Broken homes

Cracks in the Foundation

Lily walked into school like nothing had happened. Her head was held high, her outfit was perfectly put together, and her makeup was flawless. If anyone looked at her, they wouldn't see a girl who spent the night arguing with her sister, drinking herself numb, and staring at the ceiling until the sun came up.

They'd just see Lily Dawson, the hottest girl in school.

But as soon as she stepped inside, she could feel the stares. The whispers.

"Did you hear? She and Abigail got into it again."

"Her dad's done with her? No surprise there."

"She showed up at Shawn's place? I thought she was dating Nate?"

Lily rolled her eyes and strutted down the hallway, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Let them talk. It wasn't anything new.

She spotted Nate by her locker, his arms crossed as he leaned against it. His expression was unreadable, but she knew that look. He wasn't happy.

"Morning, babe," she said sweetly, pulling out her lipstick from her bag and fixing her already-perfect lips in the small mirror inside her locker.

Nate didn't answer right away. "Did you drink last night?"

Lily's hand froze mid-application.

She snapped the mirror shut and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of question is that?"

"The kind I already know the answer to."

Lily scoffed and shoved her lipstick back into her bag. "Don't start, Nate."

"You promised me," Nate said, his voice low. "You said you wouldn't."

Lily sighed dramatically and turned to face him fully. "You sound like Abigail."

"Maybe because she's right."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Not you too."

"Yeah. Me too." Nate's jaw clenched. "You're spiraling, Lily. And I don't know if I can sit around and watch it."

Lily felt a flicker of panic but buried it deep. "You don't have to 'sit around and watch' anything, Nate. I'm fine."

"You're not fine."

Before Lily could respond, a familiar voice cut in.

"She never is."

Lily's stomach twisted. She turned to see Shawn standing a few feet away, his expression cold.

The tension between them was suffocating.

Nate looked between them before stepping back. "Figure your shit out, Lily," he muttered before walking away.

Lily clenched her jaw and turned to Shawn. "What do you want?"

Shawn shrugged. "Just enjoying the show."

"Go to hell."

Shawn smirked, leaning against the lockers. "Already there, sweetheart."

Lily scowled, slamming her locker shut and walking away, her heels clicking against the floor. She could feel Shawn's gaze burning into her back.

But she refused to turn around.