On the drive back to my house, I couldn't shake the feeling of shame and disappointment as I sat there in silence, the weight of Brax's father's words hanging heavy in the air. I knew deep down that he was right—no matter how much I tried to separate myself from Stevon King, his name would always be a shadow looming over me.Brax reached out a hand to touch my arm gently as he stopped the car outside Steve's house, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.I nodded slowly, trying to push away the overwhelming emotions threatening to consume me. "I'm fine," I lied, forcing a small smile onto my face.But Brax could see through my facade, his gaze searching mine. "You don't have to pretend with me, Willow," he said quietly. I forced a bigger smile on my face, not wanting to deal with this right now. I needed time to work out what I was going to do. "I'm fine, I promise, just tired," I lied again. Brax sat there for a second, trying to work out if I was lying or no
The rest of the day passed in a blur as I went through the motions of attending classes and interacting with my classmates. But no matter how hard I tried to push Brax out of my mind, his presence lingered like a ghost haunting me at every turn.After school, as I walked out, I heard footsteps behind me. Turning around, I saw Brax standing there, his expression unreadable. My heart clenched at the sight of him, but I forced myself to remain composed."Willow," he said softly, his voice breaking through the wall that I had built around myself.I swallowed hard, steeling myself against the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. "Brax, please... it's better this way," I whispered, unable to meet his gaze. My eyes searched the ground as I played with the bottom of my sleeves.He stepped closer, reaching out to gently cup my face in his hands. "I don't care what anyone says or thinks. All that matters is how we feel about each other," he said earnestly.Tears filled my eyes as his w
The sound of someone moving around the room quickly woke me up. I sat up, staring around the room as my eyes adjusted. I realised I wasn't at home, and it took me a few minutes to remember that I was at dillions. My eyes fell on Dillion. He was standing over at his dresser with his back to me and without a shirt on as he rummaged through his drawers. I couldn't help but admire the muscles that rippled beneath his skin, the way his back tapered down to a narrow waist. Guilt overcame me as I shouldn't be admiring Brax's best friend.I watched as Dillion grabbed a fresh shirt and slipped it on before turning around to see me awake. His expression softened as he met my gaze, and I felt a rush of warmth in my chest."Morning," he said softly, walking over to sit at the edge of the bed. "Did you sleep okay?"I nodded my head, clearing my throat. "Yes, thank you. How about you?" My voice was tired and rusty."The couch is not my favourite place to sleep, but it did the job", he joked. "Mum m
Brax Pov"Hey dude, what's the name of that blood girl at school?" Kasey yelled from across the room. I lowered my phone, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "There are over a hundred blonde girls at school," he said. he let out a sigh. "The blonde one with really big boobs that you slept with at that dude's party over Christmas".I rolled my eyes at him. That was not a night that I wanted to be reminded of right now. Girls are the last thing on my mind. "Emma"."Yeah, that one. Why don't you give her a call?" he said while cracking another beer. I went back to my phone, scrolling through only photos of Willow on her Facebook. She is all that I can think about; she is the only girl that I want to be with. "Give it a rest, Kasey," I said to him, wanting him to stop trying to make me think about other girls."Dillion," Kasey said, getting up off the couch. "Brax here is being a sad sack of shit".I looked up and saw Dillion walk through the door. "Hey, sorry I'm late," he
Days passed, and I stayed by Willow's side, watching over her as she lay there. I was starting to lose hope that she would ever wake up. My family and friends came to visit, but never Willow's mum or stepfather. Nat came a few times, but the last time she was here, she said she was sorry, but she couldn't stand to see Willow like this.One night, as I sat holding Willow's hand, willing her to wake up, Kasey spoke up softly. "Brax's, you know how much she means to you. You can't lose hope now. She needs you more than ever."His words struck a chord in me, and I realised he was right. Willow needed me now more than ever before, and I couldn't give up on her.As I sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair, staring at Willow's pale face, my mind raced with thoughts of revenge against the people who did this to her. I clenched my fists, trying to push down the anger that threatened to consume me. But then Willow's hand twitched ever so slightly, and my heart leapt in hope."Willow?" I whisp
Willow's POV:As I slowly started to regain consciousness, my head was spinning, and my body felt heavy. The sound of beeping machines filled my ears, causing a sense of panic to rise within me. I tried to open my eyes, but the bright lights above me made me squint in discomfort."Willow?" a familiar voice whispered, sending a jolt of recognition through me. Brax. His voice was like a lifeline, grounding me in reality.I could feel his presence beside me, his warmth radiating towards me as he spoke softly. "Please, Willow, I need you to be okay," he pleaded. "I don't want to live in a world that doesn't have you in it."His words pierced through the fog in my mind, slowly waking me.Suddenly, everything around me seemed to go into chaos. The machines beeped louder, the room filled with urgency and fear. Brax's voice faded into the background as panic gripped me once again. My body was overtaken with pain, and the memories of everything flooded into my mind.I shot up, gripping my thro
