I march through the crowded halls, my mind racing with a mix of frustration and anxiety. How could Tamrin make this about me? She knows Presley doesn't like me. I bet she hates the fact that Tamrin hates the fact that she's being strong armed into inviting me. She should have asked me about this first.
I finally spot Tamrin by her locker, chatting animatedly with Sadie. As I approach, Sadie waves enthusiastically. "Hey, Celeste!"I manage a weak smile. "Hey, Sadie. Can we talk for a second?"Sadie nods, looking from me to Tamrin. She raises her brows at me in question. Tamrin looks at me, her expression puzzled. "What's up?"I don't waste any time. "Why was Presley harassing me about her party? I say not in the mood to explain any further because she knows exactly what I'm on about."Tamrin's eyes widen. "Oh, I was going to tell you! I just...I thought it might be fun. And Presley isn't that bad once you get to know her." She saysWe're in Tamrin's car on our way to Presley's party.I tried so hard to get out of this and failed miserably. Sadie and Tamrin wouldn't take on for an answer so here I am in the backseet hoping the world ends. I could have been getting some work done right now or better yet. I could have been sleeping."Where is this party anyway?" I ask after a silent 20-minute ride."At some house," Sadie says looking back at me."Is it at Presley's house?"I ask looking for more clarity. What does she mean it's at some house? Who's house is it?"No, it's her boyfriend's house. Apparently, he has a mansion on the beach." Tamrin says and I suddenly find it hard to breathe, blink or swallow. We're going to where Liam is? I've been ignoring him and his endless texts for a week now."So, Liam is having a party and we're going?"I ask and the fear in my voice unsettles me."Would you relax. He won't kill us and sell us for parts. Other people from school are going to be there." Sadie says a look of concer
"Hy, kid" A voice says behind me and I gasp in surprise at the sound.I turn and see Liam standing at the door.The truth is I ran away from the party, We walked into to this house and I lost all sense of reality. Between the loud music, cheering and people making in every corner. I was drowning in sensation overload. So I found the first and headed outside.So here I am in Lia's backyard, lounging on his lawn chair. I can't really see anything beyond the green lawn in front of me because its so dark but I can hear the ocean ahead of me I bet the view during the day is incredible.The quiet is calming, compared to the chaos in the house.I meant it when I said I hate parties. I've never had fun with too many people around, let alone drunk people.And the fact that I don't drink makes it worse. I can see, and hear everything in normal volume while other people are drugged out of their minds. And are screamimg at the top of their
"Does Presley know that?" I ask and he stands up looking down at me. He sighs putting his hand in his pockets. "I don't think that's any of your business," He says and I sigh. "Oka," I say getting up too. He takes two steps towards me, forcing me to look up at him. For a moment I'm intimidated by his sheer size. I take in a deep breath trying to get as much oxygen as I can get to remain sane. How is it possible for one man to be this tall and this wide? My face is his belly, while my whole body is not even half the size of his. I should take step back. I say in my head but nothing happens. My legs don't move. He looks down at me. I see his eyes drift from my eyes to my lips. I let out the breath I had been holding and let out another one. His cologne hits my nostrils and I close my eyes. I don't know why but I feel like I need to do it. I feel his breath on the skin on my neck and I gasp softly. Why is he doing this to me? And Why am I not moving away? I feel him place a so
I can barely breathe from the overstimulation of my little situation with Liam. Aand now I’m behind the wheel, navigating the dark, winding roads with a car full of giggling friends. Tamrin is in the front seat, slumped against the window, her hair covering her face. Sadie is in the back, sprawled across the seats, murmuringabout how amazing the party was. Presley is the only one who seems somewhat awake, occasionally chiming in with a drowsy laugh. I don't know why she didn't r
