TRISTANThe rest of the day fades into a blue—a happy blue, a strange warmth creeping up my chest as I watch Myles push Mila's wheelchair in tune with upbeat music. The audience's eyes are on them, many glistening. From the corner of my eye, I see Mum wipe a tear as Mila's and Myles' giggles echo through the space.The shame is hard to face. He hasn't known her for even a day, yet he understands what she wants. Maybe a gun isn’t the only solution to my problems. Even if I killed Charles—which I badly want to—it wouldn’t make everything better.But Myles... The organ in my chest softens as the music stops. Seeing Mila pull Myles’ hand so he stays by her side, I frown. Myles looks at me, his face red with embarrassment, surrounded by my family. Pfft... the plan wasn’t for him to be everybody’s escort. What did they even need him for?Obviously everything. For the rest of the day, everyone shares Myles. Father makes him sit among his peers, listening to him awkwardly discuss politics
MYLESI kicked the door hard, but it didn't budge. Turning one last time, I glared at the son of a gun, but this time he wasn't looking at me.He pulled out a bottle of wine, blowing hard against the dust, and made a face—obviously, it wasn't what he wanted. Wasn't as strong as he wanted.Sweat trailed down my back, drenching my shirt. I sighed, fingers reaching up to pop open the first three buttons of my dress shirt.I had been so afraid he was pissed at my intrusion into his family, I hadn't noticed the cellar was way down—a whole room deep into this very large house.And no matter how loud I yelled and banged my now aching fists against the door, no one showed up. No one was coming; he knew.I slid down the wall, staring up at the ceiling. What if we died in here? I looked down at my phone, the service spot screaming a crimson red. The party must have been over."Given up already?" The smug voice filtered into my ears.This time I turned and glared, glad he could see it. Just how
TRISTANMyles walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, drying his damp, thick hair with a smaller towel. I wondered how many hours it would take for that hair to dry, and how many more hours he'd stay awake.He looked at me, sitting on the floor, on the thick bedspread I'd gotten from the other guestroom while he showered, his brows furrowed."What are you doing there, Tristan?" he asked with a frown. "Why are you on the floor?""No reason..." I answered, lying on my back and scrolling through my phone. If he noticed I was avoiding looking at him, he didn't say anything. If he'd just get clothed already... If only he knew what he did to me."So... you just decided to sleep on the floor?""You heard me the first time.""Yeah, I did. But it doesn't really make sense."I shifted onto my side, turning my back to him. "Turn off the light when you're done."He said nothing, and for the next ten minutes, I listened to him move around the room as quietly as a ghost. Yes,
"...We weren't close. Even though we both went to Aspen High. I saw him around, but he didn't register in my head. Just like the others, he stayed out of my way." I wondered why... Pfft, he wasn't that observant, was he? Tristan was really going through with telling me everything. Although every word was hesitant and forced, he continued, his voice filling the darkness. "...High school was when he caught my attention... I bumped into him on my way to the rink, tending to a black eye he was trying to hide. I didn't need to ask what happened..." He sighed. "I wasn't about to. It was none of my business. Should have kept it that way." He raked his fingers down his face. "After the game, I went for a shower when I bumped into him again in the bathroom, getting knocked out." He resumed, "...So I stepped in." "I made a lot of mess, enough to get me expelled," he chuckled, "But I was needed for the next game, so I was pardoned with a warning." "Or because your uncle stepped in,
'You know, I'm really going to miss you a lot.'Theodore had screamed for help in a thousand ways, a thousand and one times he had walked up to me. But my head was too far up my own ass to see it, to let myself listen to everything he was really saying. And when he showed it, I didn't believe him.That night, I called the police, and as they checked the scene, sealing the 9mm as evidence, I let them take me, let them lock me up refusing their reminder to call anyone.He had thought about this, made sure there were no other fingerprints on the ammunition except for his own, leaving me a note that said, "Don’t touch anything. Love you, grumpy."In that cell, before my uncle came through, I realized not every hurt can be blocked out. The regret, it comes to haunt you, the guilt probing until all you can do is keep trying to shut it all out.Theodore didn’t have a burial service. I watched nearby in the cemetery as his father barked orders to just "shove the box inside; he had somewhere
MYLESA loud scream echoed through the room, jolting me awake as my eyes snapped open. My panicked, dazed gaze scanned the blurry room, struggling to understand where I was and why it felt so different from my own. And what was the firm hardness pressing into my back...?"OMG, they look like lovebirds," said a light, feminine voice."Aww, sorry, Mila, your crush is obviously your brother's boyfriend.""Shut up and just take pictures. Tristan can't lie his way out of this one," the familiar voice huffed.Then giggling. They sounded distant. An arm wrapped around my frame, the hardness pressing further into my back, warmth enveloping me. I sighed, my drowsy gaze drifting closed again. It felt right... so right..."Oh my God, Mila! Mila! Did you see that?"Wait... Mila... Tristan's sister... birthday... cellar... room. Giggling. Giggling in the room. My lids snapped open, eyes widening at the sight of three girls at the door, one with her camera out."What... What are you..." I stopped w
