Turning down

Amelia's POV With trembling fingers, I unfolded it beneath the edge of my desk, bracing myself for whatever cruelty waited inside.𝑴𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒚 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔. -𝑳𝒆𝒐The tightness in my chest eased and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I refolded the note and tucked it into my pocket, a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth before I caught myself and pushed it down.I turned my attention back to the front of the room as the teacher started writing on the board, the knot in my stomach loosening.-----I slipped out of the second the bell rang, weaving through the crowded hallway. I took the back stairs, my heavy boots thudding against the floor as I hurried up to the top balcony.The balcony door creaked when I pushed it open, and I found Leo already there, leaning against the railing with his back half turned, looking out over the courtyard.His shoulders were slightly hunched inside his jacket, his hands shoved de

Last Updated : 2026-10-19

Stranger danger

Amelia's POV "Mom?" I called again, my eyes still fixed on the box.Footsteps came down the hallway a moment later and she appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "What's wrong?"I pointed at the bed, unable to find the words right away. "What is this? Who brought this here?"She set the towel down on my dresser and crossed the room, her face breaking into something soft and nervous all at once. She lifted the lid of the box carefully, folding back layers of white tissue paper until the dress underneath came fully into view.It was pale gold, the fabric catching the light from my window in a way that made it look almost liquid, the bodice fitted and simple, no beading, no excess, just a clean line that flowed down into a full skirt that pooled slightly over the edge of the box. A thin strip of delicate lace traced the neckline, subtle enough that it didn't need anything else to make it beautiful. It looked like something a person wore once in a lifetime and remembe

Last Updated : 2026-10-21

Tomorrow

Amelia's POV I found Lena at her usual table in the cafeteria, sitting alone, scrolling through her phone with her tray mostly untouched beside her. I grabbed a bag of chips and a cola from the vending machine on my way over."Hi," I said, setting the chips down in front of her. "Can I sit here?"She looked up, something flickering across her face before she nodded, shifting her bag off the seat beside her to make room. "Yeah. Of course."I sat down and slid the cola toward her, and for a moment neither of us said anything, the noise of the cafeteria filling the space where our conversation should have been."I wanted to say something." I turned the can in my hands, working up to it. "I don't blame you for what happened that day. I know you were in an impossible position, and I'm not angry about it anymore. I just really miss you, Lena"Her face softened, her shoulders loosening. "I miss you too. I've felt sick about it for weeks.""Let's just leave it behind us.""Yeah." She nodded,

Last Updated : 2026-10-23

Ready

Amelia's POV I turned sideways in front of the mirror, then faced it again, still trying to believe the girl looking back at me was actually me.For the first time in my life, I couldn't look away from my own reflection. The pale gold fabric of the gown caught the light of my bedroom, flowing down my body like liquid metal. The simple bodice hugged me perfectly, and the delicate lace along the neckline felt soft against my skin. Slowly, I lifted the matching gold mask to my face, tying the silk ribbons securely behind my head. I took a slow breath, my chest rising. For one night, I wasn't the broke scholarship girl trying to survive the hallways. I was just a girl going to a dance.The door creaked open, and Mom stepped into the room. She froze in the doorway, a stack of folded towels in her arms. Her jaw dropped slightly, her eyes softening as she looked me up and down."Oh, Amelia," she breathed, setting the towels down on the edge of the dresser. She walked over. "You look... ab

Last Updated : 2026-10-26

Photos

Amelia's POV The ballroom doors opened onto a wall of light and noise, and for a second I just stood there with my hand tucked into the bend of Leo's arm, trying to take it all in at once. Someone had hung hundreds of tiny gold lights from the ceiling so they dipped and swayed like a second sky, and below them the crowd moved in a slow, glittering tide of sequins, velvet and feathers. Every face was half hidden and somewhere beneath all of it a string quartet was playing a pop song so slowly."Okay," Leo said close to my ear, his eyes wide behind his black mask. "I take back everything I said about Blackthorne dances being sad.""You said they were sad?""I said the DJ would play 2004 hits and everyone would stand against the wall." He nodded toward the quartet. "I was off by about twenty years and one string section."I laughed, but the sound caught halfway, because my eyes were already doing what they'd done every day for weeks, sweeping the room for dark hair and a tall frame. I

Last Updated : 2026-10-31

All Chapters of Crossing Calloway : Chapter 21 - Chapter 25

Turning down

Stranger danger

Tomorrow

Ready

Photos