Chapter Ninety-Two: Quiet DistanceJaxon Brooks noticed right away.No good morning text.No sleepy selfie in one of his hoodies.No “Morning, 23” with a sun emoji and a too-honest caption like this day already sucks but atleast you're cute.Just silence.And that silence hit different when it came from Harper Lane.He lay back on his dorm mattress, staring at the ceiling as the morning sun bled through theblinds. His phone sat on his chest, unopened messages from teammates pinging in every fewminutes—group chats about practice, the upcoming away game, someone asking whose socksgot stolen from the laundry room.But not a single one was from her.His thumb hovered over her name like it could summon her energy, that gentle Harper-ness thatalways grounded him. But the last thing she sent was a single word.Harper: Fine.Not even a period. Not even a heart or sarcastic emoji. Just fine.And it was anything but.He’d read their conversation from the night before at least ten times, tr
Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Sunday GoodbyeThe morning sun filtered through the lace curtains, casting soft golden streaks across thehardwood floors of Harper’s living room. The house was too still, like it was holding its breath.Only the scent of cinnamon rolls—Mia’s last-minute decision to bake—softened the heavinessthat hung in the air. That and the faint hiss of the coffee maker sputtering in the kitchen.Harper sat curled cross-legged on the couch, swaddled in the same blanket Jaxon had used thenight before. It smelled like him—cologne, clean cotton, a little like bonfire smoke. Her hair wasknotted into a messy bun, and her eyes were still swollen and pink from sleep—or maybe not justsleep. There was a particular kind of ache that came from knowing the day would end withoutthe person you loved still near.Mia sat beside her, their knees pressed together, both wearing mismatched pajama pants and oldT-shirts. She was uncharacteristically quiet, sipping from a chipped mug that
Chapter Seventy-Nine: Sunday Morning GlowThe sun came through the kitchen blinds in soft streaks, catching the dust in the air and makingeverything look golden and quiet. It was the kind of morning where the world felt like it washolding its breath, pausing just long enough to feel safe again.Harper padded into the kitchen in fuzzy socks and one of Jaxon’s sweatshirts—oversized,sleeves falling over her hands, and worn soft from all the times she’d borrowed it and he’d neveronce asked for it back. Her curls were a mess, falling in tangled waves past her shoulders, andshe rubbed one eye as she moved toward the coffee pot.On the couch, Jaxon stirred.He shifted under the throw blanket, blinked up at the morning light, and sat up slowly with agroan and a stretch. His back cracked, shoulders popping as he rolled them out. “Morning,” herasped, voice thick with sleep.“You’re a light sleeper,” Harper mumbled, already pouring a cup for him before making herown.“Nah,” he said with
Chapter Seventy-One: The Sweetest Kind of ShockHarperThe smell of cinnamon and fresh coffee lingered in the house like a memory.Harper Lane sat on the couch with her knees hugged to her chest, fingers curled tightly around awarm mug Jaxon had just refilled. The air buzzed with lazy comfort—low music playing in thebackground, cereal bowls clinking in the kitchen, and Mia’s squeal still echoing faintly in herears.She couldn’t stop smiling.None of it felt real yet.Jaxon Brooks—her cinnamon-stick-carrying, hoodie-wearing, infuriatingly romanticboyfriend—had shown up on her porch at dawn like it was the most normal thing in the world.No warning. No heads-up. Just sleepy eyes, messy hair, and that crooked smile she’d been seeingon a screen for too many weeks.He wasn’t supposed to be here. Not after drills. Not on a random Saturday. And definitely notwith a box of donuts and a bouquet of gas station sunflowers like he was auditioning for aNetflix rom-com.“I’m still not over i
Chapter Seventy: Boiling Beneath the CalmJaxonBy Wednesday afternoon, Jaxon Brooks had reread Harper’s last text six times—seven if you counted the time he just opened it and stared.It wasn’t because he didn’t believe her.He trusted Harper. Completely. Irrationally. Stupidly.But still—he felt it boiling under his skin.It wasn’t her.It was Ryker.That photo from earlier in the week had made the rounds on social media way too fast—just a quick snapshot of Harper and Ryker talking across a cafeteria table—but it hit like a punch to the gut. Harper, smiling. Ryker, leaning in just slightly. The kind of nothing-moment that people loved turning into a headline.Jaxon didn’t even have to open the comments. The caption alone was enough.“Looks like someone’s moving on fast. Jaxon who?”He read it once. Then tossed his phone on the bed and let it bounce off the edge.Eli walked in ten minutes later, gym bag slung over one shoulder, earbuds still tangled around his neck. “Alright,” he sa
Chapter Sixty-Nine: Unapologetically HarperHarperSenior year didn’t arrive with confetti or applause. It drifted in on the back of early September winds—soft and cool, full of change that didn’t scream, but whispered.The hallways of Pinehill High were exactly the same. Dingy white floors, lockers dented from years of slammed doors, that weird smell near the science wing no one ever quite explained. But as Harper Lane walked through the front doors, her boots clicking steadily, something was different.Her.It wasn’t some makeover moment. There was no dramatic hair chop or viral TikTok transformation. No revenge body. No glow-up playlist blasting through the air.It was quieter than that. But stronger.She walked in with her head held high—not because she wanted attention, but because, for the first time, she didn’t mind if she got it. Her pale pink sweater hugged her shoulders like confidence. Her high-waisted jeans fit her body, all of it, and she wasn’t tugging at the waistband o