All Chapters of First and Second chances: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I watched Mike as we drove to Moonshire Park. He looked a little stressed and tired. His black hair was messy, and his brown eyes seemed weary. "Are you alright?" I asked him, my voice filled with concern. Mike didn’t respond—he was clearly lost in thought. I placed my hand on his leg, and a slight tingling sensation spread across my skin from the touch. Mike remained silent the entire way, and I kept glancing at him with a worried look. It was as if he wasn’t even aware of my presence. Once we arrived at the car park of the park, he sighed before taking the keys out of the ignition. I looked at him with a deep frown. "Mike?" He looked at me in surprise. "Yeah? What is it?" "Are you sure you're okay, Mike? You've been distant the whole drive, and you didn’t even react when I spoke to you—or even when I placed my hand on your leg." I said with a worried voice. Mike seemed startled for a moment, but then slowly shook his head with a faint smile on his face. "No, Lizzy, I was jus

ElizabethI had no idea what was happening — one moment I was rambling on to Jason, and the next I was nearly tumbling down the stairs from a sudden stab of pain. Thankfully, Jason caught me before I actually fell. I was so embarrassed that I immediately tried to wriggle free from his grasp, but he held me firmly in place, once again calling me “little lady.” I might have been shorter than him, but I certainly wasn’t that little. He set me down on a bench beside the stone staircase. The pain wasn’t as sharp now, but it lingered, a constant presence. “This is new,” Luna managed to say, sounding as breathless from the pain as I was. It was indeed new. Up until now, I had only experienced sudden jolts that vanished just as quickly as they came. I tried to breathe through it, each breath easing the pain a little. I wanted to tell him I was fine and that he didn’t need to worry, but I never got the chance. Someone behind Jason caught his attention. I saw the way his entire body tensed,

I could feel his gaze on my back as I walked towards the entrance of my apartment building. I knew he wouldn’t drive off until he had seen me safely inside. In a way, I found it thoughtful, yet at the same time utterly infuriating. I was perfectly capable of looking after myself.Luna’s quiet chuckle echoed through my mind. “He’s just being protective,” she said with a light laugh. I rolled my eyes as I stepped inside. While climbing the stairs, I remembered I still had to send the photos and videos of Sam. I stopped for a moment on the staircase, pulling out my phone. It took me a while to select them all, and I couldn’t help but smile faintly as I recalled the way Sam had made me promise to send every single picture and video to Jason. With a small sigh, I tapped ‘send’ and tucked my phone away again.I carried on up the stairs, though with every step my legs seemed to grow heavier. By the time I reached my front door, my phone buzzed in my pocket — either a flood of messages or a c

I wiggled on my chair at the long dining table. Hunter had brought me a laptop, one I was even allowed to take home, making it possible to work on the project there as well. Ryan hadn’t looked at me once since the moment Jason had told him I would be officially taking over the organization. His last glance at me had been skeptical, with a trace of envy. I had seen many sides of Ryan, but that look was new. When he and Jason walked back to the office, I had heard him mention Jessica’s name. Jason had stopped mid-step, eyeing him with surprise and the faintest trace of suspicion. A quarter of an hour later, Ryan had come back downstairs, stormed past me, and vanished into his office. Erik had been standing in his own doorway, something he had done constantly since the incident last week. It felt comforting, a small layer of protection. I imagined it must be the same as having an older brother watching over you in the school corridors, ready to step in if anyone bothered you. I had alway

ElizabethHunter and I didn’t exchange a single word as we walked towards his car. In a way, the silence made me feel slightly uneasy, but on the other hand, I was grateful for it. Hunter opened the door for me and gestured for me to get in. I had expected him to take the driver’s seat, but to my surprise, there was a chauffeur sitting in the front. Hunter got in on the other side and signalled to the driver that they could leave. He noticed the surprise on my face. “If anything happens, at least my hands are free,” he said with a casual shrug. I didn’t reply. Instead, I turned away from him to stare out of the window. Everything from the day was still spinning in my head. Thinking back to the moment in the locker room made me feel slightly nauseous. I knew for certain that what I had seen and felt had been real, even if Jason and the others hadn’t noticed a thing. I lost myself in my thoughts, trying to make sense of what — or who — could have been in that locker room with me.Event