เข้าสู่ระบบThe sky looks wrong. That’s the first thing I notice as I step out of the car. The strange, in-between gray hue of it makes everything feel suspended, like something is about to go wrong. It doesn’t help that my mind is in overdrive and my heart won’t stop pounding as the cab I hastily ordered finally comes to a stop. I slam the car door harder than I mean to and glance down at my phone again, half-expecting Jake to text and say “never mind.” But it never comes. So, I swallow my nerves and turn toward the house before me. The bungalow is the smallest building on the street, and although it’s not exactly rundown, it looks worn in a way that shows it’s lacking serious maintenance. The porch light flickers faintly, and one of the steps creaks under my weight as I climb up. There’s a bike tipped over on the side of the yard, a pair of shoes by the door that look like they’ve been there too long, and no sign
My cheeks ache from smiling for hours, but I’m incapable of stopping it.I make a quick wave at Alex and Maya before running up the porch and into my house. Then, I head upstairs and drop my bag by the door, my smile widening even more as I replay the feel of Tyler’s fingers around mine in class and the way his voice softened at the end of his answer.It’d been clear in that moment, why he never gave an answer even though he clearly felt something more than just attraction.He was asking for time.My phone buzzes in my hand, and my pulse jumps when I see his name on the screen. I don’t even try to hide my smile as I answer. “Hi.”“Hey,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice too. “You get home okay?”“Yeah,” I reply, kicking off my shoes and flopping onto my bed. “You?”“I just did,” he says, then sighs. “I’m sorry I couldn’t drop you off today. Mom insisted I come home right after school. She still thinks these ‘family interventions’ will ma
By the time I get to AP English, I’ve already decided on one thing:I am not thinking about my date with Tyler or the silence that followed. I’m going to sit down, open my notebook, and focus on literally anything else.That plan lasts exactly three seconds.“Garcia.”I don’t even have to turn around. My body reacts before my brain does, heat rising to my cheeks as I recognize his voice immediately. I close my eyes briefly, then turn.Tyler leans against the doorframe like he owns the place, backpack slung over his good shoulder, and looking entirely too relaxed for someone who left me hanging on the most important three words in existence.“Come sit with me,” he says, nodding toward the back of the classroom.I blink. “I don’t sit in the back.”“I know,” he replies. “But there’s a first time for everything,” he says with a wink that I can’t deny makes my heart race.Beside me, Maya is pretending not to notice our exchange, but the tiny curve
“Unbelievable,” Maya scoffs, staring at my bedroom door like it personally offended her. “A felony,” she continues slowly, blinking. “That’s what this feels like. He committed a felony.”I let out a weak groan and drop back against her pillows, dragging one over my face. “Please don’t make this worse than it already is.”“Worse?” she repeats, her voice climbing an octave. “Lila, you told your boyfriend you love him and he just… what? Stared at you like a confused golden retriever?”I groan louder, pressing the pillow harder into my face. “Stop talking.”“No, I will not stop talking!” she snaps, grabbing the pillow and yanking it away from me. “This is serious. This is emergency-level gossip. This is… oh my God, I can’t believe I wasn’t there.”I sit up, shooting her a look. “You’re unbelievable.”“I’m invested,” she corrects, crossing her legs dramatically on the bed. “There’s a difference.”I drag a hand down my face, already exhausted from reliving
Thirty seconds… that’s how long it takes for happiness to turn into embarrassment.I wish for the ground to somehow open up and swallow me whole as I wait for a response that never comes.Maybe I’m misreading his silence. Maybe he’s about to smile, say it back, or pull me closer and make this moment feel less terrifying than it already does.But Tyler doesn’t do any of that. He just remains frozen as he stares at me.Say something, I think desperately. Please.The silence stretches, and I can feel the moment cracking. “I…” I start, my voice catching slightly from lack of knowing what to say myself.Should I take the words back? Laugh it off? Pretend it didn’t just happen?Before I can decide, my phone buzzes in my pocket, and the sound cuts through the heavy silence. Swallowing, I pull it out and glance at the screen. My stomach drops when I see the word “Mom” on the screen.I meet Tyler’s eyes again. “Curfew,” I mutter, showing him the screen.
Tyler’s POVBeneath the fluorescent lights, Lila looks ethereal.Her pastel-colored dress shimmers like the rainbow, and her soft, brown curls fall softly around her shoulders, making me itch to run my fingers through them.I watch her pick at the food she absentmindedly ordered. She didn’t protest when the waiter recommended the shrimp scampi even though it’s basically swimming in garlic. When I pointed that out to her, she simply made a dismissive sound, which told me just how far in her head she is.Her fingers fidget with her fork and she scrunches up her nose as she glares at the dish.Sighing, I lower mine and look at her properly. “Okay, that’s it,” I say.Lila glances up, confused, with her nose still twisted. “What?”I almost smile at how adorable she looks. “What’s wrong?” I ask instead.She shrugs, returning her gaze to the plate before her. “Nothing is wrong.”I lean back in my chair, resting my casted arm against my stomach. “Lil
By the next morning, everyone knows.The picture has spread faster than wildfire, and so has the narrative people have attached to it. Whispers trail after me in the school hallways, are passed between phones, and are reshaped and sharpened until they barely resemble the truth.“She’s using the bab
Lila's POVI bolt out the door the second the bell rings, my cheek burning.The look on Noah’s face when he saw my drawing makes me clutch my sketchbook tighter against my chest. Why did he have to flip that page open?No, why did I draw Tyler and his stupid jawline and messy hair and that sharp, f
The following evening, Tyler doesn’t look at me when he walks in through the door. His duffel bag hangs gingerly on his shoulder, his hoodie is darkened with sweat at the collar, there’s dirt smeared along one of his sleeves, and his hair is flattened unevenly.He looks exhausted.“Hey,” I say care
As soon as I push open the door, the smell of onions and garlic wafts through my nose.I smile at the sight of my mother standing at the stove with a wooden spoon in hand as steam curls around her like a halo. Dad is seated at the small dining table, peering down at the stack of papers before him th







