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Luke had never felt worse. He tossed and turned on his dorm bed, the numbness of his chest only increasing in intensity. He wasnโt sure if he was breathing properly. He wasnโt sure if he was breathing at all. Everything was strangeโthe way the air felt in the room, the way it touched his skin, the way his feet tingled, and the way the pit of his stomach rumbledโbut not in hunger. Ruby didnโt remember anything he had said. Of course, she wouldnโt. He had expected thatโthat being partly the reason he decided to confess in the first place. But it still hurt him, knowing sheโd never know his feelings. Because he would never ever gather the courage to speak his heart out again. He could try, perhaps, but what was the point? She liked Caden, and now, after talking to her, he was sure it was more than just a mere crush. She had said so herself. He was to her as he always had been. Her best friend. Luke could be nothing more. He had known it for a long time, and yet every time he reminded
Ruby smeared the tinted lip balm over her lips as she stared at her reflection in the oval mirror. Her sister, Riley, had managed to draw the perfect eyeliner above her eyes. All of this with the silver drop earrings and a maroon ribbed crop top made sure she looked beautiful. She examined herself carefully, wondering if she had overdone that. She had never put much effort before in making herself look pretty; she had believed she looked good without anything on her face and that was enough for her. But now she felt the need to do a little extra. It made her happy, she realized, in surprise. And as much as she tried to not admit the reason behind it, she knew very well why. Caden Miller had her doing things she never imagined sheโd do. What was the purpose though?Was she trying to actively get him to be hers? No, that was silly. All she needed was a glance, a smile perhaps. Thatโd be enough. She slapped her forehead. What was wrong with her? Her cheeks flushed red as she recalled
Caden would break her heart, just as she had broken his. If he couldnโt be harsh with his actions, heโd be merciless with his words.Paige had always maintained an air of innocence. Though Caden was perceptive enough to see through it, heโd never truly accepted her flaws. He was so infatuated that he was ready to forgive anything she did against him.But he had suffered far too long. He had to let her go. For his own good.Caden unplugged his earphones and placed them on the bench where he had just been sitting. He stood firm, his arms folded across his chest.Paigeโs smile faded as she approached him. Of course, sheโd sensed his anger. Or perhaps it was his clenched jaw that gave it away. โCaden,โ she murmured his name with an innocent tone.How could she pretend even now? Did she think he hadnโt seen what she had done? That heโd been blind to her actions? He began, his voice cold and cutting, โSay what you have to say, Paige. Because once youโre done, Iโm never giving you a chance to
Six days into the term break, Ruby had started to feel restless. She had never spent so much of her time inside the house, not since she had first left for her boarding school. Riley had kept her company in the evenings upon returning from work. They watched teen dramas together, getting stuffed on popcorn as Riley gossiped about her co-workers. While Rubyโs days were spent immersed in the pile of books she ownedโreading about bad boys that turned good for the girls they fell in love with; grey characters that struggled with making decisions; and why the stars were something to be fascinated about endlessly. The feeling was odd because she had always believed she enjoyed her own company. Sheโd never felt the need to be around other humans. It was because she missed school. She missed being on her toes with all the homework and classwork and assignments and presentations. She missed being surrounded by Olivia, Luke, Florenceโฆ and Caden. Although she had made up her mind to speak to C
Florence smiled against Danielโs lips as he leaned in across his seat to kiss her. Something that started off as a soft peck on her lips made her heart flutter in a way that she found herself, pulling him closer by grabbing the collar of his shirt. โWoah,โ he voiced, giving into the kiss. When Florence pulled apart, she was just fine, but Daniel was breathing hard. He blinked slowly twice, and from the look on his face, Florence knew she had sent him back to heaven and brought him right back into her car. They had been on their way back from Willowbrookโs second football match in the inter school championship. This one had ended on a high noteโeveryone had been holding their breath up until the last few seconds when Luke had thrown in the winning goal. Somewhere along the way, she had found herself unable to hold backโDaniel had been looking way too cute lately and all she wanted to do was kiss his face all day. Now as they sat staring at each other, the night quiet outside, an exci
Danielโs mother opened the front door of the house. Her eyes widened the moment she saw Florenceโs distraught face, but she quickly bit her lip and offered a smile. โOh, hello, dear. Come inside. Dinnerโs ready.โFlorence tried her best to stretch her lips into a smile, but she failed terribly and could only cry. Daniel was supportive, guiding her in, his arm still protectively wrapped around her. He told his mom, โCan you bring our food upstairs?โโOf course,โ his mother said, nodding. โGive me just a minute.โHe guided Florence up the stairs, although she didnโt need it. Florence had been frequently visiting Danielโs house ever since she was a baby. They had been playschool mates because their mothers had been childhood friends. However, the stark change in Florenceโs motherโs behavior over the last few years had clearly affected her relationship with Danielโs mother as well. The moment Florence stepped inside Danielโs room, a question struck her mind. โDoes your mom know that weโr
