Mag-log inI hesitated for half a second before sliding over, perching on the edge because I still wasn’t sure if this was real or just some temporary high before the crash. “Not cookies,” he said, shaking his head. “Just… talking. Those kids have it rough, some of them way rougher than I did back then. But they’re tough. Resilient. Reminds me that things doesn’t stay broken forever. One of the boys asked me about my old car projects, and before I knew it I was in the garage showing him how to change oil on that junker out back. Felt good.”I nodded slowly, picking at a loose thread on the couch cushion because looking at him too long made my eyes sting in a way I hated. “Hmm. Sounds… nice, I guess. Better than staring at the wall or crying in the driveway, anyway.” The words slipped out before I could filter them, and I winced a little, but Dad just chuckled like he expected it. I couldn’t help the small grin that broke through again. “Just don’t go all nostalgic and decide to adopt a bunch
I drove home in a haze, the heater blasting lukewarm air that did jack shit to thaw the knot off my stomach. The house came into view way too soon, that familiar two-story with the peeling blue paint on the shutters and the empty driveway where Mom’s SUV used to sit like it belonged there. My stomach twisted as I pulled up to the curb and killed the engine. How the hell was I supposed to face Dad after this morning? I’d walked away from him and left him there like an asshole because I couldn’t handle one more crack in the foundation of whatever was left of our family. Guilt had chewed at me the whole drive, mixing with the anger until I felt sick. He’s probably still in that study staring at the wall, I thought as I grabbed my backpack and slammed the car door. Or worse, halfway through a bottle already, wondering why his daughter bailed on him too. Fuck. I didn’t want to deal with broken Dad tonight. I just wanted to collapse on my bed, stare at the fairy lights Camila helped s
Class dragged like it always did now—Mr. Hargrove droning on about derivatives and limits while I doodled in the margin of my notebook, sketching little question marks and the outline of Camila’s pineapple keychain because focusing on actual math felt impossible. I nodded when he called on me, muttered something that sounded right enough to keep him off my back.The bell rang eventually, and I bolted before anyone could ask why my eyes looked red or why I hadn’t turned in last week’s homework. English was next—some essay on symbolism in The Great Gatsby that I half-assed on my phone during lunch, typing one-handed while I inhaled a stale granola bar from my backpack. Lunch itself was a blur of avoiding eye contact with Venessa’s table and ignoring the whispers that still followed me like shadows. That’s the girl whose best friend disappeared. Her family’s all messed up now too. Yeah, well, fuck the whispers. I had bigger problems than their pity.By the time the final bell rang and
“What the fuck do you want!” I hissed, my hands balled into fists at my sides, backpack straps digging into my shoulders like they were trying to anchor me before I did something stupid like lunge at her. Venessa rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck, then pushed off her car with a dramatic sigh. “Oh, shut up,” she snapped, already starting to walk toward me, her boots crunching on the slush like she was on a goddamn runway. She stopped a couple feet away, tilting her head like she was sizing me up for a fight she knew she clearly couldn’t win without her minions. “How are you doing?”“What?” I asked, completely fucking confused, my voice cracking on the word because what the actual hell was this? She glanced around the parking lot quickly, like she was checking for eavesdroppers, then leaned in a little closer. “Alright, I’ll cut the bullshit. I hate Camila. I’m not worried about her one bit, not after she shoved my face in the school toilet, and I genuinely hope
He didn’t answer right away. Just shoved his hands into his pockets and shifted his weight, those stupid fucking slippers making a soft, ridiculous squelch in the slush like some pathetic sound effect from a bad movie. The silence stretched, awkwardly might I add, the kind that made me want to fill it with more yelling just to hear something besides the wind rattling the bare branches overhead. I could feel the cold seeping through my own jacket now, biting at my fingers and nose, but I wasn’t moving until he gave me something—anything—that wasn’t this blank, broken stare.Finally he sighed, the sound dragging out of him. “I’m fine, kiddo. Just… thinking. Got a lot on my mind these days. Your mom leaving, Jake going with her. Feels like I messed up everything, doesn’t it? Like I’m the reason the whole family splintered apart.”I rolled my eyes, but there was no real heat in it, just exhaustion and that familiar ache that never fucking left. “Dad, stop. It’s not all on you. Mom’s th
❁✿❀“I’m off!” The words burst out of me as I thumped down the stairs, my backpack slapping against my shoulder blades with every step. I pushed into the kitchen, yanked open the fridge door, and stared at the sad contents. What was left in it was half a carton of milk that was probably going bad, some leftover Chinese takeout from two nights ago, and a couple of apples that looked like they’d seen better days. Fuck it. I grabbed one, shiny red on the outside but probably mealy as hell on the inside, and sank my teeth into it hard. The crunch echoed in the silent kitchen, juice running down my chin as I chewed. Still no response from upstairs though, not even a grumbled “Have a good day, kid” drifting down the hall. Didn’t he hear me? I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and yelled again, louder this time. “Dad? I’m off to school!” Nothing. Just that heavy, suffocating quiet that made my skin crawl. I waited another few seconds, apple halfway to my mouth for anothe
The next morning, I woke up to the faint creak of the door opening. I didn’t move right away. For a few seconds I just lay there, breathing slow, staring at the sunlight spilling across the floorboards. The soft shuffle of feet gave it away—someone was in the room. The steps were light, careful, l
Ethan chuckled, that deep rumble in his chest making me both irritated and flustered at the same time. “Pancakes?” he repeated, eyebrows raising like I’d just told him I wanted diamonds for breakfast. “Sweetheart, this isn’t the cabin kitchen. There’s no flour, no milk, and definitely no maple sy
I tried the food. Honestly? I didn’t expect much, but damn—it was good. Sweet, soft, rich in a way I couldn’t quite place. Not like anything I’d eaten back home or even in Ethan’s pack. My stomach had been gnawing at itself for hours, so I didn’t waste time overthinking it. I just ate. Bite after
Sylthara. The word dropped into my ears like a stone into still water, and the ripples it caused inside me were nothing short of disorienting. Sylthara? What the hell was Sylthara? I rolled the name around in my head like maybe if I pressed hard enough it would spark some recognition—but no