TRISTANAll it took for Myles to reluctantly agree to accompany us to the rink was Mila giving him that puppy-dog look. He had a soft spot for her, and Mila, ever the opportunist, milked it.Mum surprisingly tagged along, and they all sat in the back seat with Myles, while Al and I listened to their cackles filling the car. Our trips were never this lively. I knew what had changed.At the rink, I realized Mila wasn’t there for me. So, I stood aside with Al, who kept giving me comforting pats on the shoulder as we watched Myles push Mila around.Once or twice, he gave me a wave. The rest of the time, when Mila sat on the pew, trying not to choke on her ice cream, Myles rode her wheelchair.Mum, always exuding class and sophistication, tucked her glasses in and let herself go as Myles wheeled her around the rink."Your father wouldn’t believe this," Al murmured, a crack of amusement in his once stoic face. "Myles just stole all his favorite women."I grumbled in response, knowing that
“… After a session that has lasted so long, I found a couple of gray hairs,” Coach Daniel groaned.There was a rumble of chuckles from the hockey team in the bathroom, most stifling their laughter, but what they couldn’t stifle was the excitement in their eyes.We all had a clue why Coach Daniel had gathered us.“D-Day is next Friday, suckers!” he howled.In the next moment, the dressing room was a chaotic frenzy—boys beating their chests, chanting words I couldn’t make out, diving in all directions with handshakes, pats, and hugs.D-Day. Friday. Twelve days away.Twelve days until my dreams of being picked for the national team could come true. Maybe even another scholarship for college.And the deal with Tristan would finally come to an end.It was something to be thrilled about. Finally, I wouldn’t have to endure his stupid presence. Ha—three wins.Three wins, right?The day before yesterday, I’d walked into my home to find his father sitting on the sofa. I’d been so confused I sto
MYLES The neon sign buzzed overhead, *Elysium* bleeding crimson into the night. A club. Of course, it was a fucking club. Bouncers flanked the entrance, all bulk and cold eyes. One glanced at my hoodie, my bag, and smirked. “Lost, kid?” “Gabriel,” I said, voice flat. “I need to see him.” The smirk faded. The other bouncer stepped forward, his hand drifting toward his waistband. “Who’s asking?” “Myles Harold.” I held his gaze, pulse roaring. “Tell him I’m here to negotiate.” ** “Does Maria know you’re here?” The old man glared at me. “Of course, she doesn’t know. What are you doing here, boy? Leave before Gabriel sees you.” But I couldn’t leave. Not when he had the papers. Not when Mum was on that hospital bed, dying. The Elysium was a bar. It was quite easy to find, turned out it was a big spot at the center of the city. And in many ways, it reminded me of El Refugio... the loud thumping music, except when Tristan was in charge. Except this had strippers, and when
I sat next to her, my head buried in my hands. It was the sterile white walls, the constant beep of the monitor, my mother lying on that bed—so pale it was as though every pint of blood had been drained from her. Slowly, I was losing my breath. Losing myself. "Your mother has a severe heart condition. Without a transplant, her chances of survival are slim." Slim. The word was a death sentence. My chest tightened, and I struggled to draw in a breath. My mum—my rock, my anchor—was slipping away, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It all made sense now. The first time she had slumped—this was what she had been hiding. All those times she had gone on her secret trips, it had been because of this. Leaving me out until the very end?! Even when I had succeeded in getting rid of Diego, I still couldn't reach her. It was like, with every step I took, she took three more away from me. "...I'm sorry." I froze, raising my head to see those dim eyes on me—the first time
**A MONTH LATER** **JADE** "Good evening, students, parents, teachers, and anyone who accidentally wandered in thinking this was a free event with snacks," the principal began his speech with a playful smirk. The audience roared with laughter. Everyone except the three of us—Natalie, Leo, and me. I gave Leo a reassuring smirk. He was going to come. But the more I did that, the more I knew I was lying to myself. It had been a month since we'd last seen him, since that final day at the hospital. I had no clue if he was coming today. When we spoke last night on his new number, his answers had been vague. It was graduation. I never imagined our graduation would feel like this—just plain. Others looked like they were having fun, but maybe, if we could just believe Myles when he said he was alright, then maybe—just maybe—we could have fun too. "Today, we gather to celebrate the Class of 2010—a class so brilliant, so resilient, and so determined that even senioritis couldn’t
TRISTAN"Myles is awake," my uncle announced as soon as I slid into the car, the words falling from his lips like a storm. "He's been awake for two days."I turned to him, disbelief clouding my thoughts. The weight of his words sank in slowly, dawning slowly across my mind. "Two days?" I echoed, my voice disbelieving. "Jade said...""Jade lied," my uncle cut me off, his voice cool, almost amused. "He told her to lie to you. Now, why would he do that?" His gaze flicked to me for a moment, his eyes narrowing, as if searching for something deeper. "Could it be... that Myles doesn’t want to see you, Tristan?"I froze, my heart stumbling in my chest. Nico was testing me, prodding at my wounds just to see how I'd react. He could be lying, weaving his own twisted version of the truth, just to make me squirm. But then again... what if he wasn't lying? My uncle was never a liar. He wouldn't do that to me. The way Jade had sounded when we spoke yesterday... something had been off. But Myles w
