Playing that game seemed crazy—the crazy shit that so many teenagers seemed totally inclined to play just for the chance to “change” their lives afterward. You only started this because Heather and Natalie convinced you, very minimally, but they were good at what they did for a reason.

If you'd known the town was like this, you would have made your mom turn the car around the second you arrived six months ago—it was too late to try to go back to your old life far away from there. Good points? There weren't many, the boring things were exactly the same, the good things? Yeah, it's better to just focus on the boring things.

You thought you had seen it all until you saw him. Eagle eyes following you whenever you passed by him, he was always the one who waited on your table when your mother forced you to go to dinner with her at his family's diner. Dodge had already memorized that you always drank lemon soda and he always gave you a blue straw. You had already grown tired of the "always" that involved him.

The obvious attraction was clear on your face when Heather warned you he was trouble—and you frowned, not that you weren’t aware of it, but you could fix him, couldn't you? They just shook their heads laughing, Natalie even asked God to help you.

Only someone with a lot of daddy issues would put themselves through this, well... You didn't know your father, much less had any father figure in your life. Maybe, your destiny was right in front of you.

Great, this time you were alone at the diner table waiting for your own mother, how depressing, she would come meet you after work. “Lemon soda with blue straw,” you heard Dodge grumble, placing the cup of soda in front of you like you were a child waiting for a toy. “Alone, huh? How depressing for you. Want another straw? A pink one.”

He was being ironic, it was obvious when you turned your neck towards him and he was half smirking, enjoying seeing your sullen expression because he was making fun of you. “Don't make that face, I'll get you a pink straw.”