LOGINEli’s POVI couldn’t just drive all the way back to the university with my head in shambles like that. I peeled out of our family driveway, the tires screaming against the asphalt, and pulled into the gravel lot of a small, quiet diner about two miles down the main road. I needed to see my sister without my father hovering over us, and I needed to know why she had been dragged into his sick game. I sat in a secluded booth in the far corner of the restaurant, my fingers tapping anxiously against the Formica table as I stared at the entrance doors.When she finally arrived per my frantic texts, her hands were shaking. The glass doors of the restaurant swung open with a dull chime, and I stood up instantly as Piper made her way through the dining room.Every step sh
Eli’s POVWhen I finally arrived home in Hudson Falls, Wisconsin, I parked my car and slammed the vehicle door shut, barely remembering to grab my keys as I sprinted up the familiar concrete driveway. My chest was pumping from the adrenaline of the three-hour drive, my knuckles white as I gripped the handle of the front door and threw it open, expecting to find a scene of total medical chaos.But I was shocked to see that Piper was doing alright.She was sitting on the couch and crocheting, curled up in the corner of the sectional under a fleece blanket, a ball of pink yarn rolling on the carpet near her slippers as her fingers worked a pair of plastic needles with total ease. There were no paramedics or oxygen tanks anywhere near her.
Kas POVThe bright afternoon sun began to dip below the horizon across the campus sidewalks as Simone and Bree waved goodbye and headed back to their dorms. The moment I was alone, the quietness around me became heavy again.A part of me felt guilty for what happened with Luca. I kept playing every single interaction we had over and over in my head, wondering if I had led Luca on, if my friendly greetings in the hallways had been taken the wrong way, or if I had missed a massive warning sign.Maybe I had somehow led him on without knowing. I needed to see him one last time all by myself to know what had really happened. I couldn’t just sit on my ass anymore, wondering about the hidden reasons behind his terrifying actions. I needed to look him in the eyes and hea
Kassidy's POVThe very next day, I found myself on a wooden bench on campus and watching the other students walk past, feeling like I was still completely disconnected from the regular university routine. My body was tired, but Bree and Simone had refused to let me stay locked up in my dark bedroom for another afternoon.“You need the vitamin D, Kassidy,” Bree said, leaning across the table while her tight blonde corkscrew curls bounced around her face. “Sitting in that house is only going to keep your brain foggy. Look at this shade, it’s the perfect spot.”“She’s right,” Simone added, adjusting the colorful headbands she used to keep her thick black afro out of her eyes. “We aren’t going to make you talk about the hospital or that trash bag Luca. We just want you to sit out here with us.”Simone had bought three cold cups of green tea from the campus café, and the bitter, earthy taste was actually helping to clear the dry feeling from my throat.“I’m glad you guys forced me out,” I
Eli's POVI predicted that my behaviour during the party some days ago would backfire. So, when I was called into the Coach's office after practice the next day, I went without question. I didn't even bother changing out of my practice gear, my heavy skates clacking loudly against the concrete steps as I made my way toward the athletic department.I pushed open the heavy frosted glass door of Coach's office, and the mood inside was instantly sour. Coach didn't offer me a seat. He was sitting behind his wide oak desk, his jaw set so hard the muscles in his cheeks were twitching. "Good morning, Coach." I offered a greeting regardless. "You wanted to see me?"Coach silently pushed an iPad across the polished wood until it tapped against my knuckles.I looked down—it seemed to be a paused YouTube video. I reached forward and pressed play without picking the device up. The screen showed a shaky, high-definition clip taken from a phone in the middle of the crowded hallway at that party. It
Kassidy's POVThe familiar sight of our shared house didn't feel the same when I finally walked back through the front door. The doctors had run their final tests, flushed the remaining toxins out of my blood, and signed the discharge papers, but stepping back into regular life felt strange. I was still numb to it all. I could hear the cars driving past the street outside, and I could hear my friends talking in low voices, but none of it was really registering. It felt like I was watching my own life through a thick sheet of glass. The terror of that night had faded into a dull quiet, leaving my mind blank and heavy.I was tucked into the corner of the living room sofa, buried under three thick wool blankets to keep the lingering cold out of my bones. My feet were resting comfortably on Celeste's thighs, who was rubbing my feet with slow pressure to help my circulation get back to normal. Eli was sitting on the opposite armchair, his eyes never really leaving my face as he tracked ev
Kassidy's POVI woke up gasping again, from another nightmare. The nightmare was already fading, but the feeling remained, that sick sense of panic laying low in my stomach. Sweating and panting, I lay spread eagled on my bed, staring at the ceiling and waiting for my heart to stop trying to kill m
Eli's POVSomething was seriously wrong with Kassidy, and I couldn't figure out what.After she told me to disappear from her life, I had backed off. I had given her the space she wanted, stopped trying to talk to her, and let her exist in her room without interference—even though every part of me
Kassidy's POVThe days after that night blurred together. I couldn't think straight about anything without Richard Deering showing up in my head. His hand on my back, and that voice in the dark. And at night, the nightmares came without fail, sometimes the same one, and other times worse variation
Kassidy's POVI clocked in at eleven fifty-five and went straight to find Marco, but Maria got to me first.She was in the back office, going through receipts, and she looked up when I pushed through the door. Maria was the owner, short and round who usually wore her reading glasses on a chain."Oh







