The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

“Are you okay?” Sarah Helen asked.
“Yeah. Just, un . . .”
“Are you gonna puke in my car?”
Olive shook her head. No. Yes. “Maybe?”
“Don’t, or I’ll destroy your rating.”
Olive nodded and tried to slide out of the seat. Her limbs
were still nonresponsive.
Sarah Helen frowned. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I just . . .” There was a lump in her throat. “I need to do a
thing. That I don’t want to do.”
Sarah Helen hummed. “Is it a work thing, or a love thing?”
“Uh . . . both.”
“Yikes.” Sarah Helen scrunched up her nose. “Double
threat. Can you put it off?”
“No, not really.”
“Can you ask someone else to do it for you?”
“No.”
“Can you change your name, cauterize your fingertips,
enter the witness protection program, and disappear?”
“Um, not sure. I’m not an American citizen, though.”
“Probably no, then. Can you say ‘fuck it’ and deal with the
consequences?”
Olive closed her eyes and thought about it. What, exactly,
would the consequences be if she didn’t do what she was
planning to? Tom would be free to keep on being an absolute
piece of shit, for one. And Adam would never know that he
was being taken advantage of. He would move to Boston. And
Olive would never have a chance to talk to him again, and all
that he’d meant to her would end . . .