The Misfit by J.L. Beck

Golden boy. Party king. Trust fund brat.
That’s what they call me—Lee Sterling, Oakmount University’s favorite disaster.
Everyone thinks they know me, but they only see what I let them.
I’m the guy who can charm his way out of anything and never takes life seriously. But it’s all a ruse. They don’t see the mask I wear or the cage of family expectations slowly threatening to suffocate me.
Three months. That’s how long I have to find someone “suitable” to present at the Sterling New Year’s Gala, or it’s over.
I tell myself I can handle it, like I handle everything else—with a smile and a shot of bourbon—but deep down, I know I’m inching closer and closer to the edge.
Then I meet Salem Masters in a dark pantry at a party, and suddenly, nothing feels simple anymore.
They call her crazy and broken. The girl who wears latex gloves and counts her steps.
I call her beautiful, careful, haunted.
One encounter and I’m obsessed. I need to know more about her. I need to know if she’s just like me.
When I discover we share a common interest, I convince her to be my fake girlfriend. She could use the protection, and I need to convince my family I’m normal…but when our fake relationship turns real, I discover just how close to danger I am.
Because for the first time in my life, I want something that I can’t have, that I don’t deserve.