Mag-log in[Ava’s POV]Sophie’s eyes narrow. “He’s not your concern anymore. You lost that right the day he chose me.”“Chose you?” A short, humorless breath leaves me. “Is that what we’re calling it now? Because from where I stood, it looked a lot like cheating in an empty hallway while I still thought we were together.”Ryan opens his mouth, but Sophie cuts him off with a sharp glance. She turns back to me, one hand on her hip, the other tight around the strap of her bag.“At least I didn’t have to fake an entire relationship with the school’s resident playboy just to feel relevant,” she says. “Everyone knows what you and Kyle are doing. It’s a joke. A bet. And the second he’s done with you, you’ll be right back where you started—alone and pathetic.”My fingers tighten around the strap of my own bag until the edge digs into my palm. The worst part is that some of her words echo things I have already told myself. The fake dating, the deal, the way Kyle’s father looked at me like I was nothing—
[Ava’s POV]The man takes another step forward, and the air around us seems to tighten. Every hair on my arms rises at once. Goosebumps run down my spine, and a cold, unfamiliar fear settles under my skin. I look from Kyle to the man and back again.His father glances at him, then at me. “Who is this?”His eyes move up and down my frame in a slow, assessing way that makes my stomach tighten. Kyle rests a hand lightly on my shoulder and speaks before the silence can stretch any further.“This is Ava. Ava, this is my dad.”The introduction only makes the tension in my chest worse. I force myself to stand straighter and keep my voice polite.“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”The man barely reacts. His gaze flicks over me once more, dismissive, as if I had not spoken at all. Then he turns his attention fully back to Kyle.“The principal’s office. Now.”He starts to walk away, shoulders set in a rigid line, but after a few steps he pauses and looks back at me one last time.“And I expec
[Ava’s POV]The sound of shattering glass pulls both of us out of the room at the same time. We run toward the living area and find my father sitting on the floor near the low table, another bottle in his hand and broken glass scattered around his feet. His eyes are glassy, his words already slurred as he mutters harsh, familiar things under his breath about how useless we are and how everything always falls on him.“Dad,” I whisper as I walk towards him, even the word doesn't sit well with me.“Get away from me,” he pushes with his hands and ends up grasping air instead.Theo takes careful steps behind me, tugging gently at my dress, and I can already feel the slight shaking of his body that will soon turn into sobs.I can't believe this had to happen, and in front of Kyle too.“You're a failure, you both are failures,” he groans under his breath, and something unreadable tightens in my chest.“Dad please,” I try to step forward again, hoping to end this before it goes too far.“I s
[Ava’s POV]I reach my door, pull the handle, and open it. The second the gap is wide enough for me to see inside, I rush back outside, close it again hard, and press my back against the wood, using my body to shield whatever is behind it. My heart is already beating too fast.Kyle tilts his head, one of his eyebrows lifting in quiet question, as if asking why I am reacting like this.“Just… give me a second,” I say, my voice a little tighter than I want. “I’ll be right back.”He smiles, slow and knowing, and nods once, as if he has already guessed exactly what I need to do. I open the door again, this time only wide enough to slip through, then close it firmly behind me.The moment I am alone my face burns. My underwear is scattered across the bed. One of my diaries lies open on the desk, pages filled with handwriting I never meant anyone else to see. Other personal things are lying on the chair and the floor. I almost groan at how disorganized the place is. I move fast, almost fran
[Ava’s POV]Theo is standing in the doorway of his room with his arms crossed, shaking his head firmly. The stubborn set of his jaw tells me he has already made up his mind and will not change it easily.“No,” he says again, voice flat. “I don’t like him. He’s not coming into my room.”I try one more time, keeping my voice low so our father will not hear. A small ache sits in my chest at the way Theo looks at Kyle, pure distrust with no room for compromise. “Theo, please. Just for tonight.”He does not move. His expression stays stubborn, the same look he gets whenever he has already decided something. I let out a short breath and turn toward Kyle instead, already feeling the weight of having to solve this myself.“Well,” I say, “since Theo does not want you staying over, there is only one place left.”Kyle raises an eyebrow, waiting. The slight tilt of his head makes him look almost amused, and that only tightens the knot in my stomach.“My father’s room.”The change on his face is
[Ava’s POV]Kyle looks from me to my father and then to Theo, the last of the confetti still clinging to his sleeve. The playful energy he walked in with is completely gone. My father is the first to speak.“Young man,” he says, voice even but watchful, “what brings you here?”Kyle opens his mouth, closes it again, then clears his throat. “Sir, I… I came to wish Ava a happy birthday.” The usual confidence in his tone stumbles just enough that I almost feel the urge to laugh at how flustered he looks. The tension in the room does not fully leave, but it shifts, settling into something more complicated.My father studies him for a moment longer, then gestures toward the small table where the half-eaten cake still sits. “Since you’re already here, you might as well come in properly. We’ve just finished eating, but there’s still some left.”Kyle glances at me, a quick, uncertain look, as if checking whether I want him to stay or leave. When I do not tell him to go, he steps further insi







