ya

And in the echo of that gladness, horror blooms within me. In its own strange way, it's a horror as deep as any I've experienced so far. I've succeeded in taking another human hostage, in making him urinate on himself. I made a plan to torture someone, and then I carried it out, and it satisfied me to do so. As much hurt and hell as the Wolfman has caused, I don't want to be his judge and jury, his jailer and tormentor. I don't want to be that person. I want to be good. I don't want to fall into a big, black pit of darkness, because what if I can't get out?

Emily, there are enemies everywhere. We have to be on our guard, especially for the next couple of weeks._ Theo sighed unhappily. __his is going to be the longest fortnight of my life._ __hat__ saying something,_ I joked, __iven how long you__e lived._ __xactly,_ he said, without smiling.

I could hear the chaotic laughter trailing behind me. It turned the ageless trees into a menace. They loomed around me, while hiding him. The branches tore at my skin in an effort to bind me, while weeds sought to shackle my ankles, so that I could go no further. The pain they caused was minor, when I compared it to the searing inferno at my core.

Young girls think they know what their hearts desire, what they want the most. When really, we know nothing of love, devotion and utter loyalty. Not until we break our own hearts when we learn that what we desire is nothing like what we thought it would be. ~Papercut Doll

I turn my head so that he doesn't see my smile and secretly curse him for making me feel special.

Absolutely. No more pretending!

This thing we have, it hurts, he continued. But the pain is almost sweet because it means YOU happened. We happened. And I can't regret that, no matter how little or how long I get to tag along with you and pretend that I don't hate having people recognize me or take pictures or having people whisper about my record--" Your record?"" My criminal record, Bonnie, Nothing platinum there. I'm an ex-con, and starting over and building a new life where I can put it behind me, I'm building a new life where it will never be behind me, and for you, its worth it. It's easy math.

What if just you and I hung out, like last summer?" Nick sat up and began twirling a lock of my wet hair around his finger. "Josh never needs to know.

You know how there__ that one person who stumbles into your life and you instantly have a connection with them? Someone who__ a genuinely good person. Someone you just know you can build a great bond with, and it doesn__ have to be in a romantic way either. It can be with someone you have no attraction to whatsoever, you just instantly recognize something in them and they in you. Like in another realm, in another life, you were meant to be together in some way. Whether with a mother, daughter, sibling, best friend, or romantic partner, it__ a strong, unexplainable connection between two individuals

I laugh, and it sounds like I've been sucking helium.

Be careful. He uses that line on all the girls.

Meet Logan Jackson, smug, self-entitled, proud, arrogant, trust-fund brat.

Bryce Colton is telling everyone you hooked up after the bonfire Friday night._ __hat?_ Everyone in the parking lot turned and stared. Okay, maybe I said that a little loud. I hooked my arm through Jane__ and steered her toward the sidewalk. __ went to the bonfire with you. Do you remember seeing me naked with Bryce Colton?__he pouted and kicked a rock off the sidewalk. __ thought maybe you went back after you dropped me off.___hy do you sound disappointed?___t would be nice if one of us had a sex life." I laughed so hard I snorted. That__ one of the reasons I__ best friends with Jane. I never know what she__ going to say.

Maybe I should put an ad online. Honor student seeks overly self-confident young man for fake relationship. Terms negotiable.

With his blond hair, broad shoulders, and perpetual tan,Bryce looked like a California underwear model. Not that I__ thought about him in his underwear.Much.

Bryce looked like a California underwear model. Not that I__ thought about him in his underwear.Much.He was talking with his friend Nathan. Where Bryce had the whole tan, blond, hazel-eyed thing going on, Nathan was fair with dark hair and dark eyes. They looked like opposite sides of the same coin. A really hot, totally unreachable coin that a collector would keep in a special locked case, which normal girls like myself were not allowed to touch.

Since he didn__ seem to understand the situation, I felt it my duty to enlighten him. __rong. You started this stupid rumor and half the school probably believes it__ true. Now you have to stick around and pretend to be my boyfriend to convince everyone I don__ have sex with random guys. Not to mention the fact that if you__ kept your mouth shut about getting laid, you wouldn__ be in this situation.__e raised a brow. __o you__e my punishment?

In an unexpected move, Bryce reached for my hand and pulled me to his side. __lay along. We__l straighten this out later.__ood Lord, the school hottie was touching me. It felt like I__ won some sort of geek-girl lottery. And depending on how this played out, Bryce could be the answer to my boyfriend problems. If he wanted me to cover for him, then he needed to help me with my overprotective brothers.