I stood there, my chest rising and falling unevenly, my heart cracking in ways I didn’t know it could.He walked away.Noah walked away.I wanted to scream, to run after him, to shake him until he saw me—until he believed me. But I couldn’t. My pride wouldn’t let me.He was scared.And that pissed me off more than anything.I wiped at my face, furious at the moisture I found there. No. I don’t cry over boys. I don’t beg.Straightening my shoulders, I turned and walked out of the library, my heels clicking sharply against the floor.Fine. If he wanted to be a coward, so be it.But I wasn’t giving up.Not on him.Not on us.I don’t remember leaving the library.One moment, I was standing there, staring at Noah, waiting—hoping—for him to take it back. To say he didn’t mean it. That he wasn’t walking away.But he never did.And the next thing I knew, I was outside, the cold air biting at my skin, my heart cracking in ways I didn’t know were possible.He can’t do this.He won’t.But he alr
The next day at school, I moved through the halls like a ghost. I wasn’t sure if I had even slept. Everything felt hazy, distant, like I was floating outside my own body, watching myself go through the motions.People spoke to me—I heard their voices and saw their lips move—but none of it registered.“Elena? Did you hear me?”I blinked. Tiffany was standing in front of me, waving a manicured hand in my face.“Hmm?” I mumbled.She narrowed her eyes. “Are you sick or something? You look… awful.”I gave her a blank stare. “Thanks.”She huffed, clearly unimpressed with my lack of reaction.She flounced off, and I let my head rest against the locker for a moment, my body sagging with exhaustion.“Elena?”That voice.I knew it instantly.I turned my head just enough to meet Noah’s gaze. He stood a few feet away, hands shoved in his pockets, his expression unreadable.Something twisted inside me.I should have walked away. I should have ignored him, just like he had told me to.But I didn’t.
The second I stepped through the door of our tiny apartment, I knew something was wrong.The air inside felt heavier, suffocating, like a storm had already passed through and left destruction in its wake.Then I saw him.Sitting on the worn-out couch, legs spread, cigarette in hand, a smirk that made my skin crawl.My father.A man I had spent the last eight years hating.A man I never wanted to see again.“Look who finally decided to show up,” he drawled, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “You’ve grown, boy.”I didn’t respond. I just stood there, gripping the strap of my backpack so tightly my knuckles turned white.“You’re quiet.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Didn’t miss your old man?”“Why are you here?” My voice came out cold, detached.His smirk didn’t waver. “Got out early. Good behavior and all that.” He tapped the ash into an empty beer can. “But let’s skip the reunion, yeah? I need money.”Of course he did.I forced a breath through my nose, ignoring the way my stomach twisted. “
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the city, I was already on my way to the fight.The location was always different, always changing to keep the authorities off our backs, but the rules were the same—fight, win, get paid.I parked my motorcycle in an alley two blocks away and made the rest of the walk on foot. The underground ring was buried deep within the abandoned district, an old warehouse disguised as just another forgotten ruin. But inside, it was anything but empty.By the time I stepped through the side entrance, the place was alive.The scent of sweat, blood, and cheap alcohol hung thick in the air. The roar of the crowd was deafening, vibrating off the metal walls as two fighters tore into each other in the center ring.Kade was waiting near the back, leaning against a stack of crates with his arms crossed. His sharp eyes landed on me immediately, and he pushed off the crates with a smirk.“Didn’t think you’d show,” he said, his voice ba
By the time Saturday arrived, I had mastered the art of pretending.Cameron picked me up in his car, dressed casually in a fitted black T-shirt and sunglasses, his usual effortless charm on full display. Tiffany was already in the passenger seat, grinning as she scrolled through her phone.“You took forever,” she whined as I slid into the backseat.I forced a smile. “Had to make sure I packed everything.”Truthfully, I had spent most of the morning staring at my reflection in the mirror, wondering if I was making the biggest mistake of my life by going on this trip.Cameron reached back, squeezing my knee lightly. “This will be good for you,” he murmured. “For us.”I didn’t respond.I could feel his eyes on me through the rearview mirror, watching, assessing.A part of me wanted to say no—to tell him that nothing would fix the growing chasm between us.But I didn’t.Instead, I sat back and let him drive.The drive to the lake house was silent, except for Tiffany’s occasional chatter ab
The drive back was quiet after we dropped Tiffany off. Cameron didn’t say much, and I had nothing to say. My head was still a mess from everything—the lake trip, his words, and the way he kept watching me like I would run away soon.When we finally pulled up to my house, I reached for the door handle, but Cameron’s voice stopped me.“Elena.”I sighed, letting my hand drop before turning to face him. The way he looked at me made my chest tighten—like he was searching for something, some kind of reassurance that I wasn’t sure I could give.“What’s going on with you?” he asked, his fingers gripping the steering wheel. “You’ve been quiet.”“I’m just tired,” I said, the same excuse I’d been using for weeks.His jaw twitched. “You’re always tired.”I had nothing to say to that, so I just reached for the door again.“Elena.” His hand caught mine, gentle but firm. “Talk to me.”I forced a small smile. “We just had a long day. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”He didn’t look satisfied, but he nod
