LOGINRex stood under the hot shower, letting the water run down his face and body , The steam filled the bathroom, clouding the mirror, but it did nothing to clear his head.He exhaled slowly, pressing his palm against the tiled wall.“Get a grip…” he muttered to himself.But he couldn’t, His mind kept going back to Lily.All the moments from earlier from the way she had looked at him earlier to the way she pulled away from him like he was the problem.She had even said she didn’t want to be his friend, He shut his eyes tightly ….Why was she acting like that?One minute they were fine, the next she was shutting him out completely. And the worst part was that he didn’t even know what he did wrong.He turned off the shower abruptly and stepped out, grabbing a towel and drying his hair roughly.“This is not working…” he said under his breath.He needed something else, Something that would actually calm him down, And there was only one place that could do that His painting room.Rex threw
I couldn’t sleep.No matter how many times I shut my eyes or turned on the bed, it just wouldn’t come. My mind refused to rest, replaying everything over and over again like it was stuck on a loop I couldn’t escape from.Rex’s voice, His eyes, The way he looked at me in the car.The way he said my name.I groaned softly and sat up, dragging my hands down my face.“This is so frustrating…” I muttered.I couldn’t stay here.I couldn’t stay in this room, in this space, knowing that he was somewhere around, breathing the same air, existing too close to me.I swung my legs off the bed and stood up immediately.“Fine… I’m leaving,” I whispered to myself.If sleep wouldn’t come to me, then I would run from the thing keeping it away.Him.I walked straight to my wardrobe and started packing without thinking too much about it. A few clothes, my essentials, my books… I didn’t even care if I was forgetting something important.I just needed to go.I zipped my bag and carried it, heading downst
The moment the realization hit me, it didn’t sit quietly in my chest the way I thought it would.It didn’t come slow, It crashed my mind .I stood up so fast from the bed that it almost made me dizzy, my head spinning as I stared at nothing in particular. My heart was beating too loudly, too fast, like it was trying to break out of my chest.“No… no, no, no…” I muttered under my breath, dragging my hands through my hair.I started pacing.Back and forth.Back and forth.I couldn’t even stay still.“How… how is that even possible?” I whispered, my voice shaky.I tried to think.Tried to go back… to trace it.When did it start?Was it when he first defended me?No… that couldn’t be it.Was it when he started being nice to me?Or when he looked at me like I wasn’t invisible?Or when he held my hand?Or when he…I stopped pacing abruptly.I couldn’t place it.And that scared me even more.Because if I couldn’t even tell when it started, then that meant it had been building… slowly… withou
“Did I do anything wrong?”Rex asked as he parked the car. I couldn’t look at him and say what—that I was feeling so much guilt it felt like I was suffocating? I couldn’t tell him that. I couldn’t say anything to him.I hated that I had to lie to him. My heart ached so much because of it, but I couldn’t say the truth either. It could cost me a lot. Amber warned me about getting close to Rex, and now I could see why. It was no good.I used to be so comfortable with lying to him. It didn’t bother me, but now I was bothered, and I knew that wasn’t good for my plan.“I just don’t want to do this anymore… I will take full responsibility and even drop the course if I have to. I just want to go back,” I replied, facing the other side. I couldn’t look him in the eye.“You can’t just cancel a trip we have been planning for days… I do not understand why you would do that. Is it because I found out you used to stay at Centervile? I also apologized for yelling… Why are you being difficult, Lily?
Andrew Jade, that was his name …I could never forget Andrew, he made my life a living hell and he was unapologetic about it , I could handle seeing any other person but Andrew…his mouth was never shut, he spoke carelessly and that was exactly what I needed to avoid . . I stared at him, frozen, my fingers tightening around the edge of the table as his grin widened like he had just found something entertaining. “Wow…look who decided to show her face again,” he said, dragging the words , In my head I was wondering if it was work ethics for him to even be talking instead of taking others . Rex leaned back slightly, his eyes moving between us, confusion written all over his face. “You both know each other?” he asked again. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Of course they didn’t, I always forget how to speak when I am scared . Because how was I supposed to explain this? Andrew didn’t wait for my answer. “Oh, we know each other alright,” he said, letting out a shor
Monica’s fingers wrapped around my wrist before I could even process what was happening, pulling me away from the entrance and into a quiet corner just beside the side wall of one of the buildings,My heart was still pounding, not just from seeing her, but from the realization that Rex was out there… and any second now, he would come back and notice I was gone. Forty-five minutes. That was all I had given myself. And now, standing in front of Monica, I wasn’t even sure five minutes would be enough. “Lily…” she started, her voice shaking slightly as she held my shoulders, her eyes scanning my face like she was trying to confirm I was real. “What are you doing here? Why are you in Centervile?” I opened my mouth to answer, but she didn’t give me the chance. “And why did you stop reaching out?” she continued, her brows knitting together, she was clearly confused , I didn’t blame her ….. “You just stoped reaching out, No calls, no messages, nothing. Do you know how worried I was?
Nightfall was already approaching, and Lily was still nowhere to be found. She had promised to return before nightfall. Amber was seated outside, waiting for her. “Should I go over to the house?” Amber said, pacing around the front yard. She had been counting down to when Lily would walk in. Amb
The walk back to our room after Maltilda left was a little bit awkward. Amber held my hands so tightly while I walked behind her calmly. I wanted to say something… anything to break the silence, but I couldn’t find the perfect words. “I uhm…” “Lily…” We both spoke at once. She stopped and turne
“What did you just say to me?”Amber stepped away from me, but I grabbed her hand, my lips trembling.“What did you just say to me?” I repeated, my voice demanding answers while my brain refused to process what I had just heard.“How did I give birth to someone so stupid,” she repeated, yanking her
Rex just stared at me. His lips parted slightly, like he wanted to say something, but no words came out.“Just leave me alone… please,” I pleaded. My voice sounded painfully weak, even though I tried to steady it.“You should go back inside. You don’t look so good.” He reached for my hand.I pushed







