CHAPTER FOUR

Morning came far too quickly.

I barely remembered falling asleep, but I knew I hadn’t dreamed of anything good. My eyes felt heavy, my head still buzzing faintly with the memory of the note Damian had left on my windowsill last night. I had read it three times before tucking it under my pillow, hoping maybe that would make it feel closer to me somehow.

It hadn’t.

Mom was at the dining table when I came downstairs, nursing her coffee with the paper folded neatly in front of her. “You look a little more awake than yesterday,” she said, smiling faintly.

I gave her the smallest smile I could manage in return. “Yeah. I’ll… I’ll be fine.”

She didn’t press, just pinched her nose . “Alright. I'll see you later. Have a good day at school, Autumn.”

I nodded and stepped outside,I could feel her gaze on me as I walked. I adjusted the strap of my bag, glanced down the road, and waited.

Damian was supposed to pick me up. He usually did, unless something came up. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, checking the time. He was already ten minutes late.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, glancing back at the house. Maybe I should just ask Mom to drive me. But I could already picture the questions she might ask, questions I didn’t feel like answering, and I told myself I’d wait just a little longer.

The street was quiet. A pair of joggers passed by, their sneakers slapping against the pavement. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. I wrapped my arms tighter around myself, tapping my fingers against my elbows.

Two more minutes, I decided. If he didn’t show, I’d go inside and call Mom.

And then I saw it.

The low hum of an engine reached my ears, growing louder until the sleek outline of a sports car appeared from the corner. My heart gave that stupid leap it always did when I saw him, and I stepped forward, my hand already rising in a wave.

But then… I saw her.

Marianne.

Sitting exactly where I always sat. In my spot.

Her glossy hair was pulled over one shoulder, the sunlight catching on the warm brown strands like it was doing her a personal favor. Even from here, she looked perfect, effortlessly perfect, in a way that made me feel like I was shrinking.

I forced my smile to stay in place as Damian slowed the car in front of me. I opened the door, murmuring a quiet “Morning.” Marianne’s eyes flicked toward me, her expression blank, lips pressed in that polite, unreadable line I’d seen before.

Damian barely looked at me. “Sorry for not waiting back at your place,” he said, his voice casual, almost dismissive. “I’ll come over this evening for more treats.”

That was it. No explanation.

I slid into the back seat, the faint scent of his cologne surrounding me. For a moment, I let myself imagine him glancing to look at me, smiling at me like he used to. But he didn’t. His attention was already back on Marianne.

They were mid-conversation before the car even started moving again, his voice lighter, warmer somehow. I stared out the window, letting their words blur into a meaningless hum, but every now and then, Marianne’s laugh would cut through the noise. It was soft. Delicate. Like the sound itself knew it belonged.

I gripped my bag tighter, my nails pressing into the fabric.

I thought of the note from last night.

‘Marianne had called that she was over at my house with her parents, but I wasn’t around so I headed back.’

Of course she’d be there. Their families lived in the same orbit, black suits and polished dinner tables, champagne glasses that never emptied. The kind of life I could never really touch, no matter how many cookies I baked or how many times I tried to make him laugh.

I glanced down at my jeans, at the scuff on my sneakers, at the way my glasses kept sliding down my nose. Nerdy. Plain. Out of place.

By the time we pulled up to school, I’d already rehearsed the goodbye in my head. Quick. Distant. Before either of them could notice the ache in my chest.

But as soon as we stopped, Damian leaned toward Marianne with a grin. “I’ll carry your bag.”

She smiled, and God, she was beautiful when she smiled, and handed it over without hesitation.

Something inside me twisted. I clenched my fists around my own backpack, the straps digging into my palms.

Before I could even think about it, my legs were moving, carrying me away from the car, away from their voices.

“Autumn!” Damian called after me.

I didn’t look back. I knew if I did, if I saw the expression in his eyes, it would be over. He’d see right through me, through the careful, quiet mask I’d been wearing, and find the mess I’d been hiding underneath.

I ducked into the hallway, the noise of the school swallowing me whole. My steps slowed once I reached my locker.

I hugged my things to my chest, turning toward my first class. The hallway was crowded, students weaving past each other in a blur of chatter and motion.

And then…

It happened.

Something caught my foot. Or rather, someone.

Before I could react, I pitched forward, the breath whooshing out of me as I hit the floor, my books scattering across the tiles.

A sharp sting shot up my palms from where they’d caught me, and the sound of laughter, low, sharp, not even trying to be hidden, curled around me.

I blinked against the rush of humiliation, my heart pounding as shadows shifted above me.

I looked up and wasn't expecting what I saw.