I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. The walls of our cramped apartment felt like they were closing in on me, suffocating me with the weight of my father’s presence.“You think you’re too good for your own blood now?” His voice was slurred, thick with the cheap whiskey he had been drinking since morning. “You’re just like your mother. Always looking for an escape.”I swallowed the fury burning in my chest and exhaled slowly. “I told you—I’m done giving you money.” My voice was calm, but my pulse thundered in my ears.His lip curled. “You think I need your damn charity?” He let out a dry, humorless laugh. “You owe me, boy. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here.”If it weren’t for him, my mother would still be alive.I didn’t say it out loud. There was no point.Instead, I grabbed my bag and shoved past him. “I won’t be here much longer,” I muttered under my breath.I stepped outside before he could respond, sucking in the cool night air like I had been drowning. M
I wasn’t supposed to care.Noah had made it clear—painfully clear—that he wanted nothing to do with me. And yet, I found myself watching him the next day at school, my eyes drawn to him no matter how hard I tried to focus on something else.He looked different. Exhausted. Frustrated. Like the weight of the world was pressing down on him, and he had no one to share the burden with. His shoulders were tense, his movements sharp and restrained, like he was barely holding himself together.I shouldn’t care.But I did.I didn’t know why. But I felt for him; he looked so tired and I just wanted to take a little bit of the burden off his shoulders.I wanted to help.But I didn’t know how.And for once, I didn’t know how to feel about that.The day dragged on, but my mind remained stuck on Noah. Even when I was surrounded by my friends, laughing at jokes I barely heard, my attention kept drifting back to him.He moved through the halls like a ghost, detached from everything around him. He did
Six months later...The wind in North Dakota had a bite to it, but the sky stretched wide and endless, like a soft blue promise.The air smelled fresh, a little wild—like new beginnings.I stood by the window of our small off-campus apartment, cradling a chipped mug of hot cocoa between my hands.The windows fogged slightly from the warmth, and outside, the trees shivered, shaking loose the last stubborn golden leaves.Behind me, I heard Noah moving around—the heavy thud of books hitting the floor, the low, sleepy curses as he dug through his bag.It made me smile.“Your Psych book’s on the table,” I called out without turning.There was a beat of silence. Then the familiar sound of his bare feet padding closer.The next thing I knew, his arms were sliding around my waist, pulling me back against him.“You’re magic, you know that?” he murmured into the curve of my neck, his voice low and rough from sleep.I laughed softly, leaning into him, feeling the solid weight of his chest agains
Cameron’s presence hit me like a slap.For one terrible second, I couldn’t breathe.The blood roared in my ears, drowning out everything else.Then I was on my feet before I even knew it, my chair screeching loudly across the marble floor.“What the hell, Mom?!” I shouted, my voice sharp and broken at the same time.The room went deathly still.Noah reached for me quickly, his hand brushing my wrist, his voice low and urgent.“Elena... don’t. Calm down.”But I couldn’t.I shook him off hard, blinking against the hot sting behind my eyes. My chest heaved as I looked at my mother.She just sat there, unbothered, like the commotion in front of her was nothing more than a breeze.I pointed a trembling finger at her, my anger spilling out faster than I could control.“You planned this,” I hissed, my voice breaking. “You had an agenda when you invited us. You set us up.”A sick, bitter laugh threatened to climb up my throat, but I swallowed it back.My mother didn’t flinch.Didn’t blink.Di
I paced the room while Noah tried on the last suit. My feet moved without meaning, a slow circle around the scattered ties and open boxes.He stood near the mirror, tugging gently at the dark jacket, adjusting the collar like it was choking him.He looked… perfect.Sharp suit. Fresh haircut. Clean lines. My heart ached just looking at him.But his eyes—those told a different story.Nervous. Stiff. Scared.“You okay?” I asked gently.He gave a short nod, jaw tight.I stepped closer, folding my arms. “It’s just dinner.”He looked at me in the mirror. “It’s dinner with your mother.”His voice was flat, but not cold. Just tired. Like he was already carrying too much and this was one more weight on his back.I didn’t blame him.“She’s not going to bite,” I offered, trying to lighten the mood.He raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”A laugh slipped from me before I could stop it. Then I moved behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist, resting my cheek against his back.“She doesn’t
