Fire Burning

Ten Toes Down

The sunlight through the curtains felt like punishment.

I blinked against it, still curled under the covers, Ari’s hoodie bunched beneath my chin. My head ached. Not from sleep. From the weight of everything that happened last night.

When I finally got up and padded into the kitchen, it was just Addie at the table, sipping coffee from a chipped mug. Hades leaned against the counter with a half-eaten granola bar, scrolling through his phone.

Addie looked up. “You good?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah. Just… tired.”

“Sarah left early,” she said carefully. “Didn’t say much.”

Hades raised a brow but said nothing.

Ari came downstairs a minute later, hair a mess, hoodie half-zipped, backpack slung over one shoulder. He didn’t say anything at first. Just looked at me.

I tried to smile. “Morning.”

He didn’t return it, not fully. But his hand brushed mine as he passed and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “You riding with me?”

I nodded.

We didn’t talk much on the way to school. Just quiet music and the wind through a cracked window. But as we pulled into the lot, he finally said, “You don’t have to explain anything to anyone. You know that, right?”

I looked at him. “But I still feel like I have to.”

He didn’t push. Just parked.

As we got out of the car and rounded the front bumper, Jeremy was already walking up the sidewalk toward us. “Hey,” he said, voice easy but his eyes searching mine.

Ari gave him a nod, and I tried to smile, falling into step between them as we headed toward the building together.

The walk felt… normal. Like nothing had happened. Like everything had.

And I didn’t know which version of the truth scared me more.

We walked down the hall together toward Room 105—English with Ms. Cross. Same as always. Ari’s hand brushed mine once, barely a touch. Jeremy walked on my other side, quiet for once but close enough to feel it.

When we neared the classroom, a voice called softly from behind us.

“Emery?”

I turned.

Riley.

He stepped closer, holding a notebook against his chest, eyes locking on mine like we’d been mid-conversation.

Ari stopped walking. Jeremy did too.

Both of them turned slowly to look at him. The air changed.

Possessive. Silent. Heavy.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” I said quickly, glancing between them.

Ari didn’t move at first. Neither did Jeremy.

Then Ari gave me a look—not angry. Just sharp. Knowing. He nodded once and walked into the classroom. Jeremy followed a beat later, glancing back just before the door swung shut behind him.

Riley stepped closer. “Hey,” he said again, softer this time. “I didn’t get to talk to you much yesterday.”

I crossed my arms, unsure. “It was kind of a wild day.”

He smiled. “That’s fair. You look... better today.”

“Thanks,” I said. “You doing okay?”