he whole drive home, I am terrified. It's not often my parents call me, especially to demand I come home right away, which means either something terrible has happened or they've found out I've broken up with Justin. Deep down, I know it's the latter.

I pull into the driveway and take my time getting out. Maybe I'm wrong and they don't know about Justin, maybe it's something else, like somebody is sick or they're getting a divorce. God, I hope it's a divorce.

They are both standing in the kitchen when I make it inside. Dad's popped open the wine, and they're both clutching their glasses as they watch me cross the room. From the look on their faces as I sit on a barstool, it's not a celebratory glass.

"Where have you been?" Dad asks.

"The gym," I say carefully, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. I'm not particularly hungry, but I'm so nervous, I need to do something with my hands. "Why, what's going on?"

"Justin stopped by this evening," Mom says, and her voice is terse, clipped, the way it always is when she's disappointed. "He was extremely upset, Alyssa. He said you broke up with him. Is that true?"

The pair of them are looking at me like I've committed betrayal, and in some ways, I have. Without this deal, I have no idea what's going to happen to my family, or to my future, but I can't keep pretending anymore.

"Yes, it's true," I say.

Their reaction is immediate. Dad slams his glass on the counter at the same time Mom sighs, and all of the air feels like it's sucked from the room.

"You knew how important this business deal was," Dad says. "You couldn't have just waited another two weeks? The party is this weekend, Alyssa. How can I secure this deal when you've just broken his son's heart!"

I get to my feet now, practically shaking. "He's not broken-hearted, he's playing you! He's just trying to get back at me."

"Yes," Mom says sharply, "he told us all about your boxing and this affair you've been having with a gang member. Please tell me you aren't that stupid, Alyssa."

I'm so angry, I feel myself starting to shake. We are the kind of family who usually avoids confrontation, so this is new to all of us. "I'm not having an affair, and he's not a gang member. Justin said that because he's trying to get back at me. The boxing is just–I don't know–a hobby."

Mom shakes her head while Dad paces the kitchen. "A hobby? he says. "What is going on with you lately, Alyssa? You're behaving nothing like yourself."

"Yeah, well, maybe that's a good thing."

Dad shakes his head. "I was so close. So close. You've got to work things out with him, Liss. Just for a few more weeks."

"I can't."

"Why?" Mom says.

I lift up my fingers and start counting off reasons. "Because he cheated on me, because he's jealous, because he's abusive."

The pair of them freeze. I've finally got their attention. "What do you mean abusive?" Dad asks.

I swallow back the lump in my throat. "I mean, he grabbed my neck just because I went to the gym and didn't tell him. He's insane."

"Are you all right?" Mom asks. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I throw my hands in the air. Sometimes I feel like I'm going insane. "Because I wanted to avoid all of this! I know that things are bad, okay? I know you need this deal to go through, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't keep pretending anymore."

Dad sighs and says, "This is an important dinner party, Alyssa. Some very important people are going to be there. You can't just go without a date."

Mom bites her lip. She's torn between doing what's best for me, and what's best for this family. To her, those things are not mutually exclusive.

"Look, maybe we can set her up with someone else," Mom says to Dad. "Roger Fallon's son, Carter, is going. Maybe we could set you up with him, Alyssa."

I'm horrified. Carter and I have crossed paths several times over the years and he always harasses me to date him and turns sour when I say no. "Is this what it has come to?" I ask. "Pimping out your daughter to guys from wealthy families?"

Mom's eyes narrow. It's funny how callous desperation can make you. "Look," she says. "We're just trying to find a way out of this mess. I want you to have a good life, Alyssa. I want you to go to the college you've always dreamed of. I don't want to see us have to leave the only place we've ever called home."

"Thanks, Mom. Way to take the pressure off." I grab my bag and storm out of the house, climbing back into my car. I don't exactly know where I'm going, but I know if I spend another second with them, I am going to implode.

I drive around for a while with no sense of purpose. Going to Tiana's house is out of the question. She'd ask me what happened, and since I can't be honest about my home situation, I don't want to lie. Other than her, there is no one else really that I trust or rely on, which just goes to show: it doesn't matter how many friends you think you have. If you can't count on them when things start to get tough, are they really a friend?