An hour later.My phone vibrates next to me waking me u. I look towards the window and see that it's still dark outside. Who could be calling me right now?I lie back down and reach for my phone. I answer without looking at the name. It might be Tamrin."I'm outside your house." Liam says and my eyes shot open at the sound of his voice. "All thoughts of sleep absolutely gone. "We need to talk." He says making me sit up."No we don't." I say and he laughs."Yes we do." He says and then he pauses for a long time. My mind is screaming at me to end the call but once again I can't bring myself to act. I'm stuck and it feels like he's controlling me. "Come to the back, I'm waiting for you in the garden." He says and I groan. He's not listening to me."I can't come out there. It's late." I say but I get out of bed. I put my slippers on and look out of the window."I know it's late but we have t
Liam's lips are inches away from mine, and I'm frozen in place, unsure of what to do. His hand is still on my neck, and I can feel his heartbeat through his fingertips. My mind is racing with thoughts of Presley, Tamrin, and the complicated web I'm about to weave.What would they say to me if they found out what I'm doing right now? I know what Presley would say."Liam, we can't do this," I whisper, but my voice lacks conviction. I want to do this, I know I shouldn't have these feelings but being here with him..."Why not?" he asks softly, his breath warm against my face. "I know you want to." He says and I blink a few times trying to find my words but I can't.Before I can respond, he closes the distance and kisses me. It's gentle at first, his lips barely brushing against mine, but then he deepens the kiss, and I find myself kissing him back. His other hand moves to my waist, pulling me closer. For a moment, everything else fades away&mdas
Monday morning...It was a terrible weekend. I could barely sleep because all I could think about was the kiss.The one that I had with Liam.Every time I closed my eyes I could feel his lips on mine. I could smell his cologne. I could feel his warmth on my skin."Celeste." My principal says as soon as I walk past his office. He signals for me to go to his office. I walk in behind him. "I wanted to talk to you about your progress." He says sitting at his desk, signalling for me to sit down."Okay." I say feeling a little anxious. What is this about?"I see that you've submitted about sixty per cent of the work required to get off probation." He says like it's a bad thing. I look at him confused. What's wrong with that?"Okay." I say again not sure what he expects me to say to that."I'm concerned that you might be pushing yourself too hard and.." He says and I frown. He stops talking because of the
The rest of the morning passes in a haze. I move through my classes like a ghost, barely paying attention to anything but the echoes of my conversation with the principal. His concern was unexpected, and it left me feeling oddly vulnerable. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.When the final bell rings, I hurry to my locker, eager to leave school behind. As I was gather my things, I spot Presley chatting animatedly with a group of girls down the hall. My stomach twists into knots. I just want to get home, finish my assignments, and maybe try to get some sleep.When I get out of the schoolyard the usual chaos is around me but it barely registers."Hey, Celeste!" A voice calls out, pulling me from my thoughts. I turn to see Travis the mystery guy from the darkness approaching, a wide grin on his face. "Need a ride home?" he asks pointing to his car in the parking lot. Liam is leaning on it, hands in his pockets looking at me.&
The air is cold, but I barely feel it. My fingers flex at my sides, itching for the moment I get to wrap them around Trevor’s throat.A few meters away, the house stands in the darkness, barely lit by the moon. Celeste is in there. I can feel it, like some invisible tether between us. She’s so close I can almost smell her—vanilla and something soft, something warm.Nathan steps up beside me. I don’t have to look at him to know what he’s thinking. We’ve run through this plan a hundred times. We both breathe slowly, measured, in sync. If we let the rage take over now, we’ll lose. We need to do this right.Behind us, the rest of my men are waiting, silent shadows in the night. Five hundred of them. A small army, but that’s what it takes when yo
Nathan and I are staring at the screen, watching the dot move. Every second it inches closer to its destination, my pulse beats harder, my hands clench tighter. I should be in my car already, speeding toward her. I should be ending this.But I can’t rush this.One mistake, and Celeste might never make it out alive.I take a slow breath, forcing myself to think. Trevor’s still pissed about today—I saw it in his eyes, the way his mask slipped for just a second. He’s getting sloppy. That’s why Tamrin was able to slip one on him, why he hasn’t even realized she did. He thinks he still has control, but we’re the ones pulling the strings now."One more day," I say, more to myself than to Nathan.
