I step out of the car and thank the driver, my heart pounding in my chest. The walk from the corner of Sadie’s street to her front door feels long. I opted out of the ride from Tamrin, claiming I needed some “fresh air.” The truth is, I needed the time to breathe, to prepare myself for this.I can see the living room lights glowing from the big window in front of Tamrin’s house. Shadows move against the curtains—laughter filters through the walls. I take a deep breath and force my feet to move forward.I can do this. I have to do this.When I reach the front door, I hesitate for a moment. My hand hovers over the doorbell. I hear another burst of laughter from inside. They sound so relaxed, so carefree. I’m about to step into a war zone.Before I can ring the bell, the door swings open. Tamrin’s there, grinning at me with a cup of something in her hand.“There she is!” she exclaims, throwing an arm around me and pulling me inside. Her hair is tied up in a messy bun, and she’s already i
The movie is playing, but I’m not really watching. The images blur together, the dialogue is just a low hum in the background. My mind is racing, replaying every second of last night, every touch, every whisper. I feel like I’m on the edge of something dangerously close to falling apart.Then, suddenly, Presley grabs the remote and pauses the movie. The screen freezes, and the room goes quiet.“Okay, hold up,” Presley says, turning to me with a playful grin, but there’s something sharp in her eyes. “Celeste, you’re still in your regular clothes. Come on, girl, you need to change into your pajamas. This is a sleepover, not a business meeting.”Tamrin laughs, and Sadie giggles along, but there’s a slight tension in the room that wasn’t there before. I feel everyone’s eyes on me, and my cheeks start to burn.“I, uh… didn’t bring matching pajamas,” I mumble, shifting un
The movie ends, and the room falls into a comfortable silence for a moment. I’m trying to relax, to just breathe and get through this night without falling apart. Tamrin is leaning back against the armrest, her eyes half-closed like she’s about to fall asleep. Sadie is scrolling through her phone, humming to herself.But Presley… Presley’s eyes are darting around the room, and I can see the wheels turning in her head. She’s up to something; I know it.Then she claps her hands together, the sou
Sadie and I are sharing a room because Presley insisted that she and Tamrin are going to share. She thinks she’s hurting my feelings by doing this, but I couldn’t care less. Honestly, I’d rather be home anyway. Presley and Tamrin can be best friends and talk about me in private all night if they want..I climb into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin, hoping for some peace. Sadie watches me from the other side of the bed. Her gaze is knowing, sympathetic, and a little amused.“You’re pissed,” she says, a small smile playing on her lips as she sits at the edge of the bed, legs crossed.“I’m not,” I reply quickly, but even I can hear the tightness in my voice. Sadie just shakes her head.“Come on, Celeste,” she says softly. “You can’t let Presley get to you. She says things just to make people mad.”I exhale sharply, feeling the weight of the day pressing down on me
The next morning couldn’t have come any quicker.By 7 am, I’m in the living room, packing my bag, ready to get out of here. The house is quiet—everyone else is still asleep. The air feels heavy, and every sound I make seems amplified in the silence. I shove my pajamas into the bag, feeling my hands tremble slightly.“Celeste,” Tamrin’s voice breaks through the silence. I turn around, startled, as she walks into the living room, her hair tousled from sleep. She looks at me with confusion and worry as I zip up my bag, fixing to leave. “Why are you leaving so early?” she asks, coming to stand in front of me, blocking my path to the door.“Because I want to go home,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. I swallow hard, trying to keep it together, but there’s a burning pain rising in my chest, threatening to spill over. I didn’t think what happened last night had affected me this much, but s
Monday morning. The campus is buzzing with activity, but I feel like I’m moving through a haze. I arrived early, desperate for the quiet before everyone else shows up, before the day’s noise and chaos can drown me out. My eyes are heavy, and my head aches—a dull throb that’s been there since yesterday. The weekend was a blur of tears and exhaustion. I cried until I felt hollow, curled up in my bed, avoiding my mother’s concerned looks and my friends’ texts. I couldn’t face them, not after everything.
