Who I was ready to sacrifice.
I turned the phone over and stared at the dumbbell rack, the taped lines on the floor, the mat with sweat-darkened patches where my body had been just a few moments before.
Ben Calder didn’t raise a daughter.
He raised a survivor.
And survivors didn’t fail.
I swallowed hard, then walked into the house as if nothing had happened.
Like I wasn’t already at my burning point, on the verge of turning into nothing but ash.
CHAPTER TWO
TARYN
Istrolled up the steps to Ashford High.
When I entered through the front doors, all eyes were on me—some with admiration, some with suspicion, and others with outright hatred.
I appreciated the latter for their honesty, if nothing else.
I didn’t smile.
Smiling suggested friendliness and weakness. I was neither of those things, no matter what Ben thought.
I went straight to my locker and spun the dial slowly, deliberately. There was a loud click when it opened. Three girls rushed to my side before I’d even cracked the door.
Madison stood to my right, her blonde ponytail pulled tight and her cheer jacket half-zipped. Brooke hovered to my left, phone in hand, pretending to scroll while watching every reflection in the locker door. If there was gossip to be found, that girl was on top of it… if not responsible for starting it. Lila stayed half a step back—always half a step—her quiet eyes flicking between my face and the hallway.
She was my only true friend, but I kept her at a distance just like the other two.
They were assets.
Not my friends.
I couldn’t have friends because they would ask too many questions about my home life. I kept them at a distance. It all worked out, though, because they desperately wanted the benefits of my power and accepted my boundaries without question.
Except for Lila, I suspected she stayed because she genuinely cared about me. I should have pushed her aside years ago, but I couldn’t. I guess my father was right about my tender heart.
“Coach is benching Ethan on Friday,” Madison said, low and excited. “He mouthed off during drills.”
That wouldn’t work. Without Ethan, we wouldn’t make the playoffs, and I was determined for us to get there. The playoffs would mean a weekend getaway, and I really needed that break.
“He’ll be starting.” I grabbed the books I needed and slammed my locker shut.
Brooke laughed. “I figured you’d take care of it.”
Two lockers down, a freshman dropped her notebook, papers rustling softly on the tile. I noticed her breath catch and her eyes dart toward the water fountain, where three girls were leaning in too close, whispering as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
Madison leaned toward me. “That’s Jenna. She’s been dating?—”
“I know,” I said, cutting her off.
I walked to the fountain slowly, without rushing. The girls there stiffened. One of them straightened up, trying to act cool, but the trembling in her hands gave her away. She was just a scared little girl, exactly like the rest of them.
“You know Aaron would never ask you out, no matter how you treat Jenna,” I smirked. “She’s way prettier than you are, anyway.”
