"Yeah. It's all I can say. I encouraged you. Although," I add snidely, "for someone who wants me to avoid the spotlight, I find it funny that you're heading straight toward it."

"I'm not doing it for the money, the fame, or the spotlight. I'm doing it for me."

"And I'm going to boarding school, but I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for them." I point to the picture of the girls.

Brooklyn nods his head, gets tears in his eyes, and pulls me into a hug.

I hold my shoulders stiffly. I don't want to let him in.

"Keats, this is not the way I wanted this to go down. I had an amazing summer with you. The best summer of my life."

"Is that why you didn't ask me to be your girlfriend? Because you didn't want to have to break up with me? Because you've been planning this all along?"

"You've been my girlfriend all summer, Keats. I thought when I told you I loved you that you knew that. And I didn't plan it all summer. I mentioned it to my dad, and he got the sponsors all set up. He told me when we were in London that he thought it might all pan out, but I didn't know for sure until we got home. I didn't tell you, because I didn't want to ruin your birthday."

"I didn't know how you felt."

"How could you not know how I felt? I've told you a million fucking times this summer that I love you."

"Well, maybe you need to learn to communicate better."

"Maybe you need to grow up. Stop worrying so much about what people think and start worrying about what you think."

I immediately get tears in my eyes.

I swear, I'm normally not such a crybaby.

"Don't yell at me. I can't take it."

He grabs me. Hugs me tight.

I lay my head on his chest. The place that used to feel so wonderful now feels foreign. "So we were already going out?"

"I told you, I love you. We were together because we wanted to be. That's all that mattered."

"No, knowing where you stand is what's important. And after tonight, I knew exactly where I stood with you. That's why I broke up with you even though we weren't actually going out. And I kissed Cush."

He purses his lips. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you kiss him?"

"Because you didn't like me enough to want to date me. We had sex the other day, and you said I'm glad we can chill together. That's why. So are you telling me that we were in a relationship? Like you were my boyfriend?"

"Labels matter way too much to you. All the way down to the ones in your thousand dollar boots."

I look down at the boots Cush gave me for my birthday.

Be bold, Keatyn.

I raise my chin up, stand up tall, and put my bitch on. "Lots of guys tell you they love you just for sex; even my mom, who is in a we're-together-but-don't-label-it relationship, asked me about my birthday. Wanted to know if you asked me out. If you gave me a ring or anything."

"A ring?"

"Not like engaged. Just something to show the rest of the world you wanted to be with me."

He flips his hand over and shoves his fresh tattoo in my face. "Tattoos last forever, Keats. I thought we would too."

I start crying again.

"You should've known," he pokes my chest, "in here. You don't know if I'm the one, do you?"

"I wanted you to be the one. I've loved you since the day I met you."

"You had a crush on me. That's different than true love."

"And you're telling me you feel that way about me? You can't. You just decided to leave me for a year. You didn't ask me to be your girlfriend, and you only like me when I'm your laid-back surfer girl. When I'm me, you don't really like me that much. You want me in your world, but you don't want to venture into mine."

He runs his hand through his hair and shakes his head. "I know everything you're saying is true. But I did love you. I mean, I do love you. I wasn't lying. I just figured if fate wanted us together it would figure out a way, because I couldn't figure it out myself. I couldn't figure out how I could have my dream and you too."

"Well, you pushed fate along. You didn't dance with me. You didn't try to be nice or meet any of my other friends. You made fun of my amazing shoes and called my gorgeous dress slutty."

Brooklyn nods his head. He knows what I'm saying is true. "So what are we gonna do?"

"You're going on tour, and I'm going to boarding school. I'm going back out there."

Mom looks surprised to see me back out in the family room. "It's late, Keatyn; why don't you get some sleep? You've been through a lot. We can figure this out in the morning."

"Mom, I'm not going to be able to sleep. Probably ever again. Besides, it is morning. I feel better since I took a shower and talked to B. I finally know where we stand."

I sit down next to Mr. Moran and hand him Tommy's laptop. "Would you mind showing me the school's website?" I ask politely.

He types in an address and turns the screen to face me.

I click through the site.

"That looks very nice," Mom says, hovering behind me. "Look at the gorgeous trees."

Mr. Moran continues his sales job. "It's a beautiful campus-a lot like a college. And it's very exclusive. Most of the kids go on to Ivy League schools."

I click on the soccer page.

Mom says, "Look, honey, you could still play soccer."

"Yeah, it looks nice. Mr. Smith, if you think it's safe, I'd like to go there."

Vincent goes home feeling a sense of victory. The whore now knows how she will be made to pay. He plans his next move. He knows that school will be starting soon. He knows based on the amount of security at Abby's home that she's taking his threats seriously. The bitch even tried to get a restraining order against him. More than likely, she will have him watched. Have him followed everywhere. He must go back to work on Monday and act like everything is normal.

Even though it isn't.

He made a miscalculation. He should have simply taken her hand as himself and offered to get her to safety. She would have gone willingly. Then once she was out the door, he could have loaded her into the van.

She doesn't post anything on her social media, so he watches her friends' profiles. He knows he's being followed, so he's careful, but he can go to any public place he wants. And it just so happens that tonight he's hungry for pizza.

