LOGINNina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
“Sorry,” I said, walking up to him and watching as he hobbled over to the bench and sank down with defeat. “Have you been training this hard all day?” He shrugged. “I’ve got another match tomorrow, and my skills are slipping. I’d still be practicing if I didn’t just break my stick.” I was silent f
Enzo “Just go, Nina,” I said. I felt my eyes begin to glow red, which I didn’t want her to see -- but it was already too late. “I can’t be doing this with you anymore.” The pained sound that came out of her mouth made me want to pull her in and hug her tightly, but I couldn’t. Keeping her close to
Nina My door swung open. Enzo’s eyes went wide as he looked at something behind me, and when I turned, my own eyes widened too. My mother was standing in the doorway, her nostrils flaring angrily and her eyes full of fiery fury, and she was holding a baseball bat. Before I could stop her, she rushe
Enzo I spent the next week drowning myself in nothing but hockey in a feeble attempt to keep Nina off of my mind. Fio was furious with me and would hardly speak to me, often spending his days being dormant ever since Nina and I last had sex. Did I make a grave mistake by pushing Nina away? Her sce







