The city blurred beyond the taxi window — streaks of gold and neon bleeding together, as if the night itself was crying light.

I rested my head against the cool glass and closed my eyes and remembered..

Not the lies or the clinking of glasses or Serena’s perfectly rehearsed smile.

But the beginning.

High school.

I was a sophomore — awkward, quiet, still trying to figure out how to disappear without being noticed. Then she arrived.

Serena Blake.

She walked into homeroom like she ...