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The smell hit me–chemical and hot and weirdly intimate.  “Feeling it yet?” Chase asked.  I smiled. “Getting there.”  He handed me the can, but before I could take it, he stepped into my space. “Wasn’t talking about paint,” he said. “I dare you to kiss me.”  I didn’t think. I surged forward, grabbing his hoodie, … Read more

The drive was pure silence and tension. Chase had one hand on the wheel, the other doing absolutely nothing on the gearshift, like tonight was just another Tuesday instead of my complete psychological breakdown. Bass thrummed through my chest while my brain replayed Miles calling me pathetic on a loop.  He pulled behind the school … Read more

“This.” He gestured at my existence like it personally offended him. “The makeup. The attitude. That burnout you’re slumming with.”  “His name is Chase.”  “Right. Very original.” His smirk made me want to commit violence. “You’re not built for this kind of attention, Z. You don’t know how to handle it.”  “You mean the kind … Read more

He leaned in, hand now resting just above my ass. “Didn’t have to,” he whispered, “but you liked it.”  I swallowed, hard. My whole body was throbbing.  Someone handed me a drink. I didn’t even look at it.  The music thudded in my chest, but all I could feel was his hand, his mouth, the … Read more

“Casual vibes party” from Amber Mays translates to: coordinated Instagram content, professional–grade contouring, and enough fake enthusiasm to power a small city. I wasn’t invited. Obviously. But I was crashing anyway–black nails, no bra, and Chase Donovan as my human weapon of mass destruction.  Mirror check before departure: War paint eyeliner? Check. Lips that looked … Read more

Detention moves like expired honey. Thick, sticky, pointless. I’m tapping my pen against the desk like it’s morse code for “get me out of here,” but the only person receiving the message is myself, and I’m already over  it.  Chase hasn’t budged from his corner throne–feet up, hood doing that half–mysterious thing, radiating the kind … Read more

Everyone knew. And literally no one had the balls to say anything.  That was the part that gutted me–not Miles being a cheating asshole, not Amber’s smug little victory lap, not even the whispers that followed me like a bad soundtrack. It was the silence. The way people I’d shared inside jokes with suddenly developed … Read more

The second that plastic Coke bottle pointed at Miles like some cursed compass, I knew we were about to witness a social apocalypse. And honestly? I was kinda here for it—until I realized I was the main character in this disaster movie.  My boyfriend Miles was doing his usual thing: arm around me but scrolling … Read more