Gone In a Flash

Absolutely — I’ll keep the same first-person voice, emotional tension, and relationships between Brees, Keegan, and Baylen, while expanding the scene to 600–1000 words without changing the direction of the story.

I scrambled to get to him before Baylen’s words could fully sink in.

“Keegan, wait!”

“Brees, you know something about my dad?” Keegan asked, stepping backward. His face had completely changed. The hurt in his eyes was almost worse than the anger in his voice. “You’re keeping secrets from me? What the actual fuck? And Bay, you knew about this?”

“Keegan—” I started.

He shook his head.

“No. Don’t.” He looked between the two of us, his jaw clenched. “I can’t believe you both knew.”

“Keegan, it wasn’t like that,” Baylen said.

“Then what was it like?”

Neither of us answered quickly enough.

That was all it took.

Keegan turned and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him so hard that the sound echoed through the room.

My heart dropped.

“Kee!”

I ran after him, practically tripping over my own feet as I hurried outside. He had already made it to our porch swing. He dropped onto it and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. His head hung low.

When he saw me approaching, he immediately put his hand up.

“Don’t.”

I stopped.

Just like that.

I had never seen Keegan look at me that way before. Not even when we were younger and had gotten into stupid arguments. There was something different in his expression now. He looked betrayed.

And maybe I deserved that.

But why did Baylen have to say it like that?

It wasn’t as if I had made the decision alone. Baylen had been the one who told me not to tell Keegan. He was the one who had spent the last year warning me about what could happen if Keegan and I crossed that line between friendship and something more.

And now he had just thrown everything into the open.

I looked at Keegan, hoping he could somehow see how much I was hurting too.

I knew he loved me.

At least, I thought I did.

After the kiss we shared last night, how could I not believe it?

That kiss had changed everything.

The way he had looked at me afterward. The way his fingers had stayed intertwined with mine. The way my heart had felt like it was going to explode out of my chest.

And now he couldn’t even look at me.

“Kee…” I whispered, taking a small step toward him. “Please listen to me.”

He turned his face away.

That hurt more than I expected.

“Please,” I said again.

Nothing.

I stood there for another few seconds, staring at the boy who had been my best friend for years. The boy who knew me better than almost anyone. The boy I had spent so much time trying not to fall in love with.

And now he wouldn’t even speak to me.

Baylen came outside behind me.

“Brees—”

I couldn’t deal with him.

I pushed past him and ran back into the house.

I made it to the stairs before the tears finally came.

I sat down on the bottom step and buried my face in my hands.

What was I supposed to do now?

For the first time in months, I had actually thought I had figured things out. I had choices. I had Jeff, who genuinely liked me and who I genuinely liked. Then there was Keegan, who I had tried desperately not to admit I was in love with.

And now I had neither.

Well, technically, I still had Jeff.

I glanced toward the clock.

My date with him was still happening tonight.

I sighed.

Maybe that was what I needed. Maybe I needed something normal. Something uncomplicated.

Jeff wasn’t a bad guy. He was sweet, funny, and he made me feel wanted. I really did like him.

But he wasn’t Keegan.

That was the problem.

My mom had taught me many things over the years, but one thing always stuck with me: don’t stay with someone just because being alone scares you. Don’t choose someone because they’re convenient. If you don’t love them, you’re only hurting both of you.

And I didn’t love Jeff.

At least, not the way I loved Keegan.

I wiped my face quickly when I heard voices outside.

Baylen and Keegan.

At first, they were yelling.

I couldn’t make out every word, but I heard Keegan’s angry voice and Baylen trying to explain himself. My stomach twisted every time Keegan raised his voice.

Then, slowly, things became quieter.

I sat there, hugging my knees against my chest, listening.

Eventually, the front door opened.

Baylen stepped inside.

He had his keys in his hand and looked exhausted. He stopped when he saw me sitting on the stairs.

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

Then he sighed.

“I’m sorry I flipped out on you, Squirt.”

I looked down at my hands.

“I don’t know why the thought of you and Kee makes me so angry,” he continued. “I just don’t want to lose him as a friend. And if you two were together and then broke up, that could be a real possibility.”

I finally looked up at him.

He rubbed the back of his neck.

“I knew how he felt about you last year. He told me one night after football practice.”

My eyes widened.

“He did?”

Baylen nodded.

“He was so incredibly proud of you and everything you accomplished in softball. He talked about you for the longest time. And then he finally admitted that he was into you as more than a friend.”

My heart cracked a little more.

“He really said that?”

“Yeah.” Baylen gave me a sad smile. “And I begged him not to act on those feelings. I told him it could ruin everything between you guys.”

I swallowed hard.

“So this was your fault too.”

“I know.”

He looked down, shame written all over his face.

“I can’t believe what a horrible brother I’ve been this last year. I thought I was protecting him, but I wasn’t. I was just scared of losing him.”

He stepped toward me and pulled me into a tight hug.

“I’m really sorry, kid.”

I wrapped my arms around him and cried against his shoulder.

“I don’t know what to do,” I whispered.

“I’ll fix it,” he promised. “I’m taking Kee home, and I’ll talk to him, okay?”

I nodded, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

Baylen squeezed my shoulder before heading toward the door.

I watched him leave.

He had promised to make it better.

But as the door closed behind him, I already knew something he didn’t.

There was nothing he could say that would undo what had happened.

Keegan had looked at me like I had betrayed him.

And maybe, in his eyes, I had.

I sat alone on the stairs, staring at the door.

Last night, Keegan had kissed me.

Today, he couldn’t even stand to look at me.

And somehow, I had a feeling things were never going to be the same again.

Keegan Patts hated me.

And it was all my fault.

If you want, I can also  make the next scene with Brees getting ready for her date with Jeff while she’s emotionally wrecked over Keegan, keeping the same tone and building the love triangle.