Love

Daisy stood before her teacher, enduring the lecture. She didn’t lower her head, though; she looked the woman straight in the eye. — You have no shame, — Mrs. Sterling said. — Just look at yourself. You look like you rolled out of a gutter. Don’t tell me you didn’t know this school has a strict dress code. And your Algebra grades? How do you expect to graduate? You think life is just going to hand you a pass? — I’ll graduate, — Daisy replied shortly. — Don’t you use that tone with me. Miss Straight-A-Student thinks she’s special. You’re …

Daisy grew up in the middle of nowhere, a small farm town where everyone knew everyone’s business. After high school, she packed her life into two suitcases and moved to the city for college. One evening, she found herself wandering through a local park, dragging her feet because she couldn’t stand the thought of going back to her dorm. She hadn’t made any friends; her roommates were the “mean girl” types who treated her like a charity case or a country bumpkin. They constanty mocked her thrift-store clothes and her quiet nature, calling her “simple” behind her back. Daisy took …

Nathan and Chloe had been together for five years. Not long ago, Nathan landed a major promotion, but it came at a price. He was constantly buried in work and started spending more and more time on the road, hitting regional offices for days at a time. Chloe hated the distance. Sure, the extra income was great for their lifestyle, but she couldn’t help feeling like they were becoming strangers. She craved his attention, but when Nathan finally did come home, he was often so exhausted he’d practically collapse. There was no room left for deep conversations or even just …

Julian and I had known each other since high school. I grew up in a household where we counted every penny, while his family owned half the county. Julian was the golden boy—the kind of guy every girl from our school, and probably the entire state, had a crush on. He was always perfectly dressed, confident, athletic, and sharp. He stood out effortlessly. The biggest shock of senior year was when, despite the line of debutantes trailing after him, he asked me out. I was flattered but terrified. I was a straight-A student, working myself to the bone to get …

Jack managed to slip away from the office an hour early. Today was his son’s first parent-teacher conference, and little Leo had reminded him at least a dozen times. As if Jack could forget. For the last three years, he’d been playing both roles—dad and mom—and he wasn’t about to miss a milestone. Chloe hadn’t even called on Leo’s first day of school. Since she’d hopped on a plane to the Mediterranean with her latest “soulmate,” she’d been a ghost. Jack was over it, but Leo still felt the sting. Sometimes, Jack would hear the quiet muffled sobs from the …