A TASTE OF CANDY POISON

CHAP 19🌸

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Days passed in a blur of school and studying. Tristian and I had barely seen each other between classes and sports practices, especially since he was tied up with the athletic department and cramming for his upcoming exams.

His absence was obvious, but I had gotten used to our schedules diverging—sometimes our twin connection took a backseat to life’s demands.

It was finally the weekend. I had been looking forward to the break, although the idea of a beach trip without Tristian felt a  little strange.

Still, it was a chance to unwind, and I could use that. When I found out that Tristian wouldn’t be able to come because of his packed schedule, it was disappointing, but not surprising.

I knew how hard he had been working, and this weekend was just one more thing he had to skip to stay ahead.

Joseph, Justin’s dad, was driving me to their private resort—a place I’d been to plenty of times before with the whole family. It was a beautiful spot, tucked away from the main beach, with a wooden house overlooking the ocean.

Despite the peaceful setting, I was already feeling a bit uneasy, knowing what awaited me there: Justin and the twins.

As Joseph drove, I kept my eyes glued to my phone, texting with Mark and Adam, apparently , they're have  plans for upcoming Monday.

They were talking about hitting the arcade after school,and of course inviting me, and I tried to focus on their conversation, anything to distract me from the weekend ahead.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” I typed, trying to suppress the nerves gnawing at the back of my mind about the beach trip.

I wasn’t exactly looking forward to being Justin’s target of affection for two whole fucking days, but there wasn’t much I could do about it now.

Joseph’s voice broke into my thoughts. “How’s school going? You and Tristian both seem busy these days.”

I glanced up from my phone, offering a polite smile. “Yeah, pretty busy. Tristian’s got his exams coming up, and I’ve just been trying to keep up with everything too,since I'm feeling kinda lazy studying to be honest."

Joseph nodded, his eyes focused on the road ahead. “Well, it's normal to a student like you, y'know it’s good to take a break every now and then. This weekend should be nice. You can relax.”

Relax. Right. I couldn’t help but inwardly sigh at the thought. Joseph seemed to pick up on my hesitation, but he didn’t press, turning the radio up slightly as we continued down the quiet road leading to the resort.

'On second thought,I really love uncle Joseph for being nice to me'

I returned my attention to my phone, continuing to text Mark and Adam about their arcade plans. At least Monday was something to look forward to—something normal.

After what felt like an eternity of scrolling and typing, the car finally slowed, and I looked up to see the familiar gates of the private resort.

The wooden house stood against the backdrop of the shimmering ocean, its windows reflecting the sun’s golden light.

As we pulled into the driveway, Joseph parked the car, then smiled over at me before stepping out.

“We’re here,” he said cheerfully, stretching his arms before spotting his wife, Aunt Alissa, who was already waiting by the entrance to the house. His face lit up as he walked over to hug her.