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A/N

(How do you guys feel about the current book cover? I've been thinking of changing it, please let me know your thoughts <3)

Lita gazed at her mother's face as she extended the money, a glimmer of hope flickering in her chest. Perhaps, she thought, just maybe, her mother would surprise her this time. Maybe she would refuse the money and offer an apology. However, deep down, Lita knew better. Her mother was unlikely to change.

"Thanks, honey," her mother said, inspecting the money in her grasp. The smile on her face faltered, replaced by a dry laugh. "Where's the other half?" she inquired.

Lita huffed, her patience wearing thin. "That was all I got."

Her mother eyed her suspiciously. "Okay... you can go then."

Rolling her eyes, Lita ascended the stairs. She placed her phone on the bedside table and lay down, releasing a sigh. Closing her eyes, she silently yearned to be back home with Mateo and her father, enduring their shared distaste for musicals.

Her contemplation was abruptly disrupted as her phone vibrated incessantly. Emitting a sigh of annoyance, she reluctantly sat up, the phone illuminating her dark room.

"What the hell is cliff-jumping?" Lita queried from the passenger seat of Jacob's car. He had bombarded her with messages, attempting to persuade her to join him and the others.

"It's fun! You'll see," Jacob replied, leaving Lita in the dark.

"Well, if I get there and it's like suicide, I'm leaving." Jacob rolled his eyes. "Please, it's not even that high."

"Anything that's called a cliff is high up," Lita retorted.

"Aw, don't tell me you're scared. Need me to hold your hand?" Jacob teased, laughing, while Lita just rolled her eyes at him. She tried to hide her smile by looking out the window.

As they reached the cliffs, Lita could see the other boys already arguing over who was going first.

"You're always talking about how you're so tough; you jump!" Embry said, attempting to push Quil off, who quickly backed away.

"No way, man! The shark might come back!" Quil protested, making Seth laugh loudly.

"Oh, please, that story was complete B.S.," Jacob called out, causing the trio to greet the two of them.

"Seth, you're the youngest—" Quil started to say.

"Oh, fuck off," Seth interjected, cutting him off. Embry laughed at the pair before Jacob spoke up again. "Me and Lita will go first."

"What? I never agreed to that—" Lita was cut off as Jacob picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder before starting to run and jump off the cliff. Lita screamed loudly before they hit the water.

Resurfacing, she wiped the water from her eyes to see a brightly smiling Jacob, his long wet hair slightly covering his eyes. Quickly, she began splashing him. "You jerk! Now my hair is ruined!" she exclaimed, knowing that by the time it dried, she'd be back to her natural curls—all that time spent straightening gone to waste.

Jacob just laughed, trying to shield himself before splashing her back. Lita yelped as he pulled her forward, narrowly getting out of the way as Quil, Embry, and lastly Seth jumped in, their screams loud. The group all began to laugh as they resurfaced, shaking the water out of their hair and wiping their eyes.

The group had spent some time swimming before swimming out to the beach; it was almost empty, aside from a few people who were either fishing further down the beach or simply sitting there.

"I'm not kidding, guys, something touched my foot out there," Seth said, sounding paranoid.

"Maybe it was Quil's shark," Jacob joked, making the group laugh, aside from a salty-looking Quil.

Lita's smile faltered as she saw Jade's group along with Paul and Jared all heading to the beach, Paul's arm tightly around her. Jade, noticing the girl, quickly flushed before excusing herself from them and heading over to Lita.

"Hey, guys..." she smiled at the group, who all greeted her out of politeness. "I... uh, Lita, could I maybe talk to you?" she asked, looking hopeful.

Lita looked to the group who just shrugged at her, Jacob giving her a smile of encouragement, letting her know that it was alright. Walking past Jade's own group, Paul gave them a confused glance before continuing to walk. Once Jade felt like they were out of earshot, she began to speak.

"I'm just... I wanted to say I'm sorry about yesterday. I don't know what came over me."

Lita could tell she looked ashamed at what she had done. "No, no, it's totally fine if you're figuring yourself out—"

"No, no, it's not like that—I'm not... I like Paul; it was a mistake, and I'm sorry if it came off weirdly. You... you won't tell him, right?" Jade's mumble of words were unmistakably nervous.

"No... yeah, I won't," Lita said, feeling slightly conflicted.

"Great," Jade said, giving her a half-smile. "Well, uh... thanks," she added, pulling Lita into an awkward hug.

"What was that about?" Jacob asked as Lita went to sit down beside him.

Shaking her head, Lita replied, "I honestly don't know."

Lita got home and waved Jacob off. Her mother was already at the kitchen table, shooting her a stern look. Ignoring the silent tension, Lita went for a glass of water. She felt the burning gaze on her back and turned around. "What?" she asked sharply.

"Look what I found," her mother said, holding up a crumpled hundred-dollar bill. Lita's eyes widened.

"What—where did you get that? Did you go through my stuff!?" Lita's irritation flared.

"It's my money, Lita. You owe me, and you know it."

"I didn't even want that stupid dress!" Lita snapped.

Her mother stood up, and Lita, fueled by frustration, shoved past her and rushed to her room. The echoes of her mother's footsteps followed her up the stairs. In her room, Lita grabbed the ill-fated dress.

Turning to her mother, Lita tore it with a loud rip. The sound filled the room, capturing her mother's widened eyes. "Lita, stop that!" she yelled, trying to grab the torn garment. Lita, defiant, pulled it away, and the dress split into two. She fell back onto the floor.

Looking up at her mother, Lita saw tears in her eyes as she clutched the ripped half of the dress. "How could you?" her mother whispered before storming off, leaving the echoes of her sobs in the house. Lita glared at the floor, wrestling with a mix of anger and defiance. Why should she feel guilty?.

As Lita gazed at the scattered shreds on the floor, the realization struck her like a bolt – the wedding reception was tomorrow. Panic surged through her, and she frantically scrambled to collect the torn pieces. "Shit, shit, no!" she groaned aloud. The pressure of the impending event weighed heavily on her.