Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Julie
"No, nope, no way, non, how else do you want me to say it?" Alex paced back and forth, biting his nails. "Then what do you expect me to do? It wasn't a question, Alex, it was a threat." I sighed deeply, exhaustion making my voice heavy. Ignoring my protests, he kept pacing, his frantic energy making me dizzy. It had been two days since that guy bumped into us, and all we had done since was stress out and debate our next moves.
Then another card arrived, this time addressed to Reggie, warning us that we had no choice or there'd be consequences. Panic set in. Alex bombarded me with questions, and we decided to let him in on everything since, at this point, everyone knew. Carlos had been giving me the silent treatment, and when I tried to talk about it, he just dodged the subject.
So here we were, crammed in Alex's studio, trying to find a solution with only one day left. . And let me say my dear friend over here wasn't really helpful.
"Why is he on the runway?"
Sharp as a knife, Luke's voice sliced through the tension, putting me on edge. My friend didn't flinch at his arrival; instead, he continued his agitated pacing.
"You wouldn't blame me if you knew.", I swear they could hear the mental facepalm I just had. Since when did we start spilling secrets so easily?
"Know what?", Luke's cold gaze sent a shiver down my spine. I had waited days for him to look at me, and now I wished he hadn't.
My eyes darted between them, words stuck on the tip of my tongue. "Right." Luke let out a mocking laugh, shaking his head. A sudden impulse took over, and I blurted out, "Caleb invited me and Reggie to a ball."
I couldn't recall when the spark between us faded, leaving our last meeting seeming like ages ago. Luke's tongue flicked over his teeth, tension evident in his stance, hands still in his pockets. "You won't go," he stated firmly, lips drawn tight. "Right?"
"Well, if it was so easy, would I be like this right now?" Alex's voice rose and fell, his hands waving around.
"He threatened us if we don't show up.", a sigh escaped my mouth, my emotions swirling. How quickly care and love had turned into this gnawing emptiness.
A line appeared between Luke's eyebrows, a sign of the anxiety we all felt. He moved towards the couch, but not the one I was sitting on, and buried his head in his hands.
"Is talking to your father an option?", he asked, staring at the floor "No. We don't talk. I don't trust him anymore."
And I had no one to turn to.
Flynn? If I told her, she'd be in danger too. Reggie was already under the same pressure as me. Alex seemed to be unraveling, and I couldn't bear the thought of involving Willie. As for Luke, I didn't even know where we stood anymore.
He appeared angry, though I couldn't discern the target. Maybe me. Perhaps everyone. My mind struggled to grasp the source of our distance.
"There must be something we're missing," Alex muttered, pausing briefly.
