The silent circle

Behind closed doors

I smiled back and stepped out of the door, relief flooding through me. But before I could take another breath, someone grabbed my arm, pulling me back with a firm grip.

"Cleo, what were you thinking?" Ashton's voice was tight, struggling to stay calm, but I could hear the barely contained fury beneath it.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my heart racing again.

Without another word, he shoved me into an empty room, closing the door behind us. The air felt thick with tension.

"I thought you were helping Emily," he said, pacing back and forth like a caged animal.

"Emily? What does she have to do with this?" I shot back, confused.

"She's moving into her dorm. I figured you'd be with her."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please, Ashton. You know Emily. She'd move her entire house if she could, she doesn't need my help for that."

"Why is this about Emily now?" he snapped, stopping in his tracks to glare at me.

"You brought her up!" I shouted, my patience fraying.

"Cleo!" He raised his voice, the frustration boiling over. "You weren't supposed to be here. Do you have any idea how much trouble this could cause?"

"I'm sorry!" I nearly shouted, my own frustration bubbling over. "You know I've dreamed about this. I want to follow in my mom's footsteps. Dad created this school after leaving Hollywood, and it's the only place where I can truly become who I want to be—not some university."

"You could have talked to me about it," Ashton said, his voice softer but still tense.

"I tried," I yelled, my voice cracking. "I tried to tell you! But you wouldn't listen. You were too busy making decisions for me."

"People are going to talk if they find out we're cousins and you just barged in here," Ashton said, rubbing his temples. "This is going to make things even harder for both of us."

"I haven't told anyone," I pleaded. "Trust me."

Ashton turned away from me, his hand covering his face in frustration. "Just... just be quiet for now."

"I will, Ash. Please," I whispered, feeling the sting of tears.

Ashton gave me one last, pained look before walking out, leaving me alone in the dim room. I slumped against the wall, letting the warm tears slide down my cheeks.

A gentle knock on the door startled me.

"Cleo?" a voice called softly.

I didn't respond immediately, my emotions a tangled mess.

"It's me, Gabriel," the voice continued.

I hesitated, but then I managed a faint laugh. "Oh, you're the guy from earlier. The one I kissed."

"Yeah, that's me," Gabriel said, his tone light and comforting. "You seemed pretty upset. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

I laughed again, trying to wipe the tears from my face. "You know, I didn't exactly plan on kissing you. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Gabriel chuckled. "I gathered that. But I guess it worked, huh?"

I nodded, forcing a smile. "Thanks for helping me earlier, by the way."

"No problem," he said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "But if you're okay with it, I'd really like to know what's going on. It seemed like Ashton was pretty upset."

"I'm just... trying to follow my dreams," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "Ashton wants me to go to university, but I want to be here, doing what I love."

Gabriel's eyes softened. "I get it. You've got a passion, and you shouldn't have to hide it. If you want to talk more about it, I'm here. Maybe I can help."

I looked at him, feeling a flicker of hope. "Thanks, Gabriel. I really appreciate it."

He smiled. "Let's get out of here for now. I'll stick with you until everything settles down."

I nodded, feeling a bit of relief. As we walked out of the room, I took a deep breath, ready to face whatever came next, knowing I wasn't alone.

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