TRISTAN I hadn’t played in the next match. I stayed in the locker room, waiting for it all to be over. And when it finally was—Sharks winning with points—Coach Daniel walked in and sat beside me. “I’m sorry I made you do it,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. He wasn’t looking at me, just staring at the wall, his hands clasped between his knees. “I didn’t know you two were that close. I understand why you two had to keep it a secret.” “It wasn’t a secret,” I cut in, my voice sharper than I intended. “I’m not closeted.” “Sorry,” Coach sighed, running a hand over his face. “I thought… I thought it would help. Give you something to focus on. But I see now I was wrong.” I didn’t answer. What was there to say? That Myles wasn’t just a teammate? That he wasn’t just a friend? That he was everything? “The team won,” he said after a moment, his tone lighter, like he was trying to shift the mood. “They pulled through. Because of you and Myles.” I didn’t respond, just stared at
TRISTAN My lids fluttered open, coming face to face with gray ceilings and dim light. It felt like a million monkeys were playing the banjo in my skull. I winced at the pain, swallowing hard. This looked like a hospital. How long was I out? Hopefully just a few hours. How was Myles? Had Jade replied to my messages? I pushed myself up, ignoring the pain pounding in my skull as I searched the bed for my phone. It couldn’t be here—I’d left it in the locker room at the stadium. No issues, though. All I had to do was borrow one anyway. “So that’s the game you play. Hockey?” That familiar voice came from behind me. “You played lovely—that’s what I would’ve said if you actually did. It looked like you half wanted to fail.” Uncle Nico appeared before me. “Why?” he mused. “You look surprised to see me.” “Not really,” I said. It was the truth. “Can I… have your phone for a minute? There’s a call I have to make.” He stood next to me, the amusement gone from his face. He tilted my h
JADEThe next two days, without Tristan occupying that seat beside Myles, I felt strange. The ward itself felt like a graveyard, the silence between Leo and Natalie growing heavier with each day. Filling the silence was the soft noise flowing from the TV. On it was Tristan, a god on the ice, Myles’ gear wrapped around him like a vice. He played like a zombie, programmed to floor the rink. But I knew it was his shattered heart. His rage.How Natalie convinced him to go? No clue. But he texted constantly—demanded photos, updates, proof Myles hadn’t slipped away. Judging by the hollows under his eyes on camera, I doubted he’d slept since leaving.I scrolled through my phone, thumb hovering over Tristan’s last text—”Tell me if he wakes up.”—but Myles hadn’t so much as twitched.Natalie stood rigid by the window, her reflection warped in the rain-streaked glass. Leo slouched in the corner, jaw clenched, eyes bloodshot. The TV droned in the background, replaying clips of Tristan’s game.
TRISTAN “…What the fuck are you saying?!” Tristan gritted, eyes blazing. I was surprised Coach wasn’t ash. “Tristan, listen—” “To you?” Disbelief and rage crackled in those grays. “Myles sacrificed every damn thing for you, for the team, but you’re ready to discard him? Replace him while he’s fighting to breathe? Why should I listen?” Fists coiled, he stalked to the window, staring blind at the glass. I doubted he saw anything but the ghost of Myles’ smirk before he became this. “I get it,” Coach said after a minute of suffocating silence. “You’re grieving. We all are. But this isn’t about Myles anymore.” Every word was gasoline, fueling Tristan’s rage. His shoulders tensed, knuckles bone-white. “He better stop talkin’,” Natalie muttered under her breath, catching Tristan’s first lethal glare. She knew. We all did. “Myles was a great Forward. I wish—more than anyone—he could be up there instead of you, but…” “Then postpone the fucking game until he gets better!” Tris
TRISTAN "...Let me get this straight," the investigator had said, pushing the recorder between us. "You knew when he left but pretended to be asleep. Two hours later, he was shot, but you didn't deem it fit to call him?" I'm sprawled on the chair, watching it all fade to oblivion. The seat, although now empty, in my head is occupied—by the thoughts of the older guy, a deep gash through his skull, spilling blood and brain matter on the table. "Your relationship with the victim—was it private?" "There... was no relationship." "No relationship, hmm... Then please, Mr. Tristan, tell me what it was all about and why it was private." "It was a deal." "What was the deal about?" "I can't tell. Myles wanted it private." "Myles, huh... or you? Are you out of the closet yet? Is it too far-fetched to say the victim wanted something more than being hidden?" "Yes." "Yes what?" "Too far-fetched. I was never in the closet." I had folded my hands across my chest, the mental i