The day After the sleepoverPresley’s been talking non-stop, her voice cutting through the quiet like nails on a chalkboard. I’m barely paying attention, my patience wearing thin. But then I catch a few words that make my ears perk up.“You should’ve seen Celeste’s face,” she says with a smug smile. “When I told her to change into pajamas that didn’t match with ours, it was priceless. She looked so out of place.”My jaw tightens. “Why would you do that?”Presley blinks, thrown off by my tone. “What do you mean? It was just a bit of fun. You know how she is.”“No, I don’t,” I say, my voice steady but edged with anger. “And I don’t see what’s so fun about humiliating someone who’s supposed to be a friend.”Presley frowns, her confusion turning into annoyance. “Come on, Liam. It’s j
The night is thick with shadows, and I stay hidden in plain sight, leaning casually against a streetlamp with a cigarette in hand. I’ve been watching her for over a month now. Celeste. She’s Liam’s weakness, though I doubt she even realizes it. She’s always surrounded by people, especially that annoying shadow of his—Nathan. Liam’s brother never leaves her side, like some overprotective lapdog. It’s irritating, but not unexpected. Liam plays his cards close, and Nathan is just another pawn in his meticulous game.Still, every pawn has its limits.Celeste is standing at the curb now, laughing at something Nathan said. The sound is soft, light, so painfully out of place in a world like ours. She has no idea the storm she’s standing in the middle of. She’s oblivious, a delicate flower in the middle of a battlefield. And I’ll admit—there’s something almost amusing about it.But it’s not am
The office feels too small, like the walls are closing in on me. I can’t sit still. Every step I take feels like I’m walking a tightrope, my mind racing with possibilities, each one darker than the last. Travis sits on the worn leather couch in the corner, his expression unreadable. He’s calm, the way he always is, but I know him well enough to see the tension in his jaw.“Liam,” he says, his voice measured. “You need to breathe. This isn’t helping.”I ignore him, my boots thudding against the floor as I pace. “How does this happen, Travis? A clean pickup. No cops. No outside eyes. And yet my product is gone, my guy’s in the hospital, and there’s a message waiting for me like it’s a damn game.”Travis leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You’re not going to figure it out by pacing holes into the floor. Sit down. Let’s think this through.”I st
The warehouse feels suffocating. The air is thick with tension, and every sound—footsteps, whispers, the scrape of crates being moved—grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. My fists are clenched so tightly my knuckles ache. Every cell in my body is screaming for release, for violence, for something to break.I sit at the edge of the makeshift desk, staring at nothing, replaying Eric’s words over and over in my head. They’re coming for more. They’re going to take everything from you. My empire is being chipped away, and all I can think about is how much I want to make whoever did this pay.A shuffle of hesitant footsteps behind me pulls me from my thoughts. I don’t turn around. “What?” I snap, my voice low but sharp enough to cut through the room.The kid—barely old enough to shave, one of the newer runners—steps forward. He’s holding a clipboard, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. &ldq
The warehouse is buzzing when I arrive, but it’s not the usual controlled chaos. It’s tense, electric. I can feel it in the air before I even step out of the car. Men are pacing, muttering, looking over their shoulders like shadows might suddenly turn into threats. The second I walk in, the room quiets, their eyes darting toward me like they’re waiting for an explosion.I don’t blame them. I’m furious.I move through the crowd, heading straight for the back office where I know Eric, one of my most reliable runners, is waiting. He shouldn’t even be here. From what I’ve been told, he barely made it out of the ambush alive. He should be in a hospital bed, getting stitches and painkillers. Instead, he’s slumped in a chair with his arm in a makeshift sling, his face pale and slick with sweat.“Eric,” I say, my voice sharper than I intended. “Tell me everything.”He winces as he shifts in the chair, his hand trembling as he runs it through his hair. “It—it was supposed to be a simple pick-u
