I’m still reeling from my awkward encounter with Sadie when I step out into the hallway. The buzz of students moving between classes fills the air, but I feel like I’m in my own little bubble, trying to figure out how everything got so complicated.
And then I see him—Nathan, Liam’s brother. He’s leaning casually against a locker, talking to a couple of guys from his class. My feet move before I can stop myself, my mood lifting almost instantly. Nathan always has this way of lightening the air, of making things seem less serious.
“Nathan!” I call out, weaving through the crowd toward him. He looks up and grins when he sees me, pushing off the locker to meet me halfway.
“Celeste! What’s up?” he asks, his easy smile making me feel like, just for a moment, things are normal again.
“I did it!” I blurt out, unable to contain the excitement bubbling up inside me. “I’m on the dean
I can't believe what I'm seeing.Celeste, standing there in the hallway, laughing and talking like nothing’s wrong—like she didn't just ignore me in m ath class. She’s talking to Nathan, of all people. Liam’s brother.I glance at Tamrin beside me, her eyes glued to the scene, and my stomach twists. She looks devastated. It’s like everything we’ve been trying to figure out, all the texts, all the times we reached out to Celeste, didn’t matter at all. She’s moved on.But the worst part? It’s not with us.Before I can say anything, Presley’s already fuming. I can practically feel the heat radiating off her. She’s pacing, her arms crossed, her face a mask of frustration.“Do you see that?” Presley hisses, her voice sharp and cutting. “She’s over there, acting like you don’t even exist. Talking to some random boy like we’re nothing.”Tamrin
When I get home, I already feel the weight of the day settling into my shoulders. Between the weird energy at school and seeing Sadie and Tamrin, I just want to disappear into my room and be alone for a while. But as I step into the house and drop my bag by the door, my phone buzzes in my pocket.It’s Liam.Come to the backyard.-LiamI stare at the message, my heart speeding up for no good reason. It’s Liam, so of course I shouldn’t be surprised by whatever this is. I glance out the kitchen window and see him standing there, hands shoved into his pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet like he’s waiting for something.A tiny smile tugs at the corner of my mouth despite myself. What’s he up to now?I step outside, and as soon as Liam spots me, his face breaks into this massive, excited grin. The kind of smile that lights up his entire face, making him look like a little kid who just got
Text to Celeste,I’ve been sitting here for what feels like forever, trying to find the right words, and honestly, I don’t even know if there are any that can fully explain how I feel right now. I’m hurt, Celeste. Really hurt. I keep thinking about everything that’s happened, and I just can’t shake it. You didn’t tell me about Nathan. Your first boyfriend, and I had to hear it from someone else? How is that fair? How am I supposed to feel?We’ve been through everything together, and now you’re shutting me out when it matters the most. It feels like I’ve been replaced, like you don’t need me anymore. And I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s the truth. You’re my best friend — or at least, I thought I was yours, too. We’re supposed to share these moments, right? We’re supposed to be there for each other, but now it feels like I’m on the outside looking in, and I h
The moment I step into Liam's car, a rush of excitement mixed with anxiety hits me. He flashes that trademark grin of his—the one that always makes my heart race—and before I know it, we’re on the road. The engine purrs beneath us as we pull away from my house, and I feel like I’m diving headfirst into something thrilling yet unnervingly unpredictable.The sun is setting, casting a golden light across the horizon. Outside the window, the world blurs into streaks of amber and pink as Liam speeds down the highway. The radio plays softly, a mix of hip-hop beats that make the moment feel even more surreal.“So?” he asks, glancing at me with a smirk that both reassures and rattles me.“So? ,” I say, though my stomach twists at the thought of being away from familiar places, especially with him.I feel, his eyes focused on the road ahead. “You look like you're ready to jumpout of this moving car” He sa
We step out of the car, and the atmosphere immediately hits me. The scent of gasoline mingles with the buzz of excitement, and the low hum of engines fills the air. A few go-karts sit lined up in the distance, their sleek frames gleaming under the lights.Liam leads me through the crowd, and I can feel the mix of exhilaration and anxiety building again. I catch sounds of laughter, teasing remarks about who’ll win tonight. It’s lively, and there’s so much energy here that’s impossible to ignore, but I can’t hel
I storm into the restaurant, my heart racing and anger boiling beneath. I can’t shake the feeling that something is seriously wrong. Celeste has been different lately, distant and I just know Nathan has something to do with it. It’s all his fault.As I walk through the doors, my eyes scan the room until they land on him, sitting at a small table by the window. He’s lost in his phone, looking so relaxed, so casual, as if nothing in the world could bother him. I can’t take it anymore. My feet move on their own, pushing me toward him, and before I know it, I’m standing right in front of him, fire in my eyes.“Nathan!” I shout, my voice cutting through the soft chatter of the restaurant. He looks up, startled, and his casual demeanor falters.“Yeah?” His confusion is written all over his face, but I’m beyond caring.“You!” I point a finger at him, my voice rising with each word. “I
The adrenaline still courses through my veins as Celeste and I step off the go-kart track. I can’t help but smile at her infectious laughter. The sun is starting to set, casting a golden glow over everything.“I suck at this!” she exclaims, grabbing me by the arms, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I was bumping into everyone! But I had so much fun!”Her joy is contagious. I stand there, speechless, captivated by the way her face lights up. She’s radiant, and for a brief moment, I forget about everything else—the chaos of my life, the pressures of being who I am, the expectations that weigh me down. Right now, it’s just her and me, sharing this moment of pure, unfiltered happiness.“Bumping into everyone was part of the fun,” I reply with a smirk, trying to keep my cool even though my heart races. “I think you might have taken out a few competitors along the way.”Celeste giggles,
As soon as I get home, the silence hits me. The thrill of the day, the laughter, the lightness—it all starts to fade as I step through the front door. The house feels cold, empty, and suddenly way too quiet. I kick off my shoes, still smiling to myself about the go-karting. Liam’s goofy grin and the way he looked at me like I was the only person in the world... It was nice. Too nice.I drop onto my bed, pulling out my phone, wanting to relive the fun for just a little longer. I scroll through my messages, but one notification g
The sound of gunfire explodes through the night, deafening and relentless. A machine gun—no, multiple—rips through the air outside, drowning everything else out. I hear men shouting, screaming, and then the screaming turns into something else. Agony. Terror.I clamp my hands over my ears, pressing myself further into the corner of the closet, trying to disappear. My body shakes violently, my breath coming in shallow gasps as I rock back and forth. I squeeze my eyes shut and whisper a prayer under my breath, over and over."Please, God. Please, God. Please, God."The walls tremble with the force of the fight happening outside. Glass shatters somewhere. Heavy footsteps storm through the house. More gunshots. More yelling. I don’t kn
I wake up with a start, my heart thundering in my chest. My breath comes in ragged gasps, and for a moment, I can’t place where I am. I sit up quickly, expecting to see someone in the room with me—someone coming to hurt me, to take me again—but when my eyes adjust to the dim light, the room is empty.Just the silence.I look around, the weight of everything pressing down on me. This place—the house where Trevor has kept me locked up for weeks—has become a prison. It’s always quiet, too quiet. The only sounds are the distant hum of the outside world that I can’t reach, the creaks of the house settling, and my own restless thoughts.The darkness beyond the window is thick and consuming, the kind of darkness that swallows up the last remnants of hope. But tonight, something is different. Something feels off.I strain my ears, listening closely. There’s a faint sound, like the whisper of something moving through
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.