𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟗

STELLA
RUSSEL

"Avery, cut it out," I warned, my voice barely above a whisper as she pleaded with me to hang out with her, Alessio, Grayson, and Damon. I didn't feel like it. Not now, especially with everything that's going on. Graduation was fast approaching, prom was around the corner, and finals were choking me with pressure. I didn't need another distraction—especially one as tempting and complicated as Grayson. But you know when the temptation is just too hard to resist? When it lingers in the back of your mind, pulling you in like a magnet?

We hadn't talked since the ball. He was confusing—black and white, with flashes of grey in between. I couldn't wrap my head around him, and that terrified me. It made me feel on edge, my nerves tightening whenever I was near him. He wasn't just any guy. He was Grayson, and somehow, that made everything worse.

"Stella, it's just a hangout. You're just proving to Grayson that you're being shy," Avery said, tossing her hair back, her lips curled in that mischievous grin she always wore when she was trying to coax me into doing something stupid.

"I am not shy," I said, my voice sharp, though the words felt hollow even to me. Graduation was only a month away, and I couldn't afford to catch any feelings. I couldn't let anything cloud my focus, especially not on someone like Grayson. "Avery, you're being annoying."

As usual.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, pretty please! Who knows what will happen after graduation? We may lose all touch with our teenage years," she shot back with a shrug, her eyes twinkling with that all-knowing look she always had when she was playing the part of the 'seer'—the girl who always tried to predict what was next in our lives.

"You're making a fool out of yourself! Get up," I hissed, feeling my face flush with embarrassment as she began her usual routine of exaggerated whining. We were at a coffee shop for God's sake, not a circus, and I couldn't stand how loud she was being. It was too much.

"Please, come with me," Avery fake sobbed, her eyes wide as she looked up at me with mock desperation. She was an actress, no doubt about it. This was all part of her game to get me to cave in.

"Okay, get the fuck up." I grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the door, a mix of frustration and amusement bubbling inside me. This was it. I was done. I was never going out with her again. "You're seriously annoying, Avery. I don't know how Alessio deals with you."

"He's the one who makes me behave like a baby. He's always spoiling me, doing things like bringing me food when I tell him lunch isn't ready." She huffed as we made our way toward the car, her tone suddenly shifting to a playful one, as if nothing had happened.

"He's just overprotective and worried. Now, where are we going to hang out with your boyfriend?" I asked, my voice dry.

"We're going to Grayson's penthouse. I wish Marci and Lily were here." Avery pouted, the subtle sadness in her voice not lost on me. Marcella and Jaxon were off in Italy visiting their grandparents, and Liliana was with her Dad, trying to mend their broken relationship.

"I hope they both enjoy themselves. I'm glad Lily is bonding with her dad." I smiled, trying to push away the feeling of unease that had settled in my stomach. I hated that feeling.

"Yeah, I'm happy for her. You know, I got accepted to NYU. Did you get your application? Marcella and Lily got accepted too. But I'm not sure Dad will let me go—anything that won't let me be happy, he avoids me from it." Avery's voice softened, as if she was revealing a little too much.

I felt the weight of that. Avery wasn't the most confident person, and her father's constant interference in her life wasn't helping her. And yet, a part of me wanted to tell her not to go, because I didn't want her at NYU with us. She would ruin everything. People didn't like her, and she didn't fit in. She was... difficult.