My hands are trembling so hard I can barely hold the phone. My chest feels tight, like there isn’t enough air in the room, but I force myself to breathe. In and out. In and out. I can’t fall apart now. Not when I finally made a move.Sadie sits next to me, watching silently. She hasn’t asked a single question since I took her phone, but she doesn’t have to. I know she’s thinking them. I know she wants to yell at me, shake me, demand answers. But she doesn’t. Maybe she knows I don’t have the strength to explain right now.Nathan answers on the second ring. His voice is sharp, alert. “Who’s this?”“It’s Tamrin.” My voice barely comes out, but I swallow the lump in my throat and force myself to continue. “I hid my phone in Trevor’s car so you can track him. I’ll send you the details now.”Silence. Then a sharp breath on the other end. “You—” he starts, but I don’t give him a chance to question me. I end the call and immediately go to the tracking app on my phone, sending the location str
The drive back feels like it lasts forever, and every minute of it makes my stomach churn with dread. Trevor’s words hang in the air, thick and suffocating. He doesn’t stop talking, doesn’t stop reminding me of everything he’s capable of, and how easily he could ruin my life if I even think about crossing him. Every threat is sharp, like a blade cutting through my chest. He tells me he will kill me, kill my family, that no one would ever know what happened to Celeste or that I was involved.The fear grips me harder with each passing second. It feels like I’m suffocating in this car, trapped in this nightmare I can’t escape. I can’t say anything. I just nod, keep my eyes on the road, my breath shallow, praying he’ll just let me go. But it never comes. The torment doesn’t stop.Finally, when the car pulls up in front of my house, I feel my body go stiff. Trevor grabs my thigh, his fingers digging in deep, hard enough to bruise. The pain flares up immediately, sharp and relentless, and I
I’m sitting in Trevor’s car, my hands trembling so badly I can barely keep them on my lap. My head is pounding, each beat of my heart sending sharp pangs of pain through my chest. I don’t know what he’s going to do to me. I can barely look him in the eye, even though he’s sitting right next to me, his cold presence suffocating me in this small space.How did I end up here? I can’t even remember when it started to go so wrong. I thought he was different. I thought he was charming, charismatic, someone who could make me feel like I mattered. I let myself believe he cared. I even slept with him—let him do things to me that I’m ashamed of now. I wish I could take it all back. I wish I could somehow erase the last few months of my life.But I can’t. I’m trapped.I don’t know when I started to see the darkness in him, when it became clear that Trevor was a monster. I was too blind, too naïve to see
The car rolls to a stop in front of the abandoned building. The windows are boarded up, and the air around here smells stale, like no one’s been within a hundred miles for years. I park with precision, the crunch of gravel beneath the tires settling in my ears. Tamrin doesn’t say anything, but I can see her eyes darting around, her body stiffening with every passing second. She’s terrified, and it’s exactly what I want.I turn to look at her, my gaze dark and unrelenting. There’s a moment of silence, thick and suffocating, before I speak.“Tamrin,” I say, my voice low and commanding. “What happened when you came back?”She looks at me, trying to hide the fear behind her eyes, but I see through it. “What do you mean?” she says, trying to play dumb, but I can hear the tremor in her
I pull up to Tamrin’s place, the tires crunching softly as I stop in the driveway. My hands tighten on the steering wheel for a moment, the anger from my conversation with Liam still simmering beneath my skin. The asshole had the nerve to think he could intimidate me. It’s all a game to him, but he doesn't understand what I’m capable of.I pick up my phone, dialing Tamrin’s number. It rings a few times before she picks up.“Yeah?” Her voice is tentative, like she already knows something's wrong.“Come outside,” I tell her, making sure my voice is low and controlled.There’s a long pause on the other end, but I wait. I know she’ll come.
I’m burning. Not just with anger—but with something deeper, something uglier.I stalk to my car, muttering under my breath, fists clenched so tight my nails dig into my palms. I need to hit something, break something—tear Liam apart with my bare hands.I drop into the driver’s seat and slam the door shut, gripping the wheel so hard it creaks under my fingers. My breathing is heavy, uneven. I clench my jaw so tight my teeth ache.And then I snap.My fist flies into the steering wheel, over and over again, the impact rattling up my arm. But it’s not enough. The rage is still clawing at me, scratching under my skin, demanding an outlet.I start the car, chest heaving, mind racing. Liam thinks he can play games with me? Give me an ultimatum? Like he’s the one in control?I pull out of the driveway too fast, tires screeching against the pavement. And then I see it—a car pulling out just as I do.I
Trevor is standing on my lawn like he owns the place. Like he belongs here. His hands are stuffed in his pockets, his shoulders loose, like he isn’t the reason I haven’t slept in weeks. Like he isn’t the reason Celeste is gone.I keep walking, my pace easy, controlled. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing my rage.He hears me approaching and turns, his face twisting into a smirk."You like what you see?" I ask, my voice steady.He nods, his smirk widening. "Give this to me, and I’ll give you what you really want."I exhale through my nose, barely holding back a laugh. He really thinks I’m desperate enough to give up everything just because he says so.I w