After hours of me just laying there staring at the wall and Brax sitting across the room watching my every move, the door opened, and in walked a doctor. I turned my head to look at him for a second before looking back at the wall. He came over, standing next to the bed, holding his clipboard in his hands; I watched his every move out of the corner of my eye. "I just need to ask you some questions, willows, if that's okay?" he asked me, keeping his voice low and kind. I didn't answer him; I just kept looking at the wall, hoping that he would leave me alone. "Do you know where you are?" I continued to ignore the doctor, not wanting to engage with him. He sighed softly before trying a different approach."Willow, can you at least tell me how you got here?" he asked gently, his eyes full of concern.Suddenly, Steve's face flashed in my mind, and my heart clenched. The memories flooded back, making my chest tighten with pain. I started to move my arms that were restrained, feeling the
Days passed, and Brax never left my side. I shut myself off from the world, letting the emptiness inside me completely overtake me. The doctors had been in and out of my room, speaking in hushed tones as they discussed my case. I could hear snippets of their conversations, but nothing they said seemed to register in my mind.One day, as I lay motionless on the hospital bed, a group of doctors entered my room with grim expressions on their faces. They began talking amongst themselves before turning to me with concerned looks. One of the doctors said gently. "We think it would be best for you to receive proper care at a psychiatric facility."I knew what he was implying. He didn't need to say it out loud. They thought that I was crazy and hurting myself. I should have felt angry or sad or anything at all, but I felt nothing. I just lay there staring at them blankly, the words barely making sense in my mind. Brax stood up from his chair."No, she's not crazy! She didn't do this to herse
Brax’s POVThe stairs creaked beneath my feet, snapping me out of the daze that clouded my mind. The room I was leaving behind still held traces of my last distraction, yet there was only emptiness echoing in my heart. I passed by a mirror in the hallway and caught a glimpse of myself—a mess of unkept hair and a face that seemed older than its years. Even the girl up there, with her long black hair similar to Willow’s, didn’t fill the void.Descending the stairs, I grabbed a drink from the makeshift bar on the kitchen counter. The cool liquid burned, a somber reminder of how far I’d fallen since Willow left. A chorus of familiar voices floated in from the living room where the guys were gathered. I moved over and dropped onto the couch, positioning myself where I could observe quietly.“Hey, man, you good?” Dillion asked, glancing at me over his shoulder.“Yeah, just tired,” I said, feigning a lightness in my tone that I didn’t feel. My eyes followed Dillon’s line of sight, noticing h
Willow's POVThe echo of the knock startled me, piercing through the silence like a knife. For days, I had waded through the murky waters of my thoughts, lost in the whirlwind of emotions that defined my existence. The flat was my sanctuary, yet it also felt like a cage, confining me in its walls while I waited for the chaos to unfold around me.Steve was away, and although his absence lifted a heavy weight, the uncertainty that loomed was almost worse than his presence. Marco had not called on me since I last saw him, which was a relief but also a worry at the same time. And Brax's image danced through my mind—haunting and unattainable.Bracing myself, I tiptoed toward the door and peeked hesitantly through the small window. Relief and confusion swept over me at the same time when I recognised Brody, David's son, standing on the other side, shuffling his feet nervously.I hesitated for a moment before opening the door, expecting anything but this. "Brody? What are you doing here?" My
The moonlight cast long shadows on the dimly lit alleyways as I ran, each breath a reality crashing down on me as tears streamed from my eyes. My feet pounded the pavement, echoing the decisions I couldn’t walk away from. There was no time for hesitation or second-guessing. The stakes were too high, and Brax’s life was on the line. Once home, I threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie before grabbing all the things I had stolen. Every part of me screamed to stop, to breathe, but all I could think of was making my way to David’s. The pounding dread surged through me as I pushed past the front door, launching myself into the night.David’s house loomed before me, a beacon of what little hope I had left. I banged relentlessly on the door, my impatience punctuating each knock until finally, Brody, his son, swung it open.“Is your dad home?” I blurted out.“No, he's at work. What’s going on?” he asked, concern furrowing his brow.I thrust the bag into his arms, urgency lacing my voice. "Give