He sits at a table near a group of rowdy soccer players, who are having a going away party for the boy Keatyn danced with at her party. The boy she was with when she was dressed in the white goddess gown. The boy who is now moving away. Interesting timing, he thinks. Could they be considering sending Lacy away too?

Do they really think they can keep them apart?

The next night, he joins her friends, Vanessa and RiAnne at the club. The club where her party was held. He throws money around like the big spender he is in order to get VIP access and special treatment. He takes up a spot that allows him a full view of the dance floor, ignoring the sexy way the girls in the cages hanging from the ceiling are dancing.

He needs to stay focused. If she's meeting them here, he'll find her.

He remembers how she used to go dancing here every Thursday, sometimes by herself. Why didn't he think of coming here sooner?

He vows to never miss a Thursday again.

Vanessa walks by his table and immediately recognizes him.

"Hey, you," she says, sauntering straight into his section without being invited. He likes this girl's boldness.

"You were at the hotel pool with Keatyn, right?" he replies.

"I was. Although, I will admit that I don't drink beer."

"What do you drink?"

"Champagne," she replies, jutting out her hip in a sassy gesture. He could have this girl in his bed, easily.

He raises his hand in the air, summons his waitress, and orders a bottle of their best champagne. He needs someone on the inside.

When the champagne is served, her friend, RiAnne, comes looking for her. They each have a glass and then RiAnne goes back out to the dance floor.

"She loves to dance," Vanessa says as I refill her glass.

When she finishes off the bottle, she grabs my hand and pulls me to the dance floor where she grinds against me, her hands all over me. Once I have her wanting me, I ask, "Why isn't Keatyn here with you?"

"Who cares? She's dead to me," the girl shouts.

"Why?"

"Why? Why! I'll tell you why. Because she cancelled her after party for no reason. She hasn't replied to any of my texts. And everyone is asking me what her deal is. Like I'm her freaking keeper. I don't know where she is. And I absolutely don't care." She storms off.

He follows, finding her in his VIP section, pouring more champagne. Tears glisten in her eyes.

"You're awfully worked up about it for someone who doesn't care," I say gently.

"She's my best friend, and she's completely shut me out. I knew she was crazy about the surfer. I tried to tell her dating him would be social suicide, but I never expected this."

"This?"

"For him to get her involved in whatever she's gotten into."

"What's that?"

"I don't know. Someone is controlling her. I was pissed after her party. I texted her and was mean. She didn't reply. She always replies. Now when I text her, the texts aren't even being read, so they've taken her phone and cut her off. I even tried just showing up at her house. There are guards there."

"Do you think maybe there's something going on with Abby? A stalker or something? Guards seem extreme."

She's tipsy, but her eyes get bigger, and I can tell she's considering this. "You might be right about that, Vincent. Keatyn said you are in the entertainment industry. Do you think you could find out?"

He smiles. "Let's make a pact. If I hear anything, I'll let you know. If you hear from her, you let me know. Deal?"

She grabs my phone and texts herself. "Deal," she says. "Now, take me back out there and dance with me."

Vincent's life continues. He goes to work and does his job. He knows he has to be careful. He knows he's being watched. Vanessa still has no news. Then he realizes if they can hire people to follow him, he can hire people, too.

He calls a man who has often invested in his movie futures. The man has ties to organized crime and, after hearing a plausible story about a crazy ex keeping his daughter from him, offers him a few mid-level thugs.

The thugs follow her friends, allowing Vincent to stay away, but have nothing of note to report back. They try to walk the beach near her house, but get shooed away and threatened with trespassing charges. Finally, he gives them descriptions of their vehicles and has one pair wait beyond the gates for them to leave. The other pair follows the surfer. That's who she was always with on the beach. Who she spent the summer with. Who she was with at the party when he approached her. It's probable she thinks she's in love with him. It's not Lacy's fault Matt is manipulating her.

"It's just you and me now," Vince says lovingly.

Lacy takes a step back, picks a life jacket up off a counter, and tosses it at him.

Vince moves sideways, avoiding the jacket and taking another step toward her. "When you first told me you might not go, I asked you if you wanted this as badly as I do. You told me yes."

Lacy screams, "Well, I changed my mind!"

She takes another step backwards.

"No! Don't give me that bullshit. Matt changed your mind! You came crying to me about it! I told you to figure it out. But you didn't fucking listen to me. You listened to him."

Realizing she's trapped, she pleads, "Don't do this, Vincey. Tell me what you want and I'll do it."

He doesn't stop moving toward her.

And he doesn't reply.

He grabs her by the neck and starts dragging her out of the shed. "I want you, and I'm going to have you. All to myself."

And he will. If it's the last thing he does.

He learns that her friend Damian and his band have gone back to Europe and that she did not go with them. Her friend, Cush, tried to come see her, but the guards wouldn't let him through. There have been no sightings of the nanny, the younger girls, Abby, or Tommy.

Matt has been seen going back and forth to her house, so he knows Lacy is still there.

Eventually, they will have to leave the house. And he expects it will be soon, as Tommy has a scheduled appearance on a late night talk show coming up.