He’s being a dumbass about it. If he spent a few hours with Grace, he’d know that woman is not a gold digger and she and Dad are madly in love. So much at times I find myself jealous of it. It reminds me of how Chase’s parents are. I always loved hanging out at the Silverstein home when I was younger. It was nice to see how a normal family functioned. I always took comfort in their normalcy.

His parents are the cookie cutter perfect parents. Julie, Chase’s mom, always went out of her way to spend time with me. She taught me to cook and a million other things whenever I’d go over there with my brother when I was younger. She’d always tell me I was the daughter she never had. Chase is an only child. Not that his parents hadn’t tried. They always call him their miracle baby.

Then Chase went and broke my heart. I hadn’t only lost him that day I’d made my little confession to him—okay, maybe it wasn’t little—but I’d lost his parents too. His mom meant so much to me. She was the mom I never had. Isn’t that life, though? If I’ve learned anything, it’s that everyone comes and goes. No one truly stays.

I mean, I know I have my father and brother, but Dad is now madly in love, and I want that for him. Asher avoids the family home as much as he possibly can. I keep busy so they don’t worry over me, but somehow for being a person with a million friends and being involved in every school club and function actually possible, I’ve never been lonelier.

Even now I’m on a dance floor outside by the pool, the party is in full swing with people surrounding me, and there is still an emptiness inside of me that I can never fill. I know everyone here. I bet most, if not all, would call me a friend, but do any of them really know me?

The music changes to a softer song. I close my eyes and let my body sway. I couldn’t get Molly into the pool or on the dance floor. I think when I mentioned dancing, she made up using the bathroom as an escape. She’s mostly kept to herself since she came to Bradford Prep for her senior year. I don’t think she had the time to really form bonds, or maybe it’s more she didn’t want to make friends.

“Emily!” My eyes fly open at the sound of my brother's voice. I spin around to see him standing there with a pissed-off expression on his face.

“What?” I notice Chase standing behind him. If I thought my brother's face looked pissed, then Chase’s is livid. Why are either of them here?