Prologue,

taste of revenge

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— TWO MONTHS AGO

JASMINE ALTIERI has never experienced heartbreak from a boy before, especially from one who actually made her believe that he was actually interested in her only to learn that she was just a bet. Nonetheless, she had also felt pathetic for kissing her bestfriend and running off like some pussy.

   It was why she was now curled up in her bed from this embarrassing night, a soft knock on her door was heard as she had softly spoken to her Uncle who she assumed it would be since they hardly have any visitors, "I'm not hungry, Uncle Dewey. I just want to wallow in my bed and just attempt to forget that I embarrassed myself today." She sniffled, pulling her covers to hide her entire body underneath.

   Perhaps, Dean is right. She's nothing but some embarrassing freak. Nothing more and nothing less.

   A familiar voice startled her that easily made her sit up from her own bed and just removing the entire covers from her body, and panicking in nervousness already, "It's uhm, Chad. Can I come in?" He had slowly asked her.

   Stumbling with her words, "No — I mean yeah, yeah. Come in." Her face had flushed with complete embarrassment, her door slowly creaked opened, her eyes glancing at Chad who had on the same black sweatpants and white t-shirt, "You can close the door." Mumbling out.

   He nodded his own head, as he just stood by her closed door awkwardly before speaking up to her since he was also still in shock from the events, "You can't just kiss me, and running off without no explanation." He had sternly told her, Jasmine who had tilted her head down in shame.

Slowly looking back up at him, "I'm sorry, Chad." It was then that she had a question to ask him, since boys always talk in the locker room she wants to know if he knew, or if he was on the plan as well, "Did you know?" Her voice cracked, fiddling with her fingers.

Confusion laced all over his voice, "Know what?" He didn't know what she was expecting him to know.

Jasmine sucked in her breath before shakily speaking to him, "That I was just a fucking bet to him!" She angrily spat because she was just so angry at Dean, and this bet that was made, "A bet to get me into falling for him, so he can take my virginity, but sucks for him that he didn't!" Her voice broke.

A flush of embarrassment had entered her face, that she had just admitted into still being a virgin. Swallowing her saliva down nervously, life was just so embarrassing for her.

His eyes widened, approaching his bestfriend and just sitting right beside her, he was so just pissed at what he was learning tonight, "I had no idea, Jasmine. If I had known about the shit he was doing then I would've told you to leave him." He reassured her, "Should've given him another black eye tonight." He blurted out.

She raised her eyebrow, "You beat him up?"

He nodded his head, "You know I'll always beat up guys who hurt you, Jasmine. You need someone who's going to value your heart, and not hurt you." Out of all of the friend group, he knew that Jasmine deserved a good guy in her life, and someone who cherishes her and also supports her.

   Ignoring the little voice in his head that just kept screaming to him. You dumbass, you, she deserves you.

   That had given her ultimate butterflies, her cheeks flushed red it was just then that she had thought of something, her eyes had widened in excitement, "I want to make him pay for the humiliation he given me tonight." Licking her dried lips.

   Chad who just raised his eyebrow wondering what she has in mind, "Oh, yeah. What's that?" He had lightly teased her.

   "A fake relationship. . ." She slowly began speaking to him, his eyebrow raised waiting for her to say a name, "With you." She had ended, a part of her was waiting for him to run for the hills on her confession.

   Chad who began to think about it before responding to her, "That can work, but would it anger him?" He wanted to know if this would make Dean spiral, Jasmine had nodded her own head, "He was pretty pissed when I kissed you earlier today and he along his little friends despises you. So, I'd say it'll work." She nodded her head in approval.

   He hummed in approval, "Then I'd say let's do it. It'll be fun, also this will lay off the girls from my back." He always got frustrated when they'd approach him, as he wasn't interested in any of them.

   Jasmine who giggled in simple excitement at his response, "Okay, rules. Obviously we have to do everything that couples do, but uhm just no sex. . ." She cautiously told him in which he nodded his head in agreement, "Also, we can't tell anyone in the friend group we are in a fake relationship." She sternly told him.

   "Why?"

   Jasmine crisscrossed her legs explaining her reasoning, "Because they can just so happen to accidentally reveal our little game, and some ass can overhear we are in a fake relationship, and absolutely not!" She had waved her hands around in the air in exaggeration, "Lastly, we have to be truthful in the relationship rather it consists ending it, or whatever it is." She had sternly told him.

   Chad who let all that information sink into his head slowly speaking to her, "Understood." It was then his eyes drifted on her nightstand and had seen a picture of her when she was just about at least six hugging some man in prison clothing, "Who's that?" His finger had pointed to the small portrait on her nightstand.

   Jasmine had felt herself panicking on the inside, and just slowly grabbing the small little portrait that just had the names 'Mickey and Minnie' carved onto the bottom, "It's time that I'm truthful about my biological dad, but just don't panic. Please?" She practically begged him.

   He stuck out his pinky, "I pinky promise that I will not panic." He moved his pinky closer to her as she shook her hand in amusement, and lacing their pinkies together.

   Jasmine shakily began speaking to him and revealing her biggest secret to someone from her friend group for the first time, "Remember in 1997 those brutal slayings? Uhm, Mickey Altieri is my dad." She had just about complete ripped the bandage off.

Chad who's mouth dropped before closing it attempting to find the right way to say this to her without sounding inappropriate, "How did your mom even—" He gestured with his fingers on what he meant by that as it made her let out laugh, "She was his therapist, and well. . . I'm here." She pointed to herself.

He shook his head in amusement, eyes just twinkling in amusement, "Mhm. A pretty cool girl was born." He also wanted to say beautiful, but had refrained himself from saying anything else, his eyes had then also drifted at the name that was on the bottom, "Minnie?" He ran his finger on the carved name.

Jasmine who easily spoke up to him, and just smiled at Chad who was beyond curious about her biological dad, "It's what my dad calls me, Minnie because of his name Mickey." She had revealed.

His eyes twinkled in amusement, "I like that. Can I call you Minnie, you know only if it's fine with you?" He stumbled with his words, he felt his face flushing red in embarrassment.

Jasmine who nodded her head, pushing her hair behind her ear, "You can call me, Minnie. Only a variety of people call me it, but I'd really like it if you uhm call me, Minnie. . ." A part of her was in a trance with his brown eyes, "Just please don't tell anyone about my biological dad, especially your sister. She'll freak out on me." She slowly said to him.

Her hair that moved out the way of her ear that just easily made Chad push her hair back behind her ear, as her breath hitched at his touch, "Your secrets safe with me, Minnie." He had leaned forward and kissed her forehead, "What do you say I take you out for breakfast tomorrow." He slowly questioning her.

   "Yeah, it sounds like fun. . ." Her smile had brightened before speaking some more to him about their little fake relationship, "Also, we can do more talking about the relationship on the way there."

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𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞, hope you liked
the prologue.

This going to give me more daddy issues
than I got. Mickey being in his daughters
life despite being in prison, yet my dad
can't even call me! 😒😒😒 HOE.

Might focus on this book mostly.
I love Minnie, and I can't wait to have y'all
see Mindy and her argument. 😍🥹