Se connecterThird Person POVFlashback Continued — The Next DayThe night had ended exactly how Brittany didn’t want it to.Not with attention.Not with control.Not with John.But with her standing on the outside, watching everything she thought was supposed to be hers… happen for someone else.After prom, when everyone moved over to the hotel for the pool party, the energy only got worse for her. The music was louder, the drinks were flowing, people laughing, dancing, pairing off, and somehow, without even trying, Stacy and Andrew had become the center of it. People gravitated toward them, pulling them into conversations, into photos, into moments that looked easy and real.And Brittany?She was there.But not really.Doug stayed close at first, trying, hovering, talking, attempting to pull her into conversations, but Brittany barely gave him anything. Half responses. Dismissive looks. Attention always somewhere else.On Stacy.On Andrew.On what she didn’t have.It turned into a scene without
Third Person POVFlashback — Prom NightBy the time the rest of the week passed, prom had finally arrived, and the energy around school had completely shifted. Everyone was either excited, stressed, or already living in the moment, trying to make it something memorable before graduation officially closed that chapter. Brittany, who had never even planned on going, found herself making a last-minute decision that she wasn’t about to be left out, not when everybody else was dressing up, showing out, and stepping into something that felt bigger than where they came from.So she went out to the local outlet mall, grabbed a dress, nothing too thought-out, just something that looked good enough, and decided she wasn’t getting ready at the trailer. Not tonight. Instead, she went over to her brother’s place, where he and Sheena had settled into a nice apartment, something that already felt like a step up from everything they grew up in. It made sense anyway, especially since her “date” wasn’t
Third Person POVFlashback — Two Months LaterTwo months later, as graduation loomed closer and closer, the senior class had mentally checked out. Most of their core classes were already wrapped up, so the days were filled with half-effort assignments, cleaning out lockers, talking about prom, and pretending like the real world wasn’t waiting right outside those doors. The hallways were louder, lighter… but underneath all of that, there was tension. The kind that came with endings.And Brittany felt it.Not just because school was ending…But because something else had already ended without her realizing it.Stacy.For the past couple of weeks, Brittany had noticed the shift. The distance. The silence. Stacy barely called anymore, barely texted, barely even looked for her in the hallways. And that didn’t sit right with Brittany, not when Stacy was her only real friend left. Especially after Sheena had basically disappeared into her own life, practically marrying Brittany’s brother and
Third Person POVFlashback — The Story of Brittany and Bradley LarkenAs everyone already knew, Brittany and Bradley had always been the kind of young love that felt bigger than where it came from. They met in the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada, tucked away in a trailer park filled with families who all carried the same struggles, the same limitations, and the same quiet hope of getting out one day. But Brittany… Brittany wanted more than hope. She wanted out of Vegas, for real. So when she left, thinking she had found something better, someone better, she truly believed she was stepping into a different life. What she didn’t realize was that she was walking straight into a lesson she wasn’t ready for.That night on the Vegas Strip felt like freedom to her. The lights, the noise, the constant movement of people winning, losing, celebrating, falling apart, it all blurred together in a way that made her feel older than she actually was. She and Stacy weren’t old enough to really be part
Janine’s POV“Well… how complicated can Brittany actually be?”I look over at Lola as I say it, a small laugh slipping out of me.But it dies fast.Because nobody else is laughing.Not even a little.They’re all just…Looking at me.Deadpan.Waiting.Like—Go ahead. Tell it.I sigh, shaking my head slightly as I set my fork down.The food is good.Too good for this kind of conversation.“…Okay,” I say, exhaling. “Let me tell you guys a story.”I pause for a second.Because even now…It doesn’t feel like a story.It feels like something I lived through and tried to forget.“…A story about two girls,” I continue quietly, “growing up in the trailer parks outside of Las Vegas.”My eyes drop to my plate.But I’m not seeing it anymore.I’m already back there.Flashback“Brittany, girl… I know I’m dating your brother,” I said, laughing softly, “but you and Bradley?”I shook my head, grinning.“You two are it. Like… super married. You’re gonna be like, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Couple goa
Clover’s POV As I sat there, watching Grandma Lola and Janine stare at each other, I knew, without a doubt....There was something they weren’t telling us.Something deeper.Something buried.Zade had already mentioned that his mom had started opening up about her past… about this woman, Brittany, and whatever they had been through growing up.But this?This felt bigger than that.Heavier.I shifted slightly in my seat, studying them both.Grandma Lola had that same calm, unreadable expression on her face… but there was something behind it.A knowing.A memory.Janine, on the other hand, looked tense.Uncomfortable.Like she was standing on the edge of something she didn’t want to fall into.I glanced around the room.Grandma Turner sat quietly, nursing the drink Henry had just made for her.My mother, Lauren, looked just as confused as I felt.Everyone was waiting.Anticipating.But no one said a word.The silence stretched too long.I cleared my throat.“Um… Grandpa Henry? Is the f







