Lies, Exes, and Unfinished Business

He grinned, propping himself up on the railing. "I still have two hundred bucks in my Venmo..."

I cut him off, pinching my fingers together to show just how little that was. "If it’s only two hundred, I can only help with a tiny favor."

He rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh. "It’s two million."

"Come again?" I almost choked, eyes wide, my whole body on high alert for confirmation.

"Two million," he repeated, dead serious.

He met my greedy, hopeful gaze and went on, "The phone’s still at the hospital. You’ll have to get it yourself."

Before he could finish, I bolted to my bedroom, grabbed my own phone, and dashed back, practically bouncing on my toes with excitement.

I opened Google Maps, stomping my feet as my heart hammered like I’d just hit the lottery.

He frowned, watching me like I was nuts. "What are you even doing?"

"Getting the address! Hospital address!" I was already typing, barely able to contain myself.

---

Plugging in the address he gave me, I checked the map. The hospital was down in the south end of Silver Hollow, tucked behind a strip mall and a row of old oak trees.

While I waited for the bus, a sleek black Porsche pulled up, engine purring like a big cat. I knew it instantly—Ethan McAllister, my ex.

The passenger door swung open and out stepped a girl with legs for days, hair and makeup on point like she’d stepped straight out of a magazine.

I recognized her, too: Vanessa Li, Ethan’s upperclassman. She always looked like she belonged on the cover of Vogue.

"Hey, where you headed? Ethan can give you a ride," Vanessa called out, her voice all smooth and friendly, but her eyes just a little too sharp.

"Sure, I’ll take you up on that," I shot back, not missing a beat. I hopped in the backseat and handed my phone to Ethan. "Can you take me here?"

Ethan’s face was stormy, lips pressed so tight they were nearly white, but he took the phone anyway.

Vanessa slid into the passenger seat, crossed her long legs, and kept sneaking glances at Ethan, then at me, like she was trying to figure out where to look.

"Ethan, since it’s so hot and it’s on the way, we could give her a lift, right?" she said, voice all syrupy sweet but with a nervous edge.

Ethan glanced at the map, then tossed my phone back at me, jaw set like stone.

"Not going to your part-time job today?" he asked, his voice sharp and clipped.

I caught the phone without flinching. "I took the day off."

He snorted, firing up the engine. The tension in the car was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife.