Chapter 1

I walked up to Jake Peterson' s front porch, my SAT prep book heavy in my bag.

It was three p.m., our usual Tuesday session.

His mom, Mrs. Peterson, always said I was a lifesaver for helping Jake.

She paid me twenty bucks an hour, good money for college.

The front door was slightly open.

That was weird.

"Jake?" I called out, pushing the door a little.

No answer.

Then I heard it, a muffled, rhythmic thumping from upstairs.

Jake' s bedroom.

My stomach twisted a bit.

Suddenly, words flashed across my vision, bright and intrusive, like a social media feed I couldn' t turn off.

`[Live-Chat Commentary]`

`User_DramaQueen77: OMG, is the nerdy girl gonna bust in on them?!`

`User_JashleyFan01: Nooo, don' t ruin the Jashley moment! They' re endgame!`

`User_Watcher99: This is getting good. Popcorn ready.`

What the actual hell?

I blinked hard, but the words stayed there, scrolling.

My life, apparently, was now a live broadcast for strangers.

And "Jashley"? Who was Ashley?