MEANT TO HATE YOU; FALLING FOR THE ICE KING

H'S

be strong f

's last words

back. It wasn't going to erase the mountain of hospital bills I was drowning in. It wasn't going to stop the landlad

t going.

o hard it nearly

li

spot after the last period, but she nev

s, where are you? You okay?

breathing, my stomach twisted

lk to me-wha

t a broken little sob. "Sarah...

a? Talk

hung

redial, but my thumb slipped and op

il made my

s and the Girl in

n't have

I

Marcus, the school's golden hockey king, was right there with he

ouldn't st

mediately. "Pick up,

ely there. "Sarah... please come home. I

ne wen

twice. I grabbe

ead the whole way - her broken expression, the way she trie

. I rushed to Calista's door, and it fle

ked des

ike she was trying to hold her pieces together. The second she saw

it," she choked out between sobs. "

m here. I've got you. You don't have to say anything r

wiping her face with a trembling hand. "You saw the

Calista, I'm so sorry. I wish I'd been there. Wh

her voice turning icy cold. "I swear, Marcus will regret ever touch

minute she was shattered, the nex

gether, okay? Whatever you need-lawyers, talking to th

Sarah. I always land on my feet. But... thank you

er everything, she always

ys dragged in p

rolling job listings on my cracked phone, trying not to panic. Mom's medical debts weren'

fused to add up when a hand s

ump

lished shoes - he looked completely out of place in our rundown hi

n," he sai

l did he kn

ld. "Who are you? And how do

I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to fix your problems. There's a lot of money

. "Money? What kind of money? I don't ev

u'll show up at the address inside. Trust me, Sarah

ing. "You didn't even tell me y

k with a faint

he wa

sta's room, envelope clu

gave me this. Said it could solve my money problems - the debts f

tely. "Open it. Now. Don't just sit there

embled as I t

as short and

onally selected to star in a brand-new high-sta

llion.

hroat. "This can't be real... Calista, look at

tion. "Sarah... you're doing this. No excuses. Two million dollars? That's l

d, heart racing. "Why hide that? It feels wrong. W

s. Your future. Everything you lost when your mom died. This could fix everyth

was

t this was too good to be true. Who was t

would drag me into something far m