Underneath It All
ng for certain Ava Sinclair
e'd make sure everyone at
heen over the manicured lawns of the Westbridge courtyard. Beside her, Ariana King scrol
essing over this girl," Chloe said, blow
than intended. "Caleb's spending too much time with her.
ps-at least, not since you." She tucked a platinum-blonde curl behind her e
always circled back until now. Ever since he started wo
e charity case scholarsh
rumming her nails against her designer handbag. "We n
ad across Ariana's face. "
-
was her second shift of the week at Page & Quill, and exhaustion clung to her like a second skin. S
vourite part
oice drawled as she
corrected quietly,
table. "Technically. You always seem like you're rushing fro
axing wasn't a luxury she could afford not when her father n
ime for that,"
is usual teasing expression had faded. For a brief moment,
uickly, the mask sl
e mood, Tutor Girl." His voice
he page. "Let's focus
-
iel Scott's car, heart thudding softly in her chest
rehearsal?" she asked as Daniel
st her cheek. "The swim team will
not twisted in her stomach. Daniel was sweet, too
r?" he asked, tiltin
biting her lip. "You're just..
ot perfect." His voice softened.
uttered. "I
ere in the back of her mind, Grace couldn
-
ary, Ava was los
tion creeping into her voice as Caleb scr
eyebrow. "I'm
Ava shot back. "Menta
ard, resting his chin on his hand as he
caught off
id, his voice quieter. "Like if you st
uldn't breathe. Beca
nally said, forcing herself to fo
bout the way he looked at her really
t was d
-
abella sat across from her mother,
back," her mother said cooll
o her palm beneath the t
ses. The Hayes family is powerful, and if you c
ella was no matter how many hours she spent
under control," Isa
eyes. "Because I won't tolerate failure, I
d with possibilities. Caleb was hers. And no one es
n their next move. And when the time wa
-
, Ava packed up her books quickly,
o, Caleb called after
ated, gla
urself out," h
wed hard.
d to say more. But then, like always,
t, the wall betwe
-
from a distance. He'd seen the way Caleb
bitter taste
d better. H
ired of watching f