“But Julian’s lying about her!” Priya said. “Everyone’s going to think she’s making it all up. I think it’s a good idea to tell the whole story before Julian twists everything around. And the Montgomery family hires an army of lawyers.”
“Is it worth the risk?” Patrick asked. “Putting yourself out there when you know people are just going to hurl abuse at you?”
I let out a short laugh. Madison looked startled. The rest of team looked at me worriedly, except for Edan, who gave me a tragic smile that mirrored my own.
“Men keep hurling abuse at me, no matter what I do, so I might as well put it to good use. Let’s do it,” I said.
“Well, that’s depressing,” Noah said, getting to his feet. “After we’re done, I’m going to go have a nice long cry. Who’s in?”
“I am definitely in,” Madison said. She leaned her head back against the wall, her eyes meeting mine. Thank you, she mouthed. I nodded.
I smoothed down my hair. It was still wet from my shower. A bruise was blooming on my cheek from where Julian had punched me, but I didn’t want to put on makeup. It felt like protecting him, to cover it up.
“Do you want us to leave while you do this?” Edan asked.
“No, stay.” I smiled at him. “It’ll be easier with friends nearby.”
Noah perched the camera on a chair. “Ready when you are.”
I let out a long breath. I looked straight at the camera.
“Hi. I’m Clara Pratt. And I’m here to tell you the truth.”
Acknowledgments
It took five years for All These Monsters to go from idea to published book, and I couldn’t have done it without the help of so many people. Thank you to:
My editor, Emilia Rhodes, for believing in this book not once, but twice, and for helping me make it so much better.
My agent, Emmanuelle Morgen, for working hard to make sure this book (and all the others!) ended up in the right hands.
The entire team at HMH for giving this book a beautiful package and working hard to get it into reader’s hands.
Shannon Messenger for the notes on early pages of this book, and for being an all-around great friend. I’m so glad I awkwardly introduced myself to you at a book festival back when we were both newbie authors.
Kate Johnston for organizing a writing retreat that helped keep me sane at just the right time.
Maurene Goo for recommending I watch Coffee Prince, a Korean drama, which, in a roundabout way, partially inspired this book.
Chelsea Moore and all the instructors at Ro Fitness for giving me a place to row out my writing frustrations.
My family, especially my mom, for putting up with my writer mood swings and always being so supportive.
My sister, Laura, for reading several drafts of this book and never getting tired of it. Thank you for never getting tired of reading my books.
And to all the readers who picked up this book or any of my others—thank you so much.
hmhteen.com
About the Author
Author photo by David Heisler
AMY TINTERA is the New York Times best-selling author of the Reboot and Ruined series. She earned degrees in journalism and film and worked in Hollywood before becoming an author. She lives in Austin, Texas, where she can usually be found staring into space, dreaming up ways to make her characters run for their lives.
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