She sat at the edge of the pond

Knees squeezed tightly to her chest

Her bottom wet

And the cuffs of her jeans muddy

She felt sticky,

Muggy from the humidity

Large dark spots of sweat rest underneath her arms

Her eyes red and puffy

From crying or smoking?

She wasn’t sure

Her face felt cracked

Stained with dry tears

Her lips salty

Her mouth tangy

A bitter aftertaste from the jay she hit

Her boyfriend,

it was his fault

He was the reason she felt so down

And in despair

“Calla!” He called

His heavy steps sloshed along the pebbled trail

“Go away Aspen! I don’t want to see you.”

Her voice was raspy,

Hoarse from screaming out her frustrations

He tricked her

Played her like a game of monopoly

He been so kind

So sweet and endearing

Trapping her with false realities

He sat beside her

“I’m sorry Calla. I never meant for this to happen.”

He lay his hand on her shoulder

But she brushed him off and scoffed

“Sorry for what? For what you did to me? For how you made me feel? Or are you sorry that I found out?”

There was a pregnant pause

“Well? What is is it then? Huh!”

But the boy, Aspen had nothing to say to her

Just stared blankly at the starry sky

There was no moon tonight

Calla still remembers

The boy he used to be

Or what she thought he was

His smile bright and charming

His words fluent and smooth

But thinking back on it

Calla realized

He was too charming

Too smooth

Too sweet, almost sickly sweet

It was all a facade

A perfect plan to get what he wanted

To win the bet

To complete the dare

Calla then realized that

Beneath his sunkissed skin

And jasmine blue eyes

Beneath that outgoing smile

And goofy laugh

Beneath that honeyed voice that whispered sweeet nothings into her ear

And those warm arms that wrapped around her

Sending butterflies spiraling in her stomach

And chills up her spine

She realized that beneath all that, he was really just a big walking red flag

He had a terrible drinking problem

A habit of starting arguments

He was agressive

Always yelling

Always manipulating

Always getting what he wanted

He was evil

A greedy man

Obsessed with sex

Calla could not recall a time when they were together when he didn’t attempt to touch her

Beneath that picture perfect facade that he’d created,

Was nothing but a lustful scum

Taking advantage of the innocent girls looking for a loving romance

Like in the novel they buried their noses in