can't take a joke, then get the hell home."

I stand there and look at the guy I've loved for two solid years. Two years, and he's standing here tearing into me over another girl.

And just like that, I'm not even angry anymore.

I laugh in his face. "Sure. I'll get out."

I turn around and walk out without a second of hesitation.

That's clearly not what Colton expected. He freezes for a second, then starts in on me from behind. "Vivienne, if you've got the guts to walk out, don't come crawling back! Don't think I'm going to chase you down every time you throw a fit. You walk out that gate and the Hamptons trip is off. Done."

He thinks he's got me right where he wants me, because we spent half the semester planning that trip.

He thinks I'll do what I always do, come back with my head down and tell him I'm sorry.

It's almost funny. I don't slow down. "Suit yourself."

I'm heading for the changing rooms when Sienna comes running and grabs my wrist. "Viv, don't be mad, it's all my fault, please don't go."

She pulls so hard the waterproof bag gets ripped out of my hand. The zipper wasn't shut all the way. Everything spills out onto the ground.

Sunscreen, lipstick, tissues, and a necklace wrapped in a soft cloth.

The cloth falls open. A silver chain, and a small locket hanging off it. My grandmother bought it for my birthday last year. She'd been saving for it for a long time. She passed last month, and that necklace is the last thing I have from her. I've worn it every day since. I don't even take it off to sleep.

I only took it off today because I was scared it'd get banged up at the water park.

Sienna looks down at it and lets out a little gasp. Her foot slides, and she comes down right on top of the necklace.

Something snaps. The locket splits open and the chain twists out of shape under her heel.

Every drop of blood in my body rushes to my head. My mind goes completely blank.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, Viv, I didn't mean to, my foot slipped." Sienna scrambles back a couple of steps.

Colton pulls her behind him, all worried, and checks if she twisted her ankle. Then he turns on me. "Vivienne, why were you holding the bag so loose? It's a cheap necklace. Why do you have to look like somebody died? I'll buy you a new one, all right? That fixes it, doesn't it?"

A cheap necklace.

He knows what my grandmother meant to me. He knows that necklace means everything to me.

I'm shaking. I stare at Sienna hiding behind him.

I don't know where it comes from, but I shove Colton out of the way and slap her across the face.

Her cheek swells up fast. She screams and stares at me like she can't believe it.

"Vivienne! What the hell is wrong with you?" Colton's eyes go wild and he shoves me, hard.

I go down. My knee scrapes open and starts bleeding. I don't feel any of it. All I feel is how disgusting these two people are.

"That was the last thing my grandmother left me!" I point at the pieces on the ground. "Colton, if you're blind enough to want to be her little simp, that's on you. Don't drag me into it. We're done. As of right now."

That shuts him up.

The Vivienne he knows talks softly and never even raises her voice. His face hardens. "Vivienne, you've completely lost it today. Go. Get out. And don't come back, because I'm not gonna get on my knees and beg you. Not happening."

My knee is killing me. I crouch down anyway and pick up every piece.

I don't look at either of them again. I walk out of that water park and I don't turn around.

The sun is brutal out on the sidewalk. I pull out my phone and go straight to the name I've kept buried in my contacts for a long time.

Julian Prescott. Only son of the Prescotts, East Coast old money. The guy who's been at the top of our class year after year. Cold, expensive, the kind of person nobody gets anywhere near. And more to the point, he's known Colton since they were kids.

Sophomore year he cornered me in the back of the library, ears bright red, and told me he liked me. I was all in on Colton back then. I thought he was messing with me, and I turned him down cold.

He never bothered me again after that.

But if Colton's that close with my best friend, he can't blame me for calling up his best friend since they were kids.