Unbeknownst to their parents, Violet and Cole had a clandestine 9-month relationship before parting ways following Cole's injury, courtesy of Paige. Despite the messy breakup, Violet managed to maintain a positive connection with the Walters, except...
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Cole's room glowed with an otherworldly shimmer as Violet stepped inside, her heart pounding with a fragile kind of hope.
"We made it back, didn't we?" His voice was soft, familiar, like an anchor in the storm.
But the curtains stirred, whispering secrets she wasn't meant to hear. And there — half-hidden in the haze — she saw him. Cole. Entwined with Paige, their closeness undeniable, their betrayal illuminated in silver light.
The air seemed to collapse around her, every heartbeat ringing in her ears.
"Not again," Violet choked, the words spilling out like a prayer, like a warning to herself.
She turned and ran. Her footsteps echoed like drums in an empty church, reverberating through the dream. Fields bent around her, colors bleeding into one another as she sprinted into a meadow drowned in moonlight.
"Cole!" she screamed, but the night swallowed the sound whole.
The dream twisted, the sky folding in on itself, shadows whispering half-formed memories. Her lungs burned, each breath part of a frantic rhythm she couldn't escape. She kept running, though she didn't know if she was chasing him or fleeing.
And then —
Violet jolted awake, chest heaving, drenched in sweat.
A voice broke through the haze. "Are you okay?"
She blinked, disoriented, and saw Daisy leaning in the doorway, her arms crossed, disgust painted across her face.
"W-What?" Violet rasped.
Daisy arched a brow. "Well, one, you're sweating like you just ran a marathon, and two — you literally screamed Cole's name in your sleep."
Violet swung her legs over the edge of the bed, burying her face in her hands for a moment. "It was just a nightmare."
"Okay," Daisy said flatly, already turning away. Her footsteps retreated down the hall, leaving the sting of her words behind.
Violet exhaled, pressing her palms against her thighs to ground herself. Tomorrow Jackie would arrive. She wasn't nervous about meeting her — no, what weighed on Violet was how Jackie would adjust to the chaos of living in a house full of Walters boys, how she'd navigate school, how she'd slot into their world.
Her phone buzzed against the nightstand. Thirty unread texts from Isaac lit up the screen. Clingy best friend didn't even begin to cover it.
Before she could scroll, her phone rang again. FaceTime. The caller ID:
ANNOYING ASS BITCH
Violet groaned but swiped to answer. "Hello, Isaac."
On the screen, Isaac squinted at her, his hair sticking up like he hadn't bothered to tame it. "Did you just wake up? It's ten o'clock."
