He's at the bar downtown. Tom's.I sink back into the plush leather seat of Danny's car as we zoom down the familiar streets after receiving Sasha's text, the dim city lights painting streaks of gold across the darkened windows. It's time for a little payback and the anticipation dances within me like an electric current. Tom's Bar is where it'll all go down, where we'll finally confront the tangled mess of emotions that threaten to consume us whole. We're going to take Xander out, a bit of payback for trashing our auditorium. We have one month left until the dance competition, and he's successfully taken away our dance area. Now, we have to find a new one, and we don't fucking have time for that.Momentarily pushing thoughts of Xander aside, jealousy claws at my insides like a feral beast, gnawing on the remnants of my wounded pride. Danny, my so-called friend, has managed to slip into Faith's bed, leaving Theo and me grappling with a torrent of conflicting emotions. I grit my teeth,

I bolt angrily from the auditorium and stride across the campus, my steps fueled by a blend of frustration and determination. I need to clear my head to escape the suffocating weight of these emotions. As I walk, each footfall resonates like a drumbeat, echoing the pounding in my chest. The air is thick with tension, and I find myself running, my legs carrying me faster as if I can outrun my feelings. All I can think about is Faith; how good she must taste, how fucking amazing she probably feels. I want to take her, to ravage her, and show her how I can please her. But what's going on with her and Mark? And it's not just Mark, it's Danny, too. Does she know that they both want her? Does she know that she's become the rare new centerpiece of our little club?Faith is free to make her own choices, I remind myself, clenching my jaw to keep my emotions in check. I don't have any claim on her, not really. We're just friends, acquaintances at best. But the sight of her with someone else—a g

Xander and his crew are already waiting for us in the location he texted me, their smug faces making my blood boil. They seem to be anticipating our arrival, eager to see us falter and fail in our attempt to save Theo. Fuck them."Look who finally showed up," Xander sneers, his arms crossed over his chest. His crew follows suit, leering at us as if we're nothing but a joke. My fists clench painfully at my side and my jaw aches from the tension."Let Theo go, Xander. This isn't about him; it's about the competition," I say, trying to maintain some semblance of control over my emotions. I don't see Theo, and that concerns me. What have they done to him?"Ah, yes, the competition," Xander muses. "You know, it's funny how you think you stand a chance against us." A sinister grin spreads across his face. "But sure, go ahead and try to save your precious friend.""Don't fuck with us, dude." Mark steps up beside me. I can feel the anger radiating from his pores. The atmosphere is electric as

The walls are closing in on me.I pace the length of my childhood bedroom, running my fingers along the faded pink wallpaper. My heartbeat throbs in my ears, nearly drowning out the muffled shouts from downstairs. I press my forehead against the cool glass of the window, peering out at the quiet street below. A gentle breeze ruffles the leaves of the big oak tree in our front yard, its branches stretching toward the open sky. How I wish I could escape out that window, climb down the tree, and run until my legs give out. But the window is locked shut. Just like me.I sink down onto the edge of the bed, the old springs creaking beneath me. I clutch my old, worn teddy bear on my lap, taking comfort in its familiar softness. Its black button eyes stare back at me, void of judgment or condemnation. If only my parents could be so kind. I try to remind myself that this is ridiculous; I'm more than an adult, and Sadie can't just keep me locked in my bedroom for the rest of my life. Yet, here