LOGINLEON'S POVThe doorbell chimed, a bright, intrusive sound that sliced through the quiet of our house. I rushed to open it, pulled the door open, and for a second, I simply just stared.First at the familiar round, cherub face, pouty lips and big, hazel eyes framed by softly arched eyebrows.Then my eyes dropped to the long graceful neck, collarbones, the pretty, light-blue, knee-length dress and the shiny, black mary-janes with frilly socks that matched the colour of the shirtwaist dress.âRose?â I breathed, feeling my brow furrow as I began to do the math in my head.But the mention of her name had already drawn my mother's attention.âRose Graham!â Mom hollered as she hurried towards us, her face lighting up in a way I hadn't seen in months.Rose stood on the porch, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, still looking exactly like the girl who used to chase me through the sprinkler system, just grown now.âHi Leon,â she beamed, not waiting for an invite. She surged forward, wrapping
AARON'S POVâI'm a coward. I keep telling myself it's because it hurts to see you like this, but the truth is, Iâm terrified that you wouldn't want me to be here, after everything.âI blinked back tears, gently caressing the veins at the back of her hand. âI stole everything from you, right from conception,â I murmured. âI'm sorry.âI took a shaky breath, looking down at our joined hands. The weight of my emotions felt like it was crushing my lungs.âOh God,â I gasped, my heart lurching painfully against my chest as I felt my mom's fingers twitch inside my palm.âMom?â I called out in a quiet, desperate voice. âMom can you hear me??â I looked at her calm face, at the tube hanging out of one side of her mouth. âIf you can hear and understand me, twitch your fingers againâŚâI almost held my breath, my eyes watering as I waited. And then a gush of relieved, excited breath whooshed out of me when her fingers twitched again, lighter this time.âIfâŚâ I took a deep breath, my voice breaking.
AARON'S POVI felt like I was being scorched by the relentless, silent judgement on aunt Sarah's face.She stood by the counter, her arms crossed, watching me with a pointed expectation that made my throat feel tight.It was a suffocating look, one that suggested she knew exactly what I was hiding, the guilt, the rage, and the terrifying void where my conscience should have been.âItâs been months, Aaron. She doesnât have that many people left,â my aunt said, her voice soft in a way that made my eyes burn.âYouâre punishing yourself, and youâre punishing her. You can't keep running away from her for good.âI gently placed my glass down on the granite island, my hand shaking ever so slightly as I turned my back to her.âTrust me, aunt, you donât want to talk about how long I'm willing to keep ârunningâââAaron! Just stop, okay?!! It wasn't yourâŚââPlease don't,â I murmured, spinning on my heel to face her again. My blood was beginning to boil, a familiar, toxic heat that Iâd been carry
LEON'S POVThe clatter of silverware against porcelain sounded was almost too much in the unnatural quiet around the dining table.Usually, we didn't talk while eating but there was just something heavier about this silence.My dad was at the head of the table as usual, his posture as rigid as the starched white collar he still wore even at home.Suddenly he cleared his throat and I promptly sat up straight.âIâve already spoken to the admissions office at Princeton, Leon,â he began, not looking up from his roast chicken. âThey have a legacy program that, combined with your GPA, practically guarantees you a seat. It is the only sensible path forward.âI set my fork down, my appetite long gone. âI donât want to go to Princeton, Dad. Iâve told you this already. Itâs not about the ranking orâŚor the legacy.âHe looked up then, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. âAnd what, pray tell, is it about? Or are you just determined to be difficult for the sake of it?ââItâs about what I want t
LEON'S POVThe afternoon light filtered through the stained-glass windows of the church building, casting long, broken patches of crimson and violet across the floorboards.I was in the middle of correcting a twelve-year-oldâs posture, my fingers aching from hours of repetitively playing the keyboard, when I felt the air in the room shift.I looked up, expecting to see a parent or perhaps the janitor. Instead, my heart dropped to the floor as I saw Aaron.At first, I blinked hard to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I wasn't. Aaron was sitting in the very back row, his long legs stretched out into the aisle, leaning against the polished wood as if he owned the pew.Perhaps the second most surprising thing about his presence there was that he didnât look out of place at all. He looked like he belonged there, even with his apparent arrogance which was practically seeping out of his pores.His handsome face slowly split into a smile that I would've mistaken as âwarmâ if it wasn't from
DAMIAN'S POVThe Monday morning bell had a sharper, more annoying edge to it that felt particularly aggravating today.I stood by my locker in the hallway, my eyes tracing the movement of the crowd of students, and then finally settling on Leon. He was leaning against the lockers, books pressed to his chest, lookingâŚdifferent.Yeah, different. In a good way, if I do say so myself. It was almost as though he'd gained more confidence in the one month he'd been hanging around Aaron.He still had on his usual attire, our school uniform, ironed to perfection. But it was like he wore it differently now.But then even with all these, there was still a jittery, nervous energy to him that hadn't completely disappeared alongside his glow-up.It also wasn't lost on me that I wasn't the only one that noticed Leon's upgrade. The boy had never been ugly but he'd always looked pathetic, pitiful.Now he was getting appreciative and inviting glances from girls most of the guys on the team were pining