I end up at the gym and park up outside before texting Maddie for Max's number. I know he's got the keys to the gym, and there's a bed in the office as well as a bathroom. It means I won't be imposing on anybody else.

Maddie texts back with his number and asks if I'm okay. I tell her I'm fine and then send a quick text to Max asking if I can have the keys for the gym. I'd hoped maybe he'd do it without asking questions, but I should have known better. He calls me straight away, and I swallow down the lump I feel making its way up my throat.

"Why do you need the keys for the gym?" he asks. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," I say. My eyes start to burn, and I hate that I'm on the verge of crying. "I just need somewhere to crash tonight."

If I were him, I'd ask a thousand questions, but he doesn't. Instead, he says, "You can crash at mine."

"I don't want to impose, Max, and does Kino even know we're...friends?" But that's not the real reason I don't want to stay over–it's because I don't want him to see me cry.

"Shit, I forgot. Well, look, you can't stay in the gym by yourself."

"Why not?"

"Why not? Because it's in the middle of Burbank, Alyssa. Places get broken into all the time."

"Well, I'm already here."

He swears and says, "Stay there and lock your doors. I'm coming."

It takes him roughly fifteen minutes for him to pull up to the gym. He parks up his truck as I get out of my car, and we meet each other outside of the gym. I expect him to be mad that I've made him come all this way–Justin would be–but he's not. Instead, he unlocks the door to the gym, roughly takes my hand, and leads me up the stairs. He tells me to head into the office while he locks the doors behind us.

The inside of the office is dark and cold. I switch on the light, and it flickers to life before quickly dying out again. I feel around in the dark for the bedside lamp and switch it on.

Max comes up behind me and closes the door. Despite it being warm most days, the evenings get chilly, and this room doesn't seem to have heating.

"We could still try to sneak you into my house," Max says. "Although Kino tends to barge in uninvited and the lock on my door is broken." He frowns and adds, "I could move the drawers in front of the door."

I smile and say, "It's fine, it's just for one night." I sit down on the bed and then pause. "It's kind of weird they put a bed in here. Do you think Maddie and Hayden do stuff in it?"

Max grins and sits next to me. "Hayden told me they never use it. His dad had it put in here back when he was alive. I think he used to stay here late and didn't want to have to drive home."

I lift my eyes from my hands to say, "Do you think the sheets are clean?"

He suppresses a smirk. "Sometimes I forget you're a princess." He lifts up the duvet, and underneath are crisp white sheets that look brand new. "Yes, they're clean."

I nod and let my eyes roam over the walls, which are covered in photos of Hayden and his Dad. They look so close and happy that it almost makes me envious–I can't remember the last time my dad smiled like that.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Max asks.

I'm quiet for a moment. "My parents found out that I broke up with Justin. Their solution to the problem involved trying to set me up with some other rich guy." I shake my head, because saying it out loud makes it sound all the more ridiculous.

"Hey," Max says roughly, taking my hand. "At least you stood up to them. I'm proud of you." I look at our hands. The way his fingers entwine with mine feels comforting. "You should get under the covers," he says, looking at my arms. "You've got goosebumps."

I nod and lift up the covers before snuggling back under them. He lies down behind me, wrapping his arms around me. Slowly, I turn in his arms to face him. His eyes are on mine, dark and intense. I rest my head on his chest, and he strokes my hair while I listen to the sound of his heartbeat.

"My family think you're in a gang," I say.

He raises an eyebrow. "Did you correct them?"

"No, I thought it would be funnier if I let them go on believing that I liked a gang member."

He suppresses a smile. "So," he says slowly, "what I'm hearing is that you like me?"

I lean in and kiss him. It's supposed to be soft, brief, a confirmation of this possible liking, but his mouth demands more. He pulls me back in, resting a hand on the small of my back while his other tangles my hair.

My stomach heats up, and I can't help but smile against his lips. "So, what I'm hearing is that you like me."

He smirks before kissing me again. My heart does this flip, and I somehow forgot that my parents are insane and my ex is a psycho. Right now, the only thing that matters is Max.