The Ferris wheel's gentle hum fades behind us as we step off, and for a moment, everything feels calm, like the world’s giving us a break. Celeste’s laughter hangs in the air, Tamrin and Nathan’s chatter filling the space around us as we walk toward the food court. It’s a perfect night—just the four of us, blending into the crowd, no one looking twice at us, no one questioning who we are. For once, it feels like I can breathe.Then my phone buzzes, jolting me back to reality. I glance at the screen and feel my heart drop. The name flashing there is one I’ve dreaded seeing tonight. For a second, I think about ignoring it, letting it fade, but I know that’s not an option.“Be right back,” I say, stepping away from the table. I catch Nathan’s eyes as I move off to the side, and he gives me a slight nod. He knows better than to ask, but I can see the concern in his eyes.As I answer, the voice on the other
I stand at the cotton candy stand with Presley, the smell of spun sugar in the air, debating whether to get pink or blue. Presley leans into her choice, laughing, and I almost forget how tangled everything feels these days. I turn around to scan the crowd, hoping to spot a familiar face—anything to take my mind off everything with Tamrin and Celeste. Then I see them, a cluster of faces in the distance, laughing and close. My stomach drops.Tamrin is standing with Celeste, Nathan, and Liam. And they’re not just standing around, either—they look like they’re together, sharing that easy, familiar vibe you only have when you're close. My gasp is barely audible, but Presley catches it. She turns to look where I’m staring, her eyes narrowing as she sees the group for herself.“What the…? Tamrin?” Presley says, clearly stunned, her face hardening as she takes it all in. It’s like watching something surreal unfold. I can b
I catch sight of Tamrin the second Nathan calls her over, her face cautious, her eyes bouncing between Celeste and me. I force a polite smile as she approaches, but inside, I’m grinding my teeth. Her showing up means we’re back to pretending—like everything between Celeste and me is just casual, like she’s not the only person on my mind right now. I know Celeste feels it too; the forced smile she gives Tamrin is too practiced, too stiff. The whole scene feels like a well-rehearsed lie, and I hate it.Without saying a word, I start walking toward the Ferris wheel, letting my steps make my frustration known. It’s high up there, away from prying eyes and hushed whispers, a place where maybe, for a few moments, we don’t have to act. I dig into my pocket, pull out a few crumpled bills, and pay the attendant for a cab big enough for all of us. I glance back, calling them over.They gather around, and as we settle into the cabin, it’s
The carnival’s music and laughter fill the air, but my focus is entirely on the two figures in the distance—Celeste and Liam, standing by one of the game booths, his arm just brushing hers as they both laugh. My heart pounds as I watch them, each laugh of theirs twisting something in me. Sadie’s words flood back: Maybe we judged her too harshly… Maybe we’re wrong about all of this. It feels like a thorn in my side, nagging at me as I linger on the edge of the crowd.They’re close, too close. The way Liam’s looking at her, even from here, I can feel the intensity. I can’t stop the thought from creeping in—what if they really are together? I can’t shake it, and it’s eating me alive. Suddenly, I realize I need to talk to her, to find some kind of answer in her face, some way to know the truth without jumping to conclusions. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll apologize. I push my way through the crowd, my feet carrying
The sun’s just about to dip below the horizon, casting this deep orange light over everything as we step onto the carnival grounds. It’s cool, that kind of perfect evening breeze coming off the ocean. The sound of waves rolling up the shore blends with the laughter and music around us. I glance over at Celeste and see her smiling, her hair catching the last bit of daylight, and for a moment, I feel… content. Peaceful, even.Nathan is already pulling ahead, grinning like a kid on holiday, dragging us toward the game booths. There’s a lightness to the whole scene that feels rare these days. It’s almost surreal.“Come on, Liam,” Celeste teases, looking over her shoulder at me. “Let’s see if you’re any good at carnival games or if it’s all talk.”I laugh and pull her gently toward the shooting game booth, waving a couple of tickets to the guy behind the counter. “Think you’re up for a real challenge?” I ask, raising an eyebrow as I hand her a plastic rifle.C