Every day it's harder to remember that he should hate her. She'd let her cult try to kill him. Had gone after him herself. Ruined his life because nobody believes that night happened.

If everyone thought he was weird before, it was worse now. His parents—the whole school—think he's crazy.

Hard as Cole tries, he can't help missing Bee's smile, her arm around his shoulders, the warmth she radiated when comforting him. None of it was real, but for a while Cole thought he was loved, just as he was, and he wished he could feel that again.