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&mdasMonday 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.&
I fumble in my bag for my headphones, hands trembling as I finally pull them out. It’s not like I can avoid this situation, but I need something—anything—to help me escape from the awkwardness that’s suffocating the car. Slipping the earbuds in, I let the music flood my ears, a barrier between me and the world.The car hums along the road, the city lights flashing by in a blur of neon and streetlamps. I close my eyes, trying to lose myself in the lyrics, to push away the fact that I’m tr
"You're getting wet in this rain, come on" He says pulling me by the arm gently."I'm home," I repeat the sentence but it falls on deaf ears because he gently but firmly guides me into the yard. I feel my legs move. We take the same path I once took to his room at the back of the house a few weeks ago.I swear I'm trying to resist him but for the life of me it feel like he has more power than me."I know you need to get home but I just need a few minutes of your time." He says as he opens the door to the same room I saw him fuck Presley's brain out. I walk in and stare at the same bed he was naked in with her.He looks at me and then motions that I should go in. I take a few steps and walk in. I go all the way to the end of the room and sit on a chair."I really shouldn't be here, alone with you." I say when I finally find my voice."I won't hurt you." He says and I scoff at his statement. He does know who he is right? He forget that h
I stare at him in shock. Did he just ask me to be his girlfriend? He looks back at me as if waiting for me to say something but I don't know what to say to that."Liam, you and I can't..." I say and then I trail off when I feel his hands on my thighs. I look at them and then I look at him. "Why is it every time I say we can't do something you always do it. You don't listen to me. " I say as his hands slide all the way up to the waistband of my pants."I do listen to you." He says grabbing the waistband and sliding it down. He has so much strength that he lifts me up and pulls down my pants and underwear at the same time."No, you don't." I say feeling a light breeze on my skin. My brain is screaming at me to get up and leave before he does something to me I'll regret for the rest of my life but the rest of my body is not listening. I know I shouldn't but I can't move. "Then you'll stop this if you do listen to me." I say finally and h
A few hours ealierWe walk down this grimy alley, the kind that always smells like a mix of piss and regret, and I can’t shake thoughts of Celeste. I know, it's stupid to be thinking about a girl when you're about to handle business, but she's stuck in my head. our kiss is tsuck in my head. The feel of her lips on mine, I want more of that and then I want other things she'll never be willing to give me. But I want them anyway. It’s like she’s got a hold on me that I can’t break. But tonight, I’ve got to push all that aside."He's in there," Travis says, nodding toward this rundown warehouse at the end of the alley. The place looks like it ha bseen abandoned for years, windows boarded up, paint peeling off the walls. Perfect spot for scum like this dealer to hide out."You sure you wanna do this yourself?" Travis asks, his voice low. "I can take care of it."I shake my head. "No. This one's personal."T
The next day at lunchI'm lying on my back staring up at the long willow branches, trying to stop my brain from drifting to what happened between Liam and I yesterday.The flashbacks are too strong for me to ignore. He made me cum more than once. With each orgasm, it felt like I was losing my mind.If I let my mind wander long enough I can feel him kissing me."And your friend is so rude." Presley says her voice getting louder than it was a few seconds earlier. "Travis was nice enough to offer her a ride home yesterday and she acted so ungrateful." She says to Tamrin who is looking at me like I have three heads. I frown at her and she smiles mischievously.I'd hate to know what she's thinking right now.She loses her mind whenever my name is mentioned in the same sentence as a boy's name. The thought of me dating was too exciting for her. I wonder how mind-blown she would be if she knew what I did with Liam yest
The library is my sanctuary when I need to get serious about studying, especially when I have assignments that refuse to make ense. The air is still, filled only with the faint rustling of pages and the soft hum of the overhead lights. My usual spot near the back, away from the busier areas, is perfect for getting lost in my thoughts.I’m on my third attempt at solving a particularly stubborn Physics problem when a familiar presence slides into the chair across from me. I look up, slightly startled, to see Tamrin grinning at me like she’s just caught me doing something suspicious.“Hey,” she says, her voice breaking the silence. It’s a playful tone, the kind that always makes me feel like she knows something I don’t.“Hey,” I reply, leaning back in my chair and rubbing my eyes. I’m relieved to have a break from the numbers. “What are you doing here? Thought the library wasn’t your thing.&rdq
I wake up with a feeling of something being… off.Then I see him.Trevor.Sitting at the edge of the bed, watching me.A wave of disgust rolls through me so fast I nearly gag. My entire body tenses, my muscles locking in place. I don't move. I don't speak. I just stare at him, waiting, daring him to say something. If he thinks I’m going to cower, he has another thing coming.His lips curl into a slow, unsettling smile. "You're very beautiful when you're asleep."I frown at him, and his smile widens. The kind of smile that says he’s enjoying this—enjoying getting under my skin.I don’t react. I refuse to give him that satisfaction.
