Parker's intervention works and Allie manages to convince Holden to listen to what Daisy has to say about the truth. While Allie is talking to Holden, Daisy learns more about Holden's family from Parker.

This chapter opens with a continuation of the family issues between Holden and Logan, but also the suspected affair between Daisy's mum and Courtney's dad.

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The screen was lagging so her mouth was still moving even after the audio finished. Her trip had been extended by a week because of some issues with the business deal.

"I'm okay," I replied. My laptop was sat up on my pillow and I was lying on my stomach in front of it. There were huge glass windows behind Elaine, and I could see the snow falling outside. She was wearing a red wool beanie with a huge pom-pom on top. We'd been talking for half an hour about everything that'd happened, omitting what I knew about Holden and Logan of course. I didn't feel it was right to be telling anyone else their family secrets.

"There's a family dinner. I have to go," Elaine said, looking over her shoulder. "Sorry!"

"Go! I don't want your parents freaking out," I laughed. "Talk to you later."

"You can get through this Daisy! I'll message you!" She hung up and I shut my laptop.

The next day things were a little quieter. No one knew who the DNA match was, so that was a little bit of a relief. The news had been pushed from the headlines and was instead at least a couple of pages into the newspaper.

Logan was standing outside the gate when my bus arrived. He ended a call just as I spotted him. "Hey," I said.

"Morning," he replied.

"Are you okay?" I repeated the words Elaine had said to me just the night before. He nodded.

"My parents are still separating. It wasn't a huge surprise," his voice trailed off. "This is all my fault. Fuck."

"This is going to go away. The press has no idea who it's a match to, and everyone knows a lot of this gossip tabloid stuff is garbage."

My heart almost stopped when I saw Holden approach. He'd seemed okay after I talked to him the day before, but I was worried about another fistfight.

"We need to talk," Holden said.

"About what?" I replied, assuming he meant me.

"I meant Logan," he clarified. I looked at Logan and he looked back at me, nodding, as though letting me that he would be fine, that I could hang back. "Relax, I'm not going to murder him and hide the body," he joked.

"I'll catch up with you later," Logan said. I waved them both off and headed for my locker.

Again, I felt eyes on me as I walked down the hallway. "That's her," came the whispers. What was it now? Had people found out I'd been fake dating Holden. Or was it because someone'd seen Logan kiss me? I was tired. Exhausted. Everything about this crowd was draining me.

Without Elaine there, I wasn't sure what I was going to do during break. Something was definitely off. I somehow wound up in the only desk left in chemistry, right next to Wes. I'd rather have been shot. I didn't think I'd ever live down that ordeal.

Dating me was so awful that it'd been the butt of a joke. "That's what I heard," someone whispered. "It doesn't surprise me. She seems like the sort."

"We haven't spoken in a while," Wes began. Probably on account of you being a first class prick, I thought. "So, Logan, huh?" He continued.

"Just shut up Wes," I spat. For the first time in months, I felt like I'd grown a bit of backbone.

I knew Holden was back at school because I spotted him during Physics, the second last class of the day. I'd continued sitting in my relocated seat away from him and Parker. Mostly because they'd rearranged the desks the day before and there was no longer an empty table beside them. "Your second last test is this Friday," Mr Michaels announced. "Circular motion, torque. The topics we've been covering for the last few weeks are all included." He wrote it on the white board in huge letters and circled the date.

He also posted the updated rankings. I'd maintained my position. With an extra half a percent, I could move up. Stephanie and Parker's names were still at the top. Finishing my whole water bottle in one period after lunch had been a bad idea because I needed to go to the bathroom. Once Mr Michaels set the exercises, I excused myself and went to the bathroom. It didn't take long for me to work out why I'd seemed to be hearing whispers around me. The girls' bathrooms really did seem like the school news hub.

Not long after I'd gone into the bathroom, two other sets of footsteps followed. "Her mum is why Courtney's parents are getting a divorce," someone said. I was sitting inside a cubicle, desperately holding in my pee. "She must've come to the school trying to score a rich guy. I mean, how else could they afford the school fees?" The other replied. "I heard she's sleeping with Logan now. I'm surprised Holden dated her. She's not his type."

My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. My hands were starting to tremble, and my throat was tightening. People knew?

"Two guys from the Top Four? Lucky bitch. Holden's a total flirt but he rarely dates anyone. And Logan's a goddamn jerk."

"All she needs now is Parker for the trifecta." They both laughed. "He'd never go for someone like that. He's so uptight. I don't think I've seen the guy smile. He's hot, but he's the broody type."

"I feel so sorry for Courtney though. Divorce is tough. How can that girl – Daisy, right? – even show her face around here? Everyone knows what her and her mum are like." Their voices faded out as the door banged shut.

Then I sobbed, because the worst part was, I'd seen my mum and Courtney's dad. I knew that I deserved part of what everyone was saying. Her dad had been having an affair, and I couldn't bear to think that it was my mum who'd done it.

I avoided eye contact when I went back into physics, staring down at the ground. From the corner of my eye, I could see Parker look over at me. Hopefully no one would notice that my eyes were red and watery. Maybe then they'd start a rumour that I was doing drugs. Not that things could get much worse.

I was wrong. Things could always get worse. There was a small crowd around my locker. "That's Daisy's locker," came the comments. My eyes widened when I managed to push through the crowd. SLUT was spray painted in red across my locker. I rushed forwards to try and rub it off. I clawed at the paint and wished everyone would just vanish from around me. Or that I could disappear into a whole in the ground.

