Page 1 of Five

Chapter One - Rory

“Rory!”

Tera is calling up the stairs for me, eager for us to finish moving out of our apartment for summer break and get on our way. But I’m still staring at my phone. At the text message that just came in.

“Rory! Do you have that last box or what?”

“Yes,” I call down to her. But I have a weird, sick feeling in my stomach and it comes out in my voice.

I stare at the text. Come home, it says. Five is here. I’ve booked you a ticket.

It’s from my little brother, Oliver, and home is Fort Collins, Colorado. Five is…

“Hey,” Tera says, appearing at my door. “You OK?”

I start out with my head nodding but it turns into a shake before I can make a real decision.

“What’s happened?” Tera asks, coming towards me. “What’s going on?”

At the same moment, Cliff appears in the door, knocking on the doorjamb. “You ladies ready?”

He’s tall. Handsome. Muscular. Perfect. Honors student here at Princeton. Newly graduated and on his way to predetermined greatness at Yale Law next fall. We’ve been dating for about a week and I like him. He’s funny, and charming, and attractive. Which is why I’m going with him and Tera, my BFF and his little sister, to their family home up in the Hamptons for the summer.

Tera is the female version of perfect Cliff. Also tall, also beautiful, also funny, and smart, and good. We’ve been rooming together in this four-story walk-up apartment for two years and we’re only moving out now because we’re gonna live together next fall for senior year.

“What’s going on?” Cliff asks.

“I don’t know,” Tera says, putting her hand on my shoulder. “I was just asking Rory that same question.”

What is going on? I’m not sure. I have the most perfect summer planned. Boating, and sunbathing, and parties, and—

“Rory?” Cliff has maneuvered his way between Tera and me and he’s pulling me close. His hand is warm on my waist, his scent powerful and masculine. I like him. I’ve been hinting around for more than a year that we should date. And finally, last week, he caught on. I’m right where I want to be with him. Where I want to be with everything in my life right now. I’m an honors student at Princeton, I have my pick of the best senior internships next fall in start-up marketing, and I have no fewer than six professors who are ready to give me a glowing recommendation to grad school at Yale the following year.

But that text…

“Rory. For fuck’s sake, can you answer me, please?”

“Sorry,” I say, looking up at him. He’s taller than me by miles. At least eight inches. “I just…” I hold up my phone. The sleep screen is on, so he can’t see why I’m holding it up, but he can guess.

“Did you get bad news or something?”

I nod, still speechless from those words. Five is here.

“What is it?” Tera asks, crowding her brother out so she can be close to me again. “What’s going on? Is it bad?”

Is it bad?

I don’t think Oliver meant it that way, but—“Yes,” I say. “It’s bad.”

“Do you need to go home?” Cliff asks. “Did something happen at home?”

I nod again, swallowing hard. “Yes. Something’s happened at home. I don’t really want to talk about it, but—”

“Do you need a ride?” Tera asks. “I can ask my father to let you borrow the jet.”

Borrow the jet. It should be shocking to hear those words come out of someone’s mouth, but we’ve “borrowed” her father’s jet many times in the last two years.

“No,” I say, coming to my senses. “No. They’ve sent me a plane ticket.”