I should not be here.As soon as Nathan pulls up to the house and I see
I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.Maybe it’s the look on Nathan’s face—tight jaw, unreadable eyes, the kind of expression that makes it clear he knows something the rest of us don’t. Maybe it’s the way Tamrin has been acting, the way she flinches at everything and refuses to answer when I ask about Celeste.Or maybe it’s just the fact that Celeste isn’t here, and no one seems to have a real answer for why.So yeah, I might be crazy for chasing down Nathan Miller in the middle of a crowded hallway, calling his name like I’ve lost my damn mind. But I don’t care.He looks back at me when I call him, but he doesn’t stop walking. He just slows down slightly, like he’s debating whether I’m worth his tim
Trevor thinks he’s won.He leans against the desk, arms crossed, his mouth curled into that smug smile that makes my skin crawl. He thinks he has me right where he wants me. Weak. Hopeless. Dependent on his mercy.But he doesn’t know me at all.I keep my breathing steady, my expression blank, as I listen to Liam’s voice crackle through the phone. He knows. He knows I’m missing. And if Nathan spoke to Tamrin, it means they’re looking for me.That thought should terrify me—Trevor will hurt them if they get too close—but instead, it gives me hope.I knew Liam would come for me.The question
The second I step onto my front lawn, I see it.Another damn box.
I know something is wrong with Tamrin.She hasn’t said a word all period, hasn’t even pretended to listen when Presley started complaining about her nails breaking during warm-ups. And when I asked her about Trevor—just casually, just to see her reaction—she practically bit my head off before storming off.That’s not normal.Tamrin was obsessed with Trevor. Just last week, she couldn’t shut up about him. And now she won’t even say his name.And then there’s Celeste.She’s not here.Celeste hasn't missed school in a long time and I didn't think she would. And if she was sick, our homeroom teacher would have announced in the morning.
I lean against the fence, hands in my pockets, watching as Tamrin walks into the schoolyard. She moves like a ghost, like she’s here, but not really. She’s trying to act normal—shoulders squared, head up—but I see the cracks in the performance.Her fingers grip the straps of her book bag so tight her knuckles turn white. Every time someone brushes past her, she flinches, catches herself, then forces that mask back on.Guilt. Fear.I recognize it. I’ve seen it in men who know they’ve done something they can’t undo.She knows.And that means I know.Trevor has her wrapped around his finger. Maybe he threatened her, maybe he promised her safety if she stayed quiet. Either way, she’s playing along.I clench my jaw and force myself to breathe through my nose. I want to grab her right now, demand answers, shake her until she tells me where Celeste is.But Trevor is counting on that.
I wake up gasping. My sheets are drenched in sweat, my body shaking so hard my teeth chatter. The room is dark, but I swear I can still see it—the blood, the bodies, Celeste’s terrified eyes disappearing into that box.I squeeze my eyes shut, but it doesn’t help. The images are burned into my mind, playing on repeat, a nightmare that won’t end just because I’ve woken up.Celeste is gone.And I helped make it happen.My stomach twists violently, and I barely make it to the bathroom before I’m throwing up. My whole body convulses as if trying to rid itself of the horror, but it’s useless. No amount of dry heaving will erase what I did.I kneel there on the cold tile, breathing heavily, gripping the s
I stare at Tamrin, my throat tightening, my stomach twisting into knots so painful I feel like I might be sick. She won&rs