All of a sudden, I felt a huge shove and the side of face collided with the locker. My books fell to the ground. Just as I turned back, there was a cold splash of liquid on me. I stared down at my shirt and blazer to Coke all over it. Courtney stood there, holding a large take-out cup.

"You're a whore, just like your mother," Courtney spat. "You're trash, and now you look like it too. My family is ruined!" She shrieked. I couldn't even say anything. Because I knew I'd seen my mum with her dad. Instead, I stood there, frozen. Then she lunged at me. I felt a fist against me and I managed to push her back slightly, just before something else hit me. There were eggshells stuck to my blazer, and the yolk was running down the front. This uniform costed a fortune. And I only had one set.

"Stop!" Someone yelled. It was Clarissa. "Stop, Court. What are you doing?"

"Teaching her a lesson," she spat back.

"This is wrong. She helped you that night," she said. I was taken aback by the fact that Clarissa was defending me rather than hurling eggs or insults herself.

"Only 'cause her mother was the one fucking my dad!"

"This isn't her fault!"

"Fine." Then Courtney weaved to the side of Clarissa and looked me in the eye. "I hate you, and I don't ever want to see your face around here. Stay out of my sight."

The crowd dissipated and I was left kneeling on the ground covered in egg and Coke. "You're ok. You're ok," I whispered to myself. Pick up your books. Put them away. Pack your bag. Go home. I recited my actions to myself mentally. People continued whispering as they walked past.

My legs felt like jelly as I got up and they were still shaking once I managed to stand. My hands fidgeted with the lock, missing the combination at least four times. I slammed it against the locker in frustration and it clicked open. Why me!? Why was all this happening to me!? I threw the books inside, tears streaming down my cheeks. I clenched my fists so hard my nails left red crescents against my palms.

"Daisy? Oh my God are you okay?" Parker said. He took hold of my wrists. "Look at me," he said. "Your face is bruised. What is all this?" He looked at the stuff splattered across me.

That was the final straw because I started fucking crying. Like a baby. He pulled me in and enveloped me in his arms. "You're okay, you're okay," he whispered. I buried my face further into his chest because this was so embarrassing, because I was a grown teenager bawling her eyes out. He had one hand rested behind my head, gently stroking my hair while I kept crying. "You're okay," he kept saying.

We didn't say anything when he drove me home. My hands and face were numb and tingling, and I sat so still so the disgusting filth from my uniform wouldn't drip onto his car. "Thanks," I mumbled when we got to my house. Silently, I dragged my feet inside. Then I dropped my bag into my room, tossed my uniform into the wash and sat down on the toilet and continued crying.

My mum knocked on my door, but I'd locked it. She twisted the doorknob repeatedly. "What's wrong Daisy? What's going on?" She asked. Your affair, I wanted to yell back, but I said nothing. Maybe she'd give up and go away. "What's happened to your uniform?"

"I don't know! I don't care!" I yelled, a single sob escaping from my mouth.

"Daisy, is everything okay?" She asked. No! And it's partially because of you, I wanted to say.

"Just go away," I sobbed.

"Talk to me," she said.

"Fine! I can't believe you made me move across the country! I haven't seen dad in ages! This high school is full of jerks! And – " Your love life is ruining me, I wanted to add, but I held my tongue. "Now just leave me alone!"

My life had been turned upside down in a little over half a year. I'd barely had time to think about their divorce before I'd been whisked away. I hadn't kept in touch with my friends, and my life had been more tumultuous than ever thanks to Pemberton. Now, everyone knew about the affair. How was I even meant to bring this up with my mum?

The worst part was, no matter what she did, no matter how mad I was, I couldn't help but feel sorry. The doorknob turned a couple more times before I heard her footsteps disappearing down the hallway.

Stop crying. You need to study. Stop. No matter how much I tried, every time I looked down to read the physics problem, my mind jumped right back to the thought of my mum and her affair. The pages of the book were dotted with my tears.

Finally, my mind was starting to settle. My eyes were sore and I'd rubbed them raw. My blinking slowed and I could feel myself falling asleep. It was twelve thirty, but I still had so much to do.

My phone started vibrating. "Hello?" I answered groggily with a sniff, wiping my sleeve against my face.

"You still studying?" Came Parker's voice.

"Kind of," I replied.

"Good. I need help," he said.

"Really now? You're second in the class," I replied.

"Hey now, don't embarrass me. I had to humble myself to ask for help," he said. Despite myself, I let out a laugh. I could hear him breathe out a chuckle through the phone.

"Let's hear it then." As expected, it was a dead easy question he definitely didn't need help with. I explained it even though I knew he didn't need the help.

"Wow thanks I really should've known that," he said. I laughed again. I switched off my desk lamp and moved my phone over to my bed. I curled up into a ball and pulled the sheets up to my chin.

"I'm going to sleep," I said.

"What? But I'm still studying. What if I need help?"

"I think you'll manage."

"Okay but keep the phone on just in case I need help. I'll keep chatting away but you don't need to answer me."

"Why?"

"I hate studying alone."

"I snore," I said.

"Good. I'll know when to hang up."

"I don't think your parents will be pleased with your phone bill."

"I have unlimited calls."

"Fine. I snore loudly."

"Night Daisy. Don't hang up on me now."

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thoughts??

current ships?

love always,

daria xoxo

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