Olivia was cheering, her voice piercing through the chilly evening air like a beacon. Her hands were raised high as she screamed, โCome on, Caden!โ just as the football soared toward him. He was distractedโmomentarilyโbut then, in the blink of an eye, his focus was back on the field.Luke sprinted forward, their eyes meeting for the briefest of seconds. Caden noticed the slightest nod from him. It was the signal. And he did exactly as they had planned.Anyone who blinked missed itโa clever maneuver they had practiced countless times. It was a strategy to confuse the opponent, and it worked perfectly. The ball was passed with precision, a deceptive flick to the side that sent the defenders scrambling. After two seconds, the sound of the whistle resounded across the field.Willowbrook had just kicked in the winning goal.The next few minutes were a blur for Caden. It wasnโt just him screaming for their victory but likely everyone else. The roar of the crowd, the crush of jubilant teammat
Ruby was a different personโshe knew it the moment she stepped inside her classroom after the long-term break. Or maybe that was an exaggeration. Arguably, at least one-sixteenth of her was different. She had not given much thought to who had spiked her fruit punch at Florenceโs house party over the break. She had spent it reasonablyโmending her sistership with Riley over TV shows, hanging out at Oliviaโs to help her with babysitting/the daycare, and, of course, daydreaming of being with Caden. That guy was always there, in some way. In some corner of her mind, he had found a place and he liked to remind her of it every now and then. But now, feeling the first wave of her classmatesโ chatter pass through her, she suddenly found herself trying to discover who among them had done that to her. It couldโve ended horribly. Ruby wasnโt stupid. She knew why people spike drinks at a party. But to think it was random and not carefully selected was not something she could wrap her head around.
Ruby woke up to the persistent buzz of her phone vibrating on her nightstand. She groaned, annoyed by the interruption to her sleep, and reached out to silence it. Her vision was blurred from sleep, and her mind was still foggy. As she squinted at the screen, she saw a flurry of texts and missed calls from various contacts. Her heart rate quickened with an undefined sense of dread, but her groggy mind couldnโt piece together what might have caused such urgency.Before she could delve into the messages, her bedroom door creaked open. The sound was eerily loud in the early morning silence, and Ruby looked up to see her sister, Riley, standing in the doorway. Riley's face was pale, her eyes wide with fear.โRubyโฆ are you up?โ asked Riley, her voice too quiet, too held back.โYeah, just,โ Ruby answered hesitantly, dread filling the air. Ruby knew everything wasn't okay but she still put forward the question, โIs everything okay?โ โSomething bad has happened,โ Riley revealed, her voice tre
An hour later, Caden drove Ruby to Florence's house, the car humming softly beneath the weight of their shared silence. They had spent the past hour talking about everything and nothing at the same time. After their kiss, they had wandered through Willowbrook High, finding a quiet park bench where they sat. Caden had even shared stories from his childhood, making Ruby laugh more than she had in days. Caden told Ruby about the time he had gotten detention for sneaking a frog into the teacher's lounge as a prank. Ruby recounted her own mischief, like the time she accidentally set off the fire alarm trying to make popcorn in the science lab microwave.Every now and then, there was a comfortable silence where they simply enjoyed each other's company. As they pulled up outside Florence's house, Ruby turned to Caden. โDo you want to come in?โ she asked, her voice soft.Caden shook his head gently. โI think itโs best not to overwhelm her. Besides, I have to go to a party hosted by one of my
โBreak her heart and youโre dead, grumpy boy,โ Olivia told Caden, jabbing a finger at his chest before she walked away.For what seemed like a whole minute Ruby stood in her place, her heart pounding in her chest. She had her eyes glued on Caden who had his back to her as he watched Olivia walk away, out of their sight. What did Olivia mean? Why would she say that to Caden? Did Caden plan on asking her out?Ruby shook her head slowly, exhaling. This was not real. She subtly pinched herself, hissing as the pain reverberated through her arm. This was real. Caden Miller was here in front of her and he had sent Olivia away so he could talk to her. โRuby?โ Caden called out her name, nudging her arm gently. โWhere did you get lost?โ he asked as she shook herself back to reality. โNo. Nowhere,โ she answered, fumbling. โWalk with me?โ he prompted, his voice careful. Was he nervous?Ruby nodded, gulping. As Ruby retraced her path, falling in footsteps beside Caden, she thought of how they
