The weekend had finally rolled around, and the trio of Isaac, Tyler, and Matt found themselves wandering through the aisles of a local bookshop. The sun outside was shining, and they had nothing better to do than dive into more books - or, in their case, specifically looking for the sequel to the one they had read together.

"Man, we need the sequel," Tyler grumbled, scanning the shelves with little success. He was getting impatient, tossing his hair back in frustration. "Do they seriously not have it?"

Isaac shrugged, eyes darting between the shelves. "It's gotta be here somewhere. The book was too good for them not to have the second one."

Matt was flipping through a different section, not entirely interested in what the others were looking for. He glanced up and spotted Isaac and Tyler pulling down every Colleen Hoover book from a nearby shelf.

Isaac grabbed one, flipping it over to show Tyler. "Well, we may not have the sequel, but we've got a ton of her other stuff," Isaac grinned, holding up a stack of titles that filled his arms.

Tyler laughed, nodding. "Dude, I think we've got a problem. You're turning us into Colleen Hoover fans." He gave Matt a teasing look. "What do you think, Matt? You ready for the emotional rollercoaster?"

Matt raised an eyebrow and took one of the books from Isaac's stack. "I don't know if I can handle another tearjerker after what we went through with 'It Ends With Us,'" Matt said with a laugh, although he was secretly already hooked. He thumbed through the pages, intrigued.

Isaac grinned, tossing a book at Tyler. "I say we just dive in. Might as well go all in."

Tyler caught the book, smirking. "Alright, fine. But no more crying over fictional characters. I'll never live it down if I get caught sobbing over another love triangle."

"Hey, no judgment here. I'm all in," Isaac said, holding up the stack triumphantly. "I mean, it's Colleen Hoover - how bad could it be?"

Matt gave a half-smile, shaking his head. "You guys are hopeless." He threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Alright, fine. I'll go along with it."

The three of them ended up checking out a pile of books, none of which were the sequel they were originally looking for, but they couldn't help but get excited to dive into the emotional chaos that awaited them in the world of Colleen Hoover.

---

The three of them sat sprawled across Tyler's room, the air heavy with the scent of pizza and teenage energy. Matt was perched on the edge of the bed, already deeply engrossed in Reminders of Him, flipping through the pages with a serious expression.

Meanwhile, Isaac and Tyler were sprawled on the floor, their eyes glued to the pages of Ugly Love, the book they had just started. They were only a few chapters in, but already they were completely hooked.

"Dude, I don't get it," Isaac said, his eyes wide as he looked at Tyler. "Why does she always make you fall in love with the characters first, and then rip your heart out like this?"

Tyler, equally as glued to his book, nodded vigorously. "I know, right? This is cruel, man. Utterly cruel. I'm not even sure if I like this. I mean, it's messed up, but... I can't stop reading."

Matt barely looked up from his book, but he couldn't help the chuckle that slipped from his lips. "You two are clueless," he teased, shaking his head. "You guys are literally falling for Colleen Hoover's emotional manipulation. This isn't a love story. It's a trauma story."

Isaac, wide-eyed, looked at Matt like he'd just revealed the meaning of life. "Wait, what? This is about trauma? So, we're reading... like... psychological horror disguised as a love story?"

Matt slapped Isaac's arm. "Bro, no! That's not what I meant. It's a love story... but with a lot of heartbreak. So much that you'll probably need therapy afterward."

Isaac blinked, looking down at the book in his hands like it was a ticking time bomb. "I think I'm gonna need therapy after the first chapter, man. I don't know if I can handle this."

Tyler grinned, not realizing he was just as hooked. "Nah, bro, you'll be fine. Just prepare to cry a lot. Like, a lot."

Matt looked at them both, then rolled his eyes, a grin pulling at his lips. "You two are such a mess. You haven't even gotten to the worst part yet. I'm literally crying over here, and you're acting like you're reading a comic book."

Isaac and Tyler exchanged a confused look.

Tyler raised his hand dramatically. "Wait, hold up. Are we talking about crying during the book, or... crying because of the book? Because I'm not sure I'm ready for either one."

Matt laughed out loud. "Honestly, you'll probably be crying by the end of the chapter, but not because of what you think."

Isaac tossed the book aside dramatically, exasperated. "This is too much. I came here for some good romance, and now I'm questioning everything."

Tyler, equally dramatic, sighed and threw his own book down. "Why did we do this to ourselves? I swear we should've just stuck with something easy, like... The Hunger Games or something."

Matt, already a few chapters ahead, leaned back and chuckled. "You two are hilarious. You're officially part of the Colleen Hoover emotional wreckage club. Welcome."

Isaac and Tyler stared at each other for a moment, utterly defeated but somehow amused.

"Alright," Isaac said, picking up the book again. "We're finishing this... but if I start crying like a baby, I'm blaming both of you."

Tyler, already on the verge of tears from the emotional tension, nodded dramatically. "Agreed. But if we cry, we cry together, man."

Matt just shook his head, still smiling at their cluelessness. "Good luck, guys. You're gonna need it."

---

Isaac and Tyler were sprawled on the floor, both holding their copies of Ugly Love. They had gotten to the part where the tension between the characters was at an all-time high, and they were completely hooked. Isaac, his brow furrowed, was turning the pages quickly, while Tyler was leaning back, his eyes wide in shock.

Then it happened.

"Oh my God, Rachel," Tyler whispered, reading aloud from the page.

Isaac froze, staring at the words with wide eyes. "No way," he said, barely believing what he was reading. "This is messed up."

Tyler was absolutely beside himself. "What the actual hell?" he exclaimed, his face twisting in disbelief. "I can't-this is too much! I didn't sign up for this!"

With an exaggerated grunt, Tyler threw the book across the room, sending it crashing into the wall with a dramatic thud.

Isaac just stared, wide-eyed. "Dude... what the hell?"

Matt, who had been reading quietly in the corner, couldn't help it. He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Oh my god, you two are priceless!" he said, barely able to catch his breath. "I told you, Colleen Hoover knows how to rip your heart out and stomp on it, but you two are acting like this is a crime scene."

Tyler was pacing now, hands on his hips, completely aghast. "That... that was so unnecessary! I can't-like, what even was that? Why did she have to hit us with that part?"

Isaac, still in shock, shrugged. "I don't know, man. It's like she's just torturing us for fun."

Tyler turned to Matt, still flustered. "How are you reading this and not losing your mind? You were right there with us last week, and now you're just... what, calmly flipping through pages?"

Matt grinned and leaned back casually. "I've already read it. You guys are just catching up to the emotional chaos."

Isaac stared at Matt. "So you were prepared for this pain? You knew it was coming?"

Matt just smirked, trying to hold back another laugh. "You two are in for more. Trust me, you're just getting started."

Tyler, now sitting on the floor with his head in his hands, muttered, "I'm never trusting you again. I'm done. You both owe me emotional therapy after this."

Isaac picked up the book from the floor where it had landed, shaking his head. "Honestly, I think we need to stage an intervention for Colleen Hoover. This is too much. We've barely even hit the halfway mark, and we're already broken."

Tyler nodded solemnly. "Yeah, next time we pick a book, I'm going with something light, like a comic book."

Matt laughed again, still finding the whole situation hilarious. "Oh, don't worry. You two will be back for more. It's like a car crash you can't look away from."

Isaac and Tyler exchanged a look, both knowing deep down that Matt was probably right. They were already hooked-and now, there was no turning back.

---

Tyler is me while reading Ugly Book for the first time