LOGINJacksonI should’ve known it wasn’t going to stay simple.Nothing ever did.Not with us.Not in this town.Not when it actually mattered.⸻Mariah’s TV room was quieter than usual.Not awkward quiet.Just… settled.We were on the couch, her tucked against me like she belonged there, the TV playing something neither of us were paying attention to.My arm was around her shoulders, her fingers loosely tangled with mine.Normal.That word still felt weird.Normal didn’t happen often for us.Which was probably why my brain decided now was the perfect time to ruin it.I glanced down at her.She was focused on the screen, but not really watching.Just… existing.Comfortable.And for some reason, that made what I was about to say feel heavier.“Hey,” I said.She hummed slightly.“Yeah?”I hesitated.Then—“Jess told Noah.”She went still.Not dramatically.Just enough that I felt it.“About what?” she asked.“Oregon.”Her head tilted back slightly so she could look at me.“…Oregon?”And yeah.
MariahIt was weird how quiet everything felt now.Not school.School was never quiet.But… everything else.No whispers when I walked into a room.No girls side-eyeing me like I’d stolen something from them.No stupid rumors floating around like they owned the place.Just… normal.Which, honestly?I wasn’t used to.I dropped my bag onto the chair in the TV room and flopped down onto the couch, staring at the blank screen in front of me.“Mom, we’re in here!” I called.From the kitchen, I heard, “Okay! I’m making dinner!”I exhaled, sinking deeper into the cushions.Normal.That’s what this was supposed to feel like.A few minutes later, I heard the front door open.My heart did that annoying little jump it always did when I knew it was him.“Mariah?” Jackson’s voice carried through the house.“In the TV room!”His footsteps came closer, and then he appeared in the doorway.For a second, he just stood there.Looking at me.And yeah, I’d never admit this out loud, but—That look still
MariahBy the time last period ended, I was already done with the day.Not because anything bad happened.That was the weird part.Nothing had happened.No whispers.No looks.No random girl trying to start something just because she was bored.Just… normal school.Which should’ve felt good.And it did.Mostly.But it also left this strange empty space where the chaos used to be.Like my brain didn’t quite know what to do without it.I leaned against my locker, shoving my books into my bag, when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.Jackson.Of course.He was coming down the hallway with Noah, the two of them talking about something I didn’t care enough to pay attention to.What I did notice?The way Jackson’s eyes found me without even trying.Like it was automatic.Like I was just… where he looked now.I pretended not to notice.Because obviously I’m not giving him that satisfaction.But I did.Notice.He stopped in front of me, one shoulder leaning casually against the loc
JacksonI knew Noah had talked to her the second he got in the car.Didn’t even need to ask.He had that look.Not confused anymore.Not guessing.Just… thinking.Which told me everything.I pulled out of his driveway, glancing over at him.“So.”He let out a breath.“So.”I smirked slightly.“That’s helpful.”He leaned his head back against the seat.“She told me.”“Yeah,” I said. “I figured.”Silence sat between us for a second.Not awkward.Just… loaded.I kept my eyes on the road.“How’d it go?”He shrugged.“Better than I expected.”“That’s vague.”“She thought I was going to freak out.”I snorted.“Reasonable assumption.”“Apparently.”I glanced over at him again.“You didn’t?”“No.”I let that sit for a second.Then—“You’re lying.”He turned his head.“I’m not lying.”“You’re definitely lying.”“I didn’t freak out in front of her.”“There it is.”He huffed out a quiet laugh.I shook my head.“Man… I don’t know how you do that.”“Do what?”“Act like you’re not bothered.”He loo
JessaThe ride back from the overlook was quiet.Not uncomfortable quiet.Just… thoughtful quiet.The kind where both people are thinking about the same thing but neither one knows exactly what to say next.The sun had already started dipping low, turning the sky orange behind the trees. I watched it through the passenger window while Noah drove, one hand resting loosely on the steering wheel.My brain was still replaying the conversation over and over.Because it hadn’t gone the way I expected.Not even close.When I first said the word Oregon, I’d braced myself.I thought he might get quiet.Or confused.Or worse… hurt.Instead he had just said something simple.“You should go.”I glanced over at him.He caught me looking and lifted one eyebrow slightly.“What?”“Nothing.”“That sounded like something.”I shook my head.“I’m just thinking.”“Dangerous hobby.”I smiled faintly and leaned my head back against the seat.He had said it so easily.You should go.Like it didn’t scare him
NoahBy the third day of Jessa acting like something was chewing on her brain, I was officially done pretending everything was normal.At first I thought I was imagining it.Everyone has off days.Everyone gets stressed about school sometimes.But this wasn’t just stress.It was like she was somewhere else half the time. Sitting next to me, holding my hand, laughing at the right moments… but her mind was always drifting off somewhere I couldn’t see.And the thing that was really getting to me?She wouldn’t talk about it.I wasn’t the type to push people. Never had been.But after a week of this… I couldn’t just sit there and pretend it wasn’t happening.So when school let out that afternoon and everyone started heading for their cars, I caught her before she could disappear toward the parking lot exit.“Hey,” I said.She looked up at me.“Hey.”“You busy?”She shrugged.“Not really.”“Good.”I reached for her hand.“Come with me.”Her eyebrows lifted.“Where are we going?”“You’ll see
NoahI should’ve been focusing on the game film playing on my laptop. The recruiter from State wasn’t just sniffing around anymore—he’d been at Friday’s game, watching every move, every throw, every play. Tonight, I should’ve been dissecting coverage and memorizing tendencies. Instead, I was flat o
JessaBy the time Jackson came home from practice, the sky outside had already turned dusky gray, the kind of light that made everything in our house feel smaller and heavier.I was curled up on the couch, half-watching a reality show I couldn’t even pretend to care about. The pizza I ordered sat o
NoahThe glow from my phone screen was the only light in my room. The rest of the house was quiet — my parents were downstairs, half-watching TV and half-arguing about bills, and I’d been sitting here for almost an hour staring at the same text thread, not even sure what I was hoping to see.Jessa
MariahThe second Jessa and Noah walked off together, the whole cafeteria at Ridgeville High tilted forward like they were watching live drama unfold. You could practically hear the collective gasp ripple through the tables. News traveled fast here—especially when it involved the quarterback’s sist







