Celeste My footsteps resounded with the frenetic pace of my heart as I sprinted into the dense cover of the woods. All the shadows seemed to stretch and lengthen, casting eerie patterns on the forest floor.The canopy overhead swallowed the ambient party sounds, wrapping me in an uncomfortable cocoon of silence, only broken by the ragged cadence of my breath.
Matt The clamor and chaos of the party had faded into a dull buzz in the back of my mind as I tried to process my conversation with Celeste. Her unexpected advance had shaken me, her lips so close to mine, the dim moonlight casting shadows over her confused, vulnerable eyes.I always did find Celeste to be pretty. Under other circumstances, maybe I wouldn’t have refused the kiss.
My heart was in my stomach as I stepped into my childhood home, sensing Jack’s looming presence behind me. I heard the front door slowly closing, and just as it clicked closed, Jack’s voice boomed across the room.“What the hell were you thinking!?” Jack shouted, causing me to wince as I dared to face him.“I-I…” I tried, but I came up with nothing else.“You lied to me. Again,” Jack pressed on. “You should have never been at that party. Are you too stupid to realize that no one wanted you there!?”Just as he’d wanted, Jack’s words were like a knife twisting in my stomach. I wondered if this was the speech he’d planned our entire drive home. Perhaps he’d been carefully crafting the right words to tear me down.“I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately,” Jack continued despite my lack of response. “But clearly I can’t trust you.”“Yes, you can!” I shouted desperately. I could see the betrayal in his eyes as he stared at me and I knew what he was planning. My cage was about to become
MattThe poor girl hadn’t woken up when we’d rushed her out of the woods, nor during the entire drive back to our headquarters. Instead, her body was limp and weighted as I carried her though the front door.“To the infirmary,” Nina reminded me curtly before leading the way. I followed behind, trying to focus on the girl in my arms rather than the one clouding my tho
Celeste“What is so special about my twentieth birthday?”I’ve tried to work it out before. There are some birthdays that are important. Your sweet sixteen, becoming an adult at eighteen, being able to drink at twenty-one.
Celeste Fiona was right - absolutely right. I needed to put Matt out of his misery. I just…needed to muster up the courage to actually do it.Breaking things off with him was going to hurt both of us, but eventually we would get over it. We would have to. Matt would move on, find some other girl. And I would…
CelesteI decided I was going to text Matt as soon as I got home. I could enjoy my walk and savor those last thirty minutes of being his “girlfriend.” It was silly, but I just wanted to pretend for a little while longer.Walking along, I soon made it off campus and reached the center of town. There, various shops lined the streets, which usually brought in a lot of foot traffic.
I hurried into my room, away from the party, away from my brother, and away from Matt’s piercing gaze. It confused me. Why did he look at me that way? As if he actually cared? As if I actually meant more to him rather than just being his best friend’s little sister?I shook my head as I took off my thin jacket. I should just let it go. It wouldn’t do for me to speculate anything, especially when I knew that Matt had feelings for Rose. Even if I was Rose, Matt didn’t know that. And he definitely didn’t seem the two-timing type anyway.Besides, I had to end things with him tonight. I couldn’t keep up this charade any longer. It wasn’t fair to me or to him. Guilt poured in again. I should never have become Rose. What was wrong with me?I sat down at my desk, powering up my laptop. Anxiety squeezed my insides so tight that I felt like I was going to explode. I didn’t know what I was going to find when I opened the chat, but considering the way Matt had acted earlier, it probably wasn’t go