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FAWN HARPER had a knack for chaos—it seemed to follow her wherever she went. Losing her dad at twelve was the first domino to fall, and her mom, drowning in her own grief, decided that Fawn was too much of a reminder. With barely a goodbye, she sent Fawn off to her grandmother, Dawn Harper, in a sleepy Connecticut town.
Fawn spent her first year there perfecting the art of rebellion. Small-town life wasn't exactly her style, and she made sure everyone knew it. Eventually, her grandma Dawn had had enough and marched her to a therapist, where Fawn learned she had more issues than she initially thought. But therapy was a start, and by fourteen, she'd decided it was time to patch her life back together—or at least make it look like she had.
On the outside, she nailed it. Fawn became the town's golden girl. The sweet waitress at the diner, always ready to lend a hand at events. The one who cleaned up Kirk's messes with a patient smile, aced her schoolwork, and topped every class. But behind closed doors, the cracks in her facade ran deep. Crying alone at 3 a.m. in the bathroom? Check. Stifling sobs in Luke's storeroom between shifts? Double check. She was a pro at compartmentalizing her life, but her mental state wasn't winning any awards.
Her secret stayed safe—no one saw through her act. Not her hovering pseudo-family, Lorelai and Luke, and certainly not the rest of the town. Fawn had mastered the art of blending in, of seeming fine.
Until Jess Mariano showed up.
From the moment he sauntered into town with his brooding eyes and bad attitude, Jess saw what no one else had. He saw her. Not the sweet waitress or the straight-A student, but the messy, vulnerable girl underneath.
Fawn had never had time for boys or relationships. Letting someone in meant risking heartbreak, and she wasn't eager to add to her collection. But one look at Jess's sharp wit and soulful stare, and her carefully built walls started crumbling—fast. Faster than she thought possible. Faster than the Berlin Wall, honestly.
And for the first time in years, Fawn wondered if maybe, just maybe, falling apart could be the start of something new.
