At a quarter to ten that morning, Zac and I rolled out of bed very, very reluctantly to drag our asses into the shower. I was still tender between my legs and feeling far too sore for another round of sex, but we couldn't keep our hands off each other. This problem inspired Zac and I to get creative, and we ended up finding quite a few new ways to fool around with soap and shampoo and the detachable showerhead...

Forty minutes later, the two of us emerged from the bathroom, grinning and giggling like a pair of obnoxious, lovestruck idiots. We got dressed in our school uniforms. Zac helped me change out the bed sheets. There had only been a spot of blood from the loss of my virginity, far less than I expected, so the cleanup hadn't taken us too long.

Around this time, Bea texted me.

it's done

Before I left this morning, my sister informed me the final tally for the Fellowship's donation funds totaled out to $89,000. On the Ashton Wellesley Student Organization FTF, or Financial Transaction Form, however, she filled out $90,000. This inflated balance would account for the missing $1,000 that we were going to pin on Lily.

I knew Bea's text meant that she had officially handed over her FTF to Ms. Wilkes, which also meant that the first step of my plan was in motion. There would be no turning back.

After I showed Zac the text from Bea, I tapped back an equally short and vague response to my sister. I wanted us to avoid leaving behind any incriminating digital evidence on our phones.

Thanks.

My anxiety flared the moment I hit 'send.' After basking in a cloud of ecstasy with Zac for the past three hours, it was now time to return to reality. We needed to get back to class, but I wasn't afraid that Zac or I might get in trouble. Even in my hormone-driven state of recklessness, I didn't forget to phone admin to request a sick day before ditching campus. I had pretended to be Zac's mom while Zac took on the role of my dad, and stern, unassuming Mrs. Kim, the Ashton Wellesley school registrar, had obligingly logged each of our absences without any push back.

My phone sounded off again as Zac and I were about to head out of the bedroom. It was a text from my dad.

Cate, per our discussion, I have opened a new financial investment portfolio for you at Wyman & Rimmel. You will have access to a checking and savings account, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Check your email to set up your account and password.

For a long moment, I stared numbly at the words as though they were written in another language.

Zac came up next to me. "What's wrong, babygirl?"

Hesitantly, I showed my phone screen to him.

He scanned over the message. His jaw ticked as his expression darkened. "Damn, your old man actually followed through. I guess... that means... we're broken up now? Only pretending, of course. And I guess... I'll need to figure out how to hack into Lily's shit to deposit the $1,000 from her account to yours."

"Yeah, we'll need to work on that today afterschool. I also found some pretty shady shit when I was sorting through Mr. Sinclair's data last night. I wanna run that by you as well."

"Sure, we can go back to my place tonight. Tell your dad that you're studying with Nat or something."

"Okay, I'll text Nat to give her a heads up so she can cover for me."

I shook my head in disbelief as my thoughts snapped back to the sperm donor. "Man, I can't believe my dad actually did it. And I can't believe he managed to open all those accounts for me so quickly. I thought these things took, at least, a day or two to set up."

"I bet he called up one of his buddies at Wyman & Rimmel," Zac muttered bitterly. "Sounds like they all owe each other plenty of favors."

I winced. "You mean, like, Lily's dad?"

Zac grimaced and shrugged. He didn't elaborate, though. I could tell the subject of my dad's ties to Wyman & Rimmel was making him uncomfortable.

I reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. "Hey? You okay, baby?"

He clutched tightly at my hand, and his expression was drawn in quiet anger. "I mean, obviously, I don't love the idea that your dad and Lily's dad might have fucked over my dad, but it is what it is. For now. I just wanna get to the bottom of this shitshow and make sure the right person is actually behind bars."

As I was about to respond to Zac, I heard a distant rattling noise coming from the living room. It sounded like someone was unlocking the front door. Zac and I immediately turned towards each other with stunned expressions.

Zac asked urgently, "Who the hell is at the door? I thought you said that no one ever comes here!"

I tried to stay calm. Run through all the possibilities. "I don't know! There's only four people with keys to the townhouse. My dad, Bea, Trick, and me. Bea and Trick should be at school, and my dad should be working. Even if he isn't working, he never comes here unless it's absolutely necessary. My dad hates this place because it reminds him of Madeline."

Genuine distress gripped Zac's face. "But what if it is your dad? Can he track you on your phone? Or do you think maybe he figured out that we ditched school today?"

Before I could even entertain the scenarios that Zac had put forth, we heard the sound of the door creak open. I dragged Zac towards one of the walk-in closets and whispered with grave urgency, "Quick! Let's hide here until this fucker leaves!"