Prologue
Luke
Post–Civil War II
Mayhem, Pennsylvania
Criminal.
Deviant.
Clown.
Lovableasshole.
Nah, we can scratch off the lovable part. I’m fucking that shit all the way up. No coming back from this. I’m not digging my own grave. Nope. Not me. I’m jumping in the casket and flipping off each shovelful of dirt raining down on me.
Because apparently, this is what I do now.
I ruin shit.
I can still call this whole thing off. Faith won’t ever know. My friends would never snitch. Not even Caleb, and he’s as much her friend as he is mine. No one else knows I’m in here. It’s between classes, and this room is down one of the quieter corridors. I can slip right out and…
Nah, I came this far. Need to see this shitshow through, right to the bitter end.
And what a show it’s going to be. If Mayhem had an Assholes Anonymous chapter, every meeting would be standing room only. Bet after today, I’ll have to give it my best,Hello, my name is Luke Hayden, and I’m an asshole. Actually, no. Slap a friggin’ crown on my head because the stunt I’m pulling makes me King Asshole.
Hell yeah, I’m full of bad decisions and standing on the precipice of destroying the best thing that’ll probably ever happen to me in my entire life.
But to be fair, I didn’t screw it up first.
That honor goes to Faith Decker.
Okay, wait. It’s not her fault, either, but I need to blame someone because I’m prideful, and I’m pissed. I’m also not the one leaving Mayhem. She is, and instead of being miserable like she’s supposed to be, my girlfriend is looking on thebright side. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. There is no bright side. She’s going to college in Brighton. Talk about Lifestyles of the Rich and Douchey. Faith’s aunt cashed in the winning lottery ticket when she married Aaron Underwood. I don’t give one flying crap that it’sonlyan hour away. Long-distance relationships don’t work. Put a period on the end of the sentence because I’m not going to pretend she and I are the exception to the rule, because as I mentioned before, I’m a lot of things, but a liar isn’t one of them.
As of today, though, a cheater is—but I’ll get to that in a minute.
I understand now why my best friend, Eric Shaw, has been a wreck since Jamie Ellis left. Homegirl had to murder her father. Stuck the guy right in the neck with a kitchen knife. I’m shocked she didn’t kill him sooner. He was always beating on her, and I guess one morning she had enough, and when he tried to rape her, she killed him. But it’s been over a year since they acquitted her on justifiable homicide, and Eric’s panties are still in a wad because she hasn’t come back to Mayhem.
Wait, did I say she didn’t come back?
Correction:Jamie vanished.
One day, she was living with her grandmother over in Reading, and the next day, poof, she was gone like a fart in the wind. The cranky old lady wouldn’t tell us where her granddaughter went. Now Eric is a mess. He’s always drunk, and holy shit, I sympathize with his pain because Faith isn’t even gone yet and look at me. Look at what I’m willing to do to preserve my pride.
And also, because Faith deserves better than someone like me.
I can practically hear the countdown to my destruction like thunderclaps in my head.
10… 9… 8…
With a lit joint wedged between my lips, I keep my gaze fixed on the door. Theunlockeddoor. Not that just anyone can waltz themselves inside Mrs. Rosario’s classroom. Eric, along with Anthony Moretti, are busy blocking off the hallway against random foot traffic. Caleb is making sure only one person gets diverted to room 105.
This here is the part where I’m a dirtbag cheater.
Now’s a good time to look away if you’re easily upset.
I’m not proud of what I’m doing, but as I’ve pointed out, today I’m full of bad decisions.
