The party raged on, and I found myself losing steam as I became more nervous about the meeting with Augustus the next morning. That nagging feeling creeping back up into my chest that something was horribly wrong flared my paranoia back up. Drinking more wouldn’t solve the issue.

“I’m gonna head home,” I said to Kelly. “Are you staying?”

She shook her head, giving me a sweet smile. “Nah. Let’s go.”

Good, because I needed to throw up.

The next morning after retching over the toilet, I tried to mentally prepare myself for the day, but my phone buzzed with yet another new headline:

Breaking News: Another Accidental Death on Willow Bay’s Campus. Should College Parties Avoid Alcohol?

The notification flickered across my screen, sending me back to the threat from Sloane.

The games have just begun.

And the series of creepy texts that came to my phone—some with knowledge of Brent and me.

It made sense, really.

I wasn’t just living through a bad TV soap opera; I was trapped in one.

Kelly ambled softly into the kitchen in her disheveled pajamas and messy hair while she stretched her arms in a yawn. “Hey girl! Breakfast? I’ll make bacon and omelets.”

“Check this out,” I said, extending my phone to her. “This is right after Sloane threatened me last night.”

She pursed her lips, opening the fridge to pull out ingredients. “This scandal has everyone on their toes, especially since a bunch of these rich assholes are turning on each other. It’s giving mafia, if I’m being honest.”

“The one percent of the one percent just acts like this?” I couldn’t fathom how the top did all that they did. It felt soulless, like they’d signed their souls away in exchange for power and money.

There was a separate set of rules by which we lived. Yes, we. The government worked for us, law enforcement was a bill to pay, and doing what you wanted wasn’t a fantasy. It horrified me. I could get away with so much without suffering anything other than a fake slap on the wrist.

And made me angry at my mother for keeping me boxed up like she did. Kelly knew the reality, Brent knew the reality, and everyone around me was in the loop while I stood on the outside like an actual child begging for porridge.

Kelly stood at the stove prepping breakfast, keeping a bit too silent for my comfort. Was the news affecting her? Or were there other things going on she was keeping close to her chest?

“I have that meeting with Augustus today,” I injected into the silence.

She cracked an egg into a bowl. “Today’s a big day. You think you’re ready?”