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Chapter 20: Checkmate
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2025-05-30 10:42:55
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The One I Can't Escape Chapter 26: Smoke and Shadows
I freeze.The knock still echoes in the air, heavier now, like it carries weight Oliver doesn’t want to name out loud.Then his voice—calm but clipped. A little too careful.“Hey Jude. I know you’re here. Please, open the door.”My pulse spikes.Zane doesn't move.I whirl on him, wide-eyed, and whisper sharply, “Under the bed. Now.”He raises both eyebrows. “Seriously?”“Yes! Go!”But he just stands there, arms crossed like we’re in the middle of a casual argument—not a situation that could shatter everything if Oliver walks in and finds him here.He tilts his head. “You really think he’s the jealous type?”“Zane,” I hiss, panicked, “if he sees you here, it won’t be jealousy. It’ll be war.”He smirks like the idea doesn’t bother him one bit. In fact, he looks like he wants to be caught. Like some part of him is hoping Oliver will walk in and see him here, smug and unbothered, draped in implication.“Zane—please.”Finally, he sighs. “Fine. But only because you asked.”He drops to the f
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 25: The Gift of Time
The knock comes just after eight.Soft. Measured. Polite.Isabella opens the door before I can even stand. A moment later, her voice drifts down the hallway.“Jude? There’s a package for you.”A pause.Then, quieter: “It looks… nice.”By the time I reach the entryway, she’s already stepped aside, leaving me alone with the delivery guy and a rectangular box between us.“Signature here, please,” he says, handing me a tablet.I scribble my name.He leaves.I close the door behind me, box in hand, heart tightening just a little. There’s no name on the label. No return address. Just my first name. Printed. Smooth. Cold.My first thought: Is it him again?Zane.Another watch? Another mind game? Another way to wrap something shiny around my wrist and call it affection?Taking the stairs to my room, I pass Isabella again. She throws a quick glance at the box.“So?” she asks. “What is it?”I shrug. “A gift. I think. No idea who it’s from.”She raises an eyebrow but doesn’t push. “Let me know i
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 24: Fractures and Faultlines
By morning, the whispers have grown teeth.The halls feel smaller. The air heavier.People stare.Some with amusement. Others with awe.And then there are those who look at me like I’m a character in a drama I didn’t sign up for.The rumors aren’t just about Oliver’s pre-selection heroics anymore.They’re about us.Us, and the fight.Us, and the way Zane looked like he was about to break something that wasn't a bone.I wanted to keep us quiet.But secrets don’t stand a chance against football victories and locker room gossip.Worse, the version that’s spreading isn’t just that Oliver and I are together.It’s that Oliver and Zane are fighting over me.And they’re not wrong.I duck into the library during lunch, desperate for quiet. But before I can even sit down, someone’s already at my side.Lea.She’s holding something small in her palm. A velvet box.“I’m not here to argue,” she says. “I’m not picking sides.”I eye the box. “Then what is that?”“A gift,” she says. “From Zane. He sai
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 23 : The Locker Room Storm
From the jump, the varsity team hits hard. They’re sharp, seasoned, aggressive. They blitz early, trying to rattle Oliver’s offense, but he doesn’t flinch. He calls the first play from the huddle like he’s been doing it for years, voice calm, hand on his center’s shoulder pad.The snap comes clean.Oliver rolls out, dodging a linebacker with a tight sidestep, then launches a perfect spiral downfield—right into the arms of a receiver on the run.First down.The crowd murmurs in surprise.I clench my hands around the edge of the bleacher.He’s not just good.He’s terrifyingly good.The next series, he scrambles for twenty yards on third and long. Then hits a slant pass between two defenders like he threaded it with a needle. He’s calm in the pocket. Sharp under pressure. Every move has purpose.And every time he completes a pass, he looks up.At me.Not the coach. Not the crowd.Me.Zane’s not having it.On the next varsity drive, he demands the ball.And he delivers.Quarterback sneak.
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 22: Lines on the Field
The air is thick with tension and late-summer heat as I sit on the concrete bleachers that overlook Crimson Lions Stadium. The turf gleams under the noon sun, a crisp stretch of green painted with clean white lines. Aspirants gather in clumps across the field, stretching, adjusting cleats, doing their best to look like they belong here.But there’s only one person I’m watching.Oliver.He jogs lightly on the far side of the field, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back with a headband. He looks nothing like the boy I’ve grown used to seeing under stage lights and black-box ceilings. There’s no script in his hand, no audience to charm with a monologue.But he still commands the space like it’s a spotlight made just for him.Zane stands beside Coach Hall near the sideline, clipboard in hand, arms crossed. He hasn't even looked in my direction, but I can feel the tension rolling off him like steam. He’s all business today—short, sharp commands and tight, calculated smiles. But I know Zane. An
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 21: Rewrites and Rehearsals
Isabella is home.It still feels surreal to say it, let alone believe it. After days of uncertainty and hushed updates from doctors, she's finally out of the hospital. Sitting up. Laughing again. Alive.Oliver hasn’t stopped smiling since.He’s lighter now, like a weight’s been peeled off his shoulders. The brightness in his voice is back, the kind that sneaks up in his laugh when he forgets to hold back. And today—today he’s practically bouncing as we head across campus together.“You sure you want to jump straight back into rehearsals?” I ask, adjusting the strap of my bag as we near the theater building.“Are you kidding? I’ve never wanted to be onstage more.” He grins. “I missed the smell of sawdust and overpriced coffee and existential dread.”I snort. “You need help.”“I have help. That’s why I have you.” He nudges me with his shoulder, and I pretend not to enjoy how warm it makes my chest feel.We’re halfway across the courtyard when someone steps into our path.Jace.My breath
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