جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 70

JacksonSaturday morning wasn’t anything like I’d pictured.I should’ve been riding high after last night — we’d pulled off a huge win under the lights, the kind of game that everyone in town would be talking about for weeks. The crowd was wild, the field electric. Afterward, Coach had walked me over to meet the recruiter I’d been dreaming about since summer.He told me I had real potential, that I’d caught his eye.It was the exact moment I’d been working for.I should’ve woken up today floating on that victory.But instead, I sat on the edge of the couch, elbows on my knees, staring at the closed hallway door that led to Jessa’s room. My stomach twisted like I’d swallowed a rock.She hadn’t come out once. Not for breakfast. Not for water. Nothing.Something had happened last night — something bad.I saw Noah kiss her, and yeah, that had been a shock in itself, but I could tell from Jessa’s face afterward that there was more to the story.I hadn’t even been able to talk to her about

JessaI stayed curled up in bed, the covers pulled tight around me like a shield, trying to block out the world. My room was dim — blinds drawn, the faint morning light barely slipping through the cracks. My phone buzzed on the nightstand for what felt like the hundredth time, but I didn’t even look at it.I couldn’t.If I saw Noah’s name… or worse, a message from someone laughing at me… I might shatter completely.The house was unusually quiet. Mom had left for work at dawn, and Jackson had been pacing the hall outside my room for a while earlier, but he hadn’t come in. Good. The last thing I needed was a lecture from my perfect twin brother, Mr. Star Quarterback himself.My head throbbed from all the crying I’d done last night. My eyes were puffy and raw, my throat sore, my heart… wrecked.The images from the bonfire kept replaying in my head like some sick movie reel: Noah kissing me in that empty classroom, the way his lips felt on mine, the dizzy rush of hope it gave me.Then Dan

NoahThe second I stepped into the school parking lot Monday morning, my stomach felt like it was twisted into knots.It wasn’t nerves about class or even football practice — it was her.Jessa Lombardi.The entire weekend had been one long, frustrating blur. Jackson was barely speaking to me after our blow-up on Saturday, and every time I thought about what Daniel had said to Jessa at the game, my blood boiled all over again. But right behind the anger was something even worse — guilt. Because no matter how I sliced it, she was hurting, and part of that was on me.I shoved my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and headed inside. The hallway was already buzzing with noise, students clustering around lockers, laughing, talking, making plans for the week.I wasn’t in the mood for any of it.I spotted Daniel up ahead, leaning casually against a row of lockers, his usual cocky smirk plastered across his face as he bragged to a couple of guys about a play from Friday night.Typical Daniel.

NoahLunch smelled like overcooked tater tots and reheated pizza, same as always, but the tension at our table felt sharper than usual.Daniel was in full-on performance mode, his voice booming loud enough for half the cafeteria to hear. He was leaning back with his feet propped up on an empty chair, grinning like he already had a full-ride scholarship signed and sealed.“Any day now,” he bragged, taking a swig from his energy drink like he was in some kind of commercial. “Coach said the recruiter was impressed Friday night. Impressed. Probably just waiting to call me and make it official.”Across the table, one of the guys laughed. “Dude, he didn’t even talk to you after the game. He went straight to Jackson and Noah.”“Yeah,” Daniel said, brushing it off with a wave of his hand. “He was probably too busy. You’ll see. I’m the real deal, man.”I clenched my jaw, my fork pausing halfway to my mouth.I’d been doing my best to keep my head down today, to just focus on the next game and n

JessaThe final bell rang, and the hallways erupted in chaos — doors slamming, backpacks zipping, the usual mad dash for freedom. But for once, I didn’t feel like sprinting to escape the building.I stood by my locker, closing it slowly, almost savoring the moment. My hands weren’t trembling. My throat didn’t feel tight. And, most importantly, there weren’t any tears burning in the corners of my eyes.I made it.I actually made it through the day.“Would you look at you!” Mariah’s voice rang out, sharp and full of dramatic flair as she strutted over. She flung an arm around my shoulders like she was presenting me to an audience. “My girl Jessa, holding her head high and surviving Monday like a queen.”I couldn’t help it — I laughed, the sound bubbling up unexpectedly. “I wouldn’t go that far.”“Uh, yeah, I would.” Mariah squeezed my shoulders and leaned in, grinning like she’d just won a bet. “You didn’t cry once today. You didn’t hide in the bathroom during lunch. You even looked Noa