Brax's POVThe taste of whiskey burned like fire, numbing every part of me that still felt pain. It was my armour of choice tonight—a shield against memories that refused to stay buried. Dylan and Kasey watched with eyes full of quiet concern, but they understood. Sometimes, all you could do was let the liquor drown the ghosts before they drowned you.Stumbling through the party, the music pounded around me, a relentless rhythm that shook the ground. It promised a temporary escape, a distraction from Willow's haunting presence. But tonight wasn't about peace; it was about surrendering to something primal, something that roared inside me at the sight of Lana across the room.Lana had been an escape before—a fleeting, physical release. As I staggered towards her, the rage inside me simmered. Her friends barely blinked when I grabbed her wrist, pulling her away. We lived in a world where such bold moves were neither new nor shocking."Brax," she breathed, a sultry promise layered in ever
: Brax's POVSilence enveloped the room after Willow's departure, a vacuum so absolute it felt almost tangible. I stood in the chaos we had created—the shattered dish on the floor, the imprint of my fist on the wall, and the lingering echo of her defiant words. Anger, confusion, and an aching sadness twisted inside me, each emotion wrestling for dominance. I ran my hand through my hair, tugging at the roots in frustration.How had we gotten here? I wanted to hate her for pushing me away, for labelling me as not enough. Yet, underneath the fiery surface, I knew the truth—my heart had chosen her long before I was ready to admit it, and now I was stuck in limbo, unable to move forward without her.Disgusted with the state of things, I left the room, forcing my leaden feet down the stairs. Kasey and Dillon were still in the foyer, their faces reflecting concern and questions they dared not voice aloud. I couldn't deal with their probing eyes or the pity masked as sympathy."Brax…" Dillon
Willow's POVWatching Brax leave the room felt like watching safety slip through my fingers. The clatter of the lock was a reminder of the mess my life had become. It was ironic being locked in a room that felt more like a sanctuary than a trap.My mind was a mess of worry; Brax could have just wrecked everything I had been working so hard towards. However, Macro had already been useful in getting me into places that I would have never been able to do on my own. But now it all might have been for nothing, all because Brax couldn’t do as I asked and leave me alone.As I sat there trying to work out how I was going to get out of this mess, I felt the pills I had taken before going into the room with Marco take effect, which wasn’t a good thing. I needed a clear mind to talk my way out of this with Brax and get back to Marco before he went to Steve and everything that I had done was worked out.Getting up, I headed for the bathroom, not because I was obeying Brax but because I hoped a co
Brax's POVMy hands shook as I clutched the doorframe, the sight in front of me branding itself into my mind. Willow—my Willow—entwined with another man. Her naked body pressed against him. I couldn't believe it. Anger exploded, every rational thought igniting in a blaze of betrayal.My voice came out like a low growl, a thunderous roar that reverberated off the walls. "Willow!"She spun around, her eyes wide with desperation, her body scrambling for cover. Panic painted her features as she grabbed a bedsheet, clutching it to her skin. The man beside her had the audacity to open his mouth, likely to threaten me or beg for mercy. I didn't care.Before he could utter a word, I crossed the room and grabbed him by the collar. My fists flew, driven by a vengeful fire. Each punch landed with a satisfying crunch, a symphony of anger echoing within the confines of the room."Brax, stop!" Willow's scream pierced through my fury, her voice laced with panic and something else, something I couldn
Brax’s POVMy mind was an unending loop of worry that circled around Willow. Weeks had passed since I last saw her face or heard her voice, and her absence carved a hollow ache in me that I couldn't ignore. The reports from the men I had watching her became increasingly sparse, as though she had somehow worked out that they were following her and had found a way to avoid them. She wasn’t at school, avoided parties, and anywhere I expected her to be.Work from my father kept me preoccupied, but it brought no peace. Meetings filled with strained respect and unspoken threats blurred together with each assignment he gave me. This life, the one paved for me before I was even born, was all I had known. But since Willow, all I ever did was wish for an escape. My father’s expectations loomed over me like a persistent shadow, whispering of future obligations I didn’t want, but I would take if it meant keeping her safe.I stood at my front door, the day’s stress weighing on me heavily. The fami
Willow's POVThe fight with Nat replayed in my head, and guilt ate away at me. My phone hadn't stopped buzzing for hours with calls and messages from both Brax and Dillion. I knew that Nat would go back to them and tell them everything. Looking down at my phone, Brax’s name flashed across the screen. I picked it up, holding it for a second. Rage bubbled within me. Why couldn’t they just leave me alone? I couldn’t take it anymore. I threw my phone as hard as I could at a tree, watching it smash into pieces.Standing up, I left the park. If I was going to get things done, I had to turn off all my emotions. I needed to be stronger and smarter. And then the idea came to me. Turning around, I made my way to one of Steve's houses, where I hoped Marco would be.The house wasn’t far from the park. I had been here a few times, and I knew Marco spent a lot of his time there. As the house came into view, my heart began to race in my chest. I stopped pulling the pill bottle out of my pocket and