Page 1 of Endeavor

Prologue

Iwatch as his car flies past me. The jealousy rages in the pit of my stomach. He has it all, everything he ever wanted and more, and he doesn’t even know how fucking lucky he is.

Last week, I watched him play guitar with his friends at some local coffee shop. He’s just as good at music as he is at racing. It’s as though the universe gifted him with everything, the looks, the talent, the intelligence, while it stole everything from me. But then, it gave me this one little gift, this one little nugget of information. And now, he’s all I can think about, day and night. Some might call it a sick fixation, but I call it a rational end to an irrational story. I’m meant to change the future, that has to be why I’m here. I don’t know how long it will take me, but I will finish this, whether it takes a year or ten years or even my whole life.

As the car crosses the finish line, the crowd roars with enthusiasm. Between the noise of the other cars finishing their laps, the cheers of the fans, and clicks of the cameras, I can’t hear anything. But all of that sound vanishes as my eyes lock on his face, his happy, fucking face.

His dad greets him with a giant bear hug, and it takes all of my self-control to stay put and not jump the fence and end it all right now.

He doesn’t know me from Adam, but he will. When the time is right, he will know who ruined his life, right before I take it.

Chapter One

Eight years later…

Emma

Fuck my life. I groan as I read the text again. It’s from my advisor, Dr. Carla Stevens. Apparently, I’m needed to TA a seminar for Dr. Elliott. I’m already a TA for one of Dr. Stevens’s courses this semester, plus I was hoping to spend more time working on my thesis project. So much for a great start to my second semester of grad school at USC.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my studies here. I love this university! I just really want to have time to work on my documentary.

My phone pings with another text.

Kate: How’s school? Any hot prospects this semester?

Kate’s text brings a smile to my face. Kate has been my bestie since we met in college when I sat next to her in a class. And that’s how I became best friends with the first daughter. Did I mention she just married a prince? Yeah, a real fucking political fairy tale.

Me: FML! They want me to TA a second course.

Kate: But is the professor hot?

Me: Fuck you! I’m not sleeping with a professor.

Kate: I mean…

Me: (middle-finger emoji)

Kate: Le sigh. Don’t lose your sense of humor on the first day of the semester!

Me: I gotta go. Duty calls.

Kate: Duty before self.

Me: Yeah, yeah. Go do something royal.

Kate: (princess emoji)

I put my phone back in my pocket and head to the TA office. It’s literally a cubby hole in the department’s offices where the grad students who work as TAs can hang out in between classes.

I didn’t TA my first semester, so Dr. Stevens asked a former student, Quinlan Westin, to mentor me. I haven’t met her before, but I already know who she is. Besides knowing her for her own burgeoning film career, I know her dad is a famous director and her brother is a famous former race car driver.

Quinlan is already sitting at a cubicle typing away at her laptop.

“Hey,” I say as I drop my bag on the cubicle table next to hers.

She glances up and gives me a warm smile. “Hey there. How’s your first day back going? It’s your second semester, right?” Fourteen more weeks and I’ll be halfway through my two-year grad program.

“Yep.”

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