Lies Beneath the Cherry Tree

chapter 8

Lyllea's POV

As I open the curtains, I spot Nathan perched on the edge of his window, completely nonchalant. He's got his headphones on and a book in hand, completely oblivious to how precarious his position is. Beneath him, there’s nothing but concrete. My heart races at the thought of him falling, so I grab my phone and quickly type a message.

**Me:** Please get off of there.

I hit send and watch as he pulls out his phone. He reads my message, looks up at me, and smiles. My anxiety spikes as he waves, so I wave back, trying to mask my fear. He types something on his phone, and a notification pops up on mine.

**Him:** Wanna join?

I can’t help but smile at his response. I look back at him, sticking my tongue out playfully before putting my phone aside and waving one last time. The sight of him so dangerously perched makes my stomach churn, so I force myself to look away and head downstairs.

I grab my phone again and add Sean and Nathan to a group chat. Before I make breakfast, I snap pictures of my notes and share them. Not even two minutes later, Sean calls.

Why does he have to be so annoying? I pick up the call anyway.

“Good morning, babygirl,” he says with his usual smirk, and I roll my eyes.

“Good morning,” I respond, trying to keep my tone neutral.

“Remove me from the group,” he orders.

“Why? And you know you can just leave the chat yourself, right? Calling me was unnecessary,” I snap back.

I hear him chuckle, which only frustrates me more. Why does he have to laugh when I'm annoyed?

“But don’t leave!” I continue, “I don’t want bad grades because of you.”

“Yeah, right,” he drawls, sounding as if he’s just woken up.

“Mattiee!” Melissa’s voice cuts through the call.

The doorbell rings, and I head downstairs to answer it, not bothering to check through the window. Despite Mom’s countless warnings to peek first, I always forget. As I pull the bolt down with one hand and keep my phone in the other, the door swings open abruptly.

My eyes widen, and my hands tremble.

“Dylan?”

He storms in, followed by another boy who closes the door behind them. Panic surges through me as I sprint upstairs, Dylan hot on my heels. I slam my bedroom door shut and lock it, my heart pounding in my chest.

“Hey? Lyllea?” I hear Sean’s voice faintly through my phone.

Dylan’s banging on my door makes me freeze. I dash to the window, hoping to see Nathan, but he’s gone. Tears stream down my face, and I cover my mouth with my hand, struggling to stay quiet.

“Are you okay?” Sean’s voice comes through the phone, anxious.

“Lily, open the door, please!” Dylan’s voice is sharp and menacing.

I glance at my phone lying on the floor. It must have slipped from my hand in the chaos. I pick it up, seeing Sean’s worried face on the screen.

“Sean,” I whisper, my voice trembling.

“Lyllea, what happened?” Sean demands, his tone urgent.

“Sean, help m—” Before I can finish, the door flies open, and my phone slips from my grasp. I freeze, my heart racing as the door swings open wide.