Spoiled, rich, and extreme - Anders was used to having his way. But when he met Meadow, everything seemed to take a wrong turn.
Being sent to a small town was the worst punishment he could ever imagine. He was sure he'd die of boredom.
He didn't exp...
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Meadow wasn't exaggerating.
I watched as everybody in the room flocked to her sister. It was as if they were seeing a celebrity. I watched as Meadow hung in the background, like she was used to it. I didn't like it. She was more than a shadow figure.
To my surprise, Oz (Halo's boyfriend) sat down beside me.
"Hey," I greeted.
He only nodded, his eyes forward. He didn't quite seem like he was in the mood for small talk so I didn't push it. But then, he said something unexpected.
"I looked into you."
I frowned, turning to him.
"There's not much, aside from what you post on social media."
My family paid a hefty price to keep it that way.
"Interesting what you managed to keep out from public knowledge."
I watched him carefully, trying to see where he was getting at.
"Like the fact that one of your friends overdosed last year."
My eyes turned to slits.
"You called 911 and stayed with her until the paramedics arrived. That's when the rest of you were found high on—"
"That's private information," I said sharply.
The thing was, my friends and I normally used for different reasons. Conrad and Aurora did it because it kept them distracted from their sucky parents and even suckier predicaments. Gavin and I used because it kept us awake and energetic, which meant we had more time to do things without wasting it to sleep.
I wasn't justifying it. It was a simple fact.
"I know," Oz replied nonchalantly. "Funny how much people are willing to open their mouths for the right price."
"That's still none of your business," I ground out.
"I agree." He nodded, leaning back to stare at me. "But see, if you drag Meadow into all that shit, you're gonna make it my business."
Ah, I finally understood what this was about.
"I'll never do that to her." My eyes found Meadow across the room, recalling the time she caught me smoking pot. "I'm not even sure I need it anymore."
"That's where you're wrong, you know." Oz shook his head. "You never 'needed' it to begin with."
I frowned and looked at him.
"You just thought you did 'cause you were stuck in your bubble and thought you had no other option." He nodded to Meadow, adding, "And then you met someone who made you see that that's not the case."