Olivia had done her best to maintain her giggly, I-am-absolutely-okay-now facade. But the more she looked at Luke, the harder she found it to keep herself from breaking apart. He had outright rejected her. He hadnโt given her a chance to explain herself, although she was sure there was no explanation she could have given him. Thereโs never an explanation for crushing on someone. But whatever she felt for him had been more than just infatuation. Luke had been nice to her; he had been playful. He had made her so happy in such a short time. Maybe her subconscious couldnโt let her be that way and decided to ruin it. She wasnโt even sure how he had figured it out. Was that how obvious it was? Did she have it tattooed on her forehead? It had hurt so much when heโd said that it would never work. That she and him couldnโt be together. He wasnโt even ready to give it a chance. He had already made up his mind. And here Olivia was, begging to God to let him give her a single glance. As the d
Ruby was a different personโshe knew it the moment she stepped inside her classroom after the long-term break. Or maybe that was an exaggeration. Arguably, at least one-sixteenth of her was different. She had not given much thought to who had spiked her fruit punch at Florenceโs house party over the break. She had spent it reasonablyโmending her sistership with Riley over TV shows, hanging out at Oliviaโs to help her with babysitting/the daycare, and, of course, daydreaming of being with Caden. That guy was always there, in some way. In some corner of her mind, he had found a place and he liked to remind her of it every now and then. But now, feeling the first wave of her classmatesโ chatter pass through her, she suddenly found herself trying to discover who among them had done that to her. It couldโve ended horribly. Ruby wasnโt stupid. She knew why people spike drinks at a party. But to think it was random and not carefully selected was not something she could wrap her head around.
Olivia was cheering, her voice piercing through the chilly evening air like a beacon. Her hands were raised high as she screamed, โCome on, Caden!โ just as the football soared toward him. He was distractedโmomentarilyโbut then, in the blink of an eye, his focus was back on the field.Luke sprinted forward, their eyes meeting for the briefest of seconds. Caden noticed the slightest nod from him. It was the signal. And he did exactly as they had planned.Anyone who blinked missed itโa clever maneuver they had practiced countless times. It was a strategy to confuse the opponent, and it worked perfectly. The ball was passed with precision, a deceptive flick to the side that sent the defenders scrambling. After two seconds, the sound of the whistle resounded across the field.Willowbrook had just kicked in the winning goal.The next few minutes were a blur for Caden. It wasnโt just him screaming for their victory but likely everyone else. The roar of the crowd, the crush of jubilant teammat
Danielโs mother opened the front door of the house. Her eyes widened the moment she saw Florenceโs distraught face, but she quickly bit her lip and offered a smile. โOh, hello, dear. Come inside. Dinnerโs ready.โFlorence tried her best to stretch her lips into a smile, but she failed terribly and could only cry. Daniel was supportive, guiding her in, his arm still protectively wrapped around her. He told his mom, โCan you bring our food upstairs?โโOf course,โ his mother said, nodding. โGive me just a minute.โHe guided Florence up the stairs, although she didnโt need it. Florence had been frequently visiting Danielโs house ever since she was a baby. They had been playschool mates because their mothers had been childhood friends. However, the stark change in Florenceโs motherโs behavior over the last few years had clearly affected her relationship with Danielโs mother as well. The moment Florence stepped inside Danielโs room, a question struck her mind. โDoes your mom know that weโr
Florence smiled against Danielโs lips as he leaned in across his seat to kiss her. Something that started off as a soft peck on her lips made her heart flutter in a way that she found herself, pulling him closer by grabbing the collar of his shirt. โWoah,โ he voiced, giving into the kiss. When Florence pulled apart, she was just fine, but Daniel was breathing hard. He blinked slowly twice, and from the look on his face, Florence knew she had sent him back to heaven and brought him right back into her car. They had been on their way back from Willowbrookโs second football match in the inter school championship. This one had ended on a high noteโeveryone had been holding their breath up until the last few seconds when Luke had thrown in the winning goal. Somewhere along the way, she had found herself unable to hold backโDaniel had been looking way too cute lately and all she wanted to do was kiss his face all day. Now as they sat staring at each other, the night quiet outside, an exci
Six days into the term break, Ruby had started to feel restless. She had never spent so much of her time inside the house, not since she had first left for her boarding school. Riley had kept her company in the evenings upon returning from work. They watched teen dramas together, getting stuffed on popcorn as Riley gossiped about her co-workers. While Rubyโs days were spent immersed in the pile of books she ownedโreading about bad boys that turned good for the girls they fell in love with; grey characters that struggled with making decisions; and why the stars were something to be fascinated about endlessly. The feeling was odd because she had always believed she enjoyed her own company. Sheโd never felt the need to be around other humans. It was because she missed school. She missed being on her toes with all the homework and classwork and assignments and presentations. She missed being surrounded by Olivia, Luke, Florenceโฆ and Caden. Although she had made up her mind to speak to C