Noah froze the moment the words left my mouth.“My mother wants to meet you.” I said again.His mouth dropped open, his eyes wide like I’d just told him I was pregnant with triplets or something. He didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Just stood there, blinking like someone had knocked the air out of him.I couldn’t help it—I nearly laughed. The look on his face was priceless.“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” I said, smiling gently.He blinked again, his brows pulling tight. “I just… why now?”His voice was quiet, like he wasn’t even talking to me, more like he was trying to solve a puzzle out loud.I could see it—the way his mind was spinning, trying to make sense of it. His fingers twitched at his sides like he wanted to run them through his hair. His lips moved like he was still calculating something he couldn’t quite figure out.I stepped closer, my bare feet soft against the floor, and cupped his face in my hands. His skin was warm. Familiar. Mine.“It’s just dinner,” I whispered.The
I woke up to the chill of an empty bed.Noah was gone.The pillow beside me was cold, like he’d been up for hours.My chest felt heavy. A slow ache started to bloom there, right behind my ribs. I stretched beneath the blanket, trying to shake it off. But it didn’t help. I knew exactly why I felt like this.I had to tell him.About my mother. About the invitation to dinner. The one that had been sitting in my phone like a bomb I was too afraid to open.But I didn’t know how to say it. It felt… wrong. Strange. Like pulling him into a world he’d finally escaped. And yet, it mattered. Maybe not to him, but to me. Because things were starting to feel real between us, and if we were going to survive this—us—then I had to be honest.I sighed and pushed the covers off me. The floor was cold beneath my feet, the silence in the room louder than it should’ve been.I pulled on one of Noah’s sweatshirts hanging on the chair. It still smelled like him—woodsy and clean, like pine after rain.I padde
I woke before the sun.The sky outside was still dark, painted in shades of grey and blue. The kind of quiet only early morning knew.Elena was curled up beside me, her hand resting lightly on my chest, her breath warm against my shoulder. Her face was soft in sleep. Peaceful. Safe.For a moment, I didn’t move. Just watched her. I let myself feel the weight of her trust—how far we’d come, how close I’d almost lost her.But something inside me twisted. A heavy knot I couldn’t shake.Like I’d left something undone. Something important.I needed to close that door before I could fully stand in the one she had opened for me.I moved slowly, careful not to wake her. I slid out from beneath the blanket, freshened up, and got ready to leave.On a piece of scrap paper, I scribbled:Be back soon. Needed to close a door.I folded it and left it by her phone.I stood there for a moment, staring down at her sleeping form. My heart tugged, wanting to stay. Wanting to forget the past and just live
Noah sat quietly beside me, one arm resting on the window, the other curled around the bag of cookies on his lap. He'd eaten three already. I teased him about it earlier, and he just smirked like he always did and said, “Fuel.”I laughed. Really laughed. The kind that shook the quiet from my chest.But it didn’t last.My phone buzzed on my lap, and the screen lit up with one word that made my stomach twist.Mom.My laughter faded.The car didn’t feel so warm anymore.I stared at the screen until it stopped ringing, the silence that followed pressing heavy against my chest. I didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just… froze.Noah didn’t say anything right away. He didn’t need to.He glanced at me—just once—and then kept his eyes on the road. Like he understood that whatever this was, it hurt.“I’m not ready to talk,” I said softly, the words barely making it past my lips.Noah reached over and placed his hand on mine.It was that kind of touch that didn’t demand anything. No questions. No pushin
The moment I stepped into the building, I knew I was in the right place.It smelled like fresh paint and old wood, like something new beginning inside something timeless. There was the faint scent of books too—paper and ink and glue—all of it weaving into the kind of comfort I didn’t expect to find.The walls were covered in past student projects. Sketches framed in gold, mood boards pinned with care, and models of rooms and houses displayed with pride. Like someone had once stood where I was standing and felt proud of what they made.For the first time in a long while, my chest didn’t feel tight. My fingers didn’t shake. My breath didn’t catch.I felt like I belonged here.I took another step forward.The registration desk sat just ahead, where a few students were already gathered. Their voices hummed low, full of curiosity and nerves. I walked up slowly, unsure, but trying not to look like it.A girl turned toward me. She had dark curls and soft eyes and offered a small, kind smile.
3 WEEKS LATERI woke slowly, the soft morning light slipping in through the curtains, painting the room with a gentle glow.For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to remember where I was. But then, I felt it—the warmth beside me. Noah’s body, solid and real, pressed close to mine. His arm was draped over me, and I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against my back.The scent of cinnamon and fresh coffee lingered in the air, mixing with the warmth of his skin. It was peaceful here, in a way I wasn’t used to. I wasn’t used to waking up in a house that felt so... normal.Stretching slowly, I blinked the sleep out of my eyes. The events of the night before were still fresh in my mind.The way Noah’s touch had made me feel—safe, wanted, like I was finally starting to fit somewhere, even if just for this moment. I hadn’t felt like this in a long time. I hadn’t felt like I belonged.Noah stirred beside me, and I turned to find him already watching me, his