Page 40 of Twisted Lies

“I’m not!” I shout. In a second, I’m going to shake Charlotte until her brain updates. I didn’t want to lie, and it sounds unconvincing, even to my ears. I’m a fool, just like the other girls at Stonehaven who sweat over Bryce Shelton. There are plenty of reasons why Bryce is the prize of the school. And I’m not immune to what he possesses.

“You should,” replies Charlotte as if she’s telling me something as mundane as the time.

“Are you setting me up again?” I ask, wondering if distance might make our relationship good again.

“No, I’m not. Bryce needs to get you out of his system,” she replies. “Have a sweaty fling before graduation, and afterward, the two of you can move on. If Bryce doesn’t, he’ll always wonder about what he missed. I don’t want him thinking of you when he’s in bed with me.”

Frozen, I sit as Charlotte’s whacked logic rattles inside my head. She wants me to sleep with Bryce so he’ll stop thinking about me. Does she want me to get caught up in Bryce? What if I don’t want to give him back? Not even for Wyatt? What if the worst happens and I want him to stay with me?

I blink my eyes, slowly coming out of my daze. Charlotte wants me to use sex to turn him off.

“That is the worst plan I have ever heard in my life,” I tell her, “and I grew up around some very fucked-up people. I’m not doing it.”

Charlotte tosses her head as if I’m being unreasonable. “Oh, Astrid, sometimes you can be so middle class. You don’t play the virgin well. Let him have sex with you, and then he’ll come back to me. Men do these things.”

My jaw drops like the hinge popped, but Charlotte is unmoved by my reaction. The unspoken thought screams for notice in my head. Her father had an affair, but he didn’t leave her mother. Middle class? Try broke, bitch!

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” she continues, “Bryce knows he can’t marry you, and I don’t want to restrict him. If I restrict him, then he’ll restrict me. This has worked for many smart women. You two sex it out of your systems, and then when he’s bored, he’ll be ready to settle down with me.”

Charlotte smiles casually as if life wouldn’t dare spoil her plans. “By the way, you were hot in that costume. Every boy is still talking about it. Sleeping with Bryce would keep the curious away. Sleep with too many boys, Astrid, and you’ll ruin your reputation.”

Finally, my voice comes back. “What do you mean ruin my reputation?”

“What do you think I mean?” Charlotte stands, smoothing down her skirt. “You may not understand my advice, but you ought to take it anyway.”

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