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“STOP!” Her voice was so loud that several students actually jumped. “Stop it! Both of you! This is disgusting! Ethan, you have no right to say things like that! And Daniel, you need to back off before this turns into an actual fight!”She was shaking now, her whole body trembling.“I’m done. I’m done with this conversation, I’m done with this drama, I’m done with both of you! Daniel, we’re leaving. Right now.”She grabbed Daniel’s arm and physically pulled him away from Ethan. Daniel resisted for a moment, still glaring at Ethan, but then allowed himself to be led away.“See? He controls you, Ariel! You can’t even have a five-minute talk without him pulling you away! When are you going to see what he’s doing to you?”“Don’t contact me again, Ethan. Not until you can be respectful. Not until you can accept that when I say I need space, I mean it. Don’t call. Don’t text. Don’t show up at my house. Leave me alone.”She turned and walked out of the cafeteria, Daniel following close behin
“Ariel,” Ethan said, his voice controlled, but with an undercurrent of emotion barely contained. He was ignoring Daniel completely. “Can we talk? Please? I’ve been trying to reach you for days. Seventeen missed calls, Ariel. Thirty-two unanswered texts. You’ve completely ghosted me.”Daniel stood up before Ariel could even open her mouth. He moved to position himself slightly in front of her, a protective… or possessive… gesture that wasn’t lost on Ethan.“She’s busy, Ethan,” Daniel said coolly. “Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something? You’re interrupting.”Ethan’s eyes snapped to Daniel, and there was real anger there now, no longer hidden.“I wasn’t talking to you, man. I was talking to Ariel. Ariel…” He tried to look past Daniel, his voice softening when he addressed her directly. “Please. Just five minutes of your time. That’s all I’m asking. Five minutes. I just want to know why you’re avoiding me. If I did something wrong, if I said something that upset you, just tell me
Ariel took the folder, flipping through the pages. The notes were indeed incredibly detailed, with diagrams and highlighted key points.“Daniel, this is… this is amazing. Thank you. Really. How did you even get these?”“I have my ways,” Daniel said with a small smile. “Let’s just say I called in a favor. Now, let’s get started. Tell me what you remember about the Medici family and their role in patronage.”As they worked, Ariel started to relax. The tension in her shoulders began to melt away. Her breathing evened out. Her voice got steadier, more confident. This felt almost normal. It felt like the old them… the two siblings who used to help each other with homework before everything got complicated and dark and twisted.Daniel was patient, explaining concepts multiple times when she didn’t understand, quizzing her on dates and names, making silly mnemonics to help her remember which artist did what.“Okay, so Botticelli painted ‘The Birth of Venus’ in the 1480s. To remember that, th
Ariel’s face went pale, all the blood draining from her cheeks. She gave him a warning look that could have cut glass.“Don’t say his name,” she hissed, her voice low.“Why not?” Daniel asked. “We both know the truth, Ariel. We both know you’re in love with him. We both know that’s the real reason you’re falling apart. It’s not just stress about grades. It’s heartbreak. He probably rejected you and it destroyed you. Why can’t we just be honest about it? At least with each other?”“Can we not do this right now?” Ariel pleaded, her eyes darting around to see if anyone was listening. A group of students walked past, laughing about something. “Not here. What I feel or don’t feel about Professor Grayson is none of your business, Daniel. It has nothing to do with you.”“It is my business when I watch you destroy yourself over him,” Daniel countered. “When I watch you skip classes, lose weight, stop sleeping. When I watch you become a ghost of yourself. That’s my business because you’re my s
Susan stopped what she was doing, setting down the coffee pot with a soft clink. She wiped her hands on her apron and turned to look at both of them, her brow furrowed with that uniquely motherly instinct that something was off.“Is everything alright between you two?” Susan asked, her voice gentle but probing. “You both seem… I don’t know, quiet. Different. Did you guys have an argument last night while I was watching my show downstairs? I thought I heard raised voices at one point, but when I came up to check, your doors were closed.”Daniel’s immediate thought was, “Here it is. The moment where it could all fall apart. If Ariel tells her Mom what happened, I’m done. My dad will not let me hear the end of it. Susan will never look at me the same again.”Daniel gave his most reassuring smile.“Everything is fine, Susan. Honestly. We were just playing video games late into the night. We got really competitive, you know how it is. I think we just wore each other out, stayed up way too
The morning light glowed across the floor of Daniel’s bedroom, hitting his face with a warm, golden radiance. Most mornings, Daniel would groan at the intrusion, burying his face in his pillow and cursing the sun for existing. But not this morning. This morning, he didn’t even flinch when the brightness invaded his sanctuary.He lay there, perfectly still, staring at the ceiling that he’d memorized over the years. His hands were tucked behind his head, his body relaxed in a way it hadn’t been in months. He was replaying every single second of the night before, frame by frame, like a film he could rewind and watch on an endless loop.“I did it. I actually did it. I told her the truth. After months… no, years of hiding it, of swallowing it down every time she smiled at someone else, every time she mentioned Luther’s name with that dreamy look in her eyes, every time Ethan put his hands on her like he had every right… I finally said it out loud.”He could still feel the phantom sensation
The next morning at school, Ariel pushed open the heavy doors of the library. She was immediately greeted by the familiar smell of old books and polished wood. She hoped that she could finally find a quiet moment here, away from all the gossip and the weird stares people gave her. But she was wrong
Ariel stirred against the pillow, her skin still clammy from the fever that had kept her curled up in bed last night. The small, damp cloth that had been resting on her forehead had become a little dry and slipped down as she slowly opened her eyes. The ceiling fan spun gently above, and for a momen
Ariel stood outside Professor Julia’s office, completely still. The muffled sounds of their argument from behind the closed door felt like distant thunder, making her nerves jumpy. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for the doorknob. She cleared her throat softly, then pushed the door open an
Ariel sat quietly, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, feeling the judging eyes of the adults on her but she kept her gaze fixed straight ahead. Professor Grayson stood silently by the window, his arms crossed over his chest, his attention seemingly focused on something far outside. The college ad







