Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Fairy lights twinkled under the open night sky. The cotillion was in full swing—laughter, camera flashes, elegant gowns brushing polished marble steps. Nova stood off to the side with Spencer and Olivia, sipping a sparkling cider and taking a break from the dance floor.
SPENCER (smiling) You're killing it out here, Nova. You look amazing tonight.
NOVA (soft smile) Thanks. I needed tonight to feel normal, you know?
OLIVIA You've been through so much. This night is for you just as much as anyone else.
Suddenly— POP! POP! Gunshots ripped through the air.
Screams exploded across the lawn. People scattered, heels snapping, chaos unfolding.
SPENCER (getting in front of Olivia) Get down!
Nova turned sharply— POP!
A final shot rang out— Her body twisted mid-step, a sharp burning pain in her side.
NOVA (soft gasp) D? Apo...
She collapsed onto the pavement, the distant sound of sirens mixing with the buzz of panic. But no one seemed to notice—not Spencer shielding Olivia, not the crowd rushing for cover.
She reached out, but no hands came.
Everyone was too busy.
-
The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of machines and the quiet hum of the hallway outside. The steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound breaking the silence.
Nova's fingers twitched slightly beneath the blankets.
Her eyes fluttered open, slow and dazed. The sterile smell, the IV in her arm—it all came rushing back.
Pain in her side. The memory of the cotillion. The sound of a gunshot. Spencer yelling. Olivia screaming her name.
She turned her head ever so slightly—and saw him.
Darnell. Slumped in the chair beside her bed, fast asleep. His hoodie half-fallen off his shoulder, and his hand—gently wrapped around hers, as if even in sleep he couldn't let go.
Tears welled in her eyes, not just from the pain.
He wasn't even there. But somehow... he was the only one here now.
She moved slightly. Her breath hitched.
Darnell stirred.
He blinked, groggy, and then sat up straight as he saw her watching him. His eyes widened, glassy and rimmed red. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.
DARNELL Nova...
He stood, gently brushing hair from her forehead, his voice rough and cracked.
DARNELL You're okay. You're okay...
NOVA (softly) You stayed.
He nodded slowly, his jaw clenched like he was holding something back.
DARNELL I should've been there. I wasn't... and I can't stop thinking—what if I had been?
Nova blinked at him, confused, but all she felt was warmth.
NOVA But you're here now.
Her fingers tightened weakly around his.
NOVA That's what matters.
He sat back down, brushing a tear away from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
DARNELL You don't get it. When I heard what happened—my heart stopped, Nova. I didn't even realize how much you meant to me until I thought I might never see you again.
Nova stared at him, her eyes soft.
NOVA Darnell...
DARNELL (whispers) I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I'll carry that.
She let out a shaky breath.
NOVA You're not the one who pulled the trigger.
DARNELL But I should've been beside you.
She let her hand trace his softly, tired but sincere.
NOVA You're beside me now.
And that was all he needed to hear.
He leaned forward and kissed her hand gently, holding it against his cheek.
They didn't say anything for a while. The beeping of the monitor filled the space between them. But in that silence, something unspoken passed—a promise. A truth.
She wasn't alone.
Not anymore.
--
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAYS LATER – NIGHT
Nova sat upright in bed, writing in her notebook, wires still hooked to her arm. Her laptop played a soft beat on loop—a melody she'd been working on.
She sang gently under her breath, raw and honest:
"They all danced in light, but I bled in silence, Eyes turned away like I was never there, But I'm still here, with the truth unspoken, A heart still beating in a world that doesn't care."
