Page 119 of Such a Good Girl

I’d dated lots of guys the last few years — some famous and some not — and I’d still never found the right fit.

My eyes wandered around the room and landed on Theo, just like they always did.

That man drove me absolutely crazy.

When he glanced over my way, I looked away quickly. Which was a perfect metaphor for our relationship.

There was a lot of history between us. Some of it darker than others.

My relationship with Theo was this constant back and forth. Pushing and pulling, the two of us never able to meet in the middle.

I’d have given up long ago but he was like a fucking drug.

I had no idea what to do about it. As often as I pulled away, I found myself seeking out his attention.

There were times I was convinced he hated me. That lasted for a long time.

But then, years ago, during a particularly heated argument where a lot more was said than just in words, I kissed him out of the blue. I was still a kid, not even eighteen yet.

I fully expected him to push me away. And he did — but not before kissing me back. The intensity of his kiss matched the pent up passion and desire I’d been holding back.

I was shocked. I’d wanted him secretly for years, but knew it was useless. I was way too young to want a guy like him. He was way too old for me. He was my older brother’s friend, too, and off-limits for both reasons.

And yet, still, the passion behind that kiss was undeniable.

I’d never forgotten it. It was clear he hadn’t either, because the tension between us bloomed to unbearable levels over the years. So much so that it was almost impossible for us to be in the same room together.

His words to me had lingered in my mind for almost a decade. Once he’d pushed me off, he looked at me like I’d bitten him.

“Try again when you’re older, kid…”

Of course, I didn’t try again. I’d pretended to hate him after that, giving him the cold shoulder each time I saw him. I knew it made him uncomfortable, but he never said a word about the kiss, and neither did I.

The chemistry between us now that we were older told me that the silence likely wouldn’t last much longer.

I found a seat in the corner and scrolled through my phone, forcing myself not to look Theo’s direction.

I checked my text messages and saw a number I didn’t recognize. I pulled up the message and my blood went cold.

I know your secret, Everleigh. And I’m willing to keep it…for a price.

What the fuck? My fingers trembled as I hit reply.

Who is this?

My head spun as I waited for a reply. I had a lot of fucking secrets. Some worse than others. Some were harmless, but others?

Not so much.

One, in particular, could destroy everything I’d built.

My eyes landed on Theo again, my heart racing as images of the past flashed in my head, the biggest secret of all ripping through all the walls I’d put up in my head in order to forget it.

When I saw the reply, I knew the worst of my fears had come true. The very thing I’d buried the deepest had finally come back to haunt me. I stared at the message with complete disbelief and dread.

It was just seven words.

But it was everything I feared. It was the worst secret of all….

I know what happened in Laurel Canyon.

TO BE CONTINUED……

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