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CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
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UNSPOKEN BOND CHANGE TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER 26The sunlight had given way to dusk by the time Caleb and Miranda emerged from Sally's Restaurant, hands clasped and matching grins on their cheeks. Despite the emotional turmoil that lingered beneath the surface, Caleb felt significantly lighter after dumping his troubles on Miranda's sympathetic presence."So," she lilted, gently bumping his shoulder, "now that you've successfully reunited with your smile, what's next on the agenda for us?"Caleb's spine tingled with fire as a husky undertone ran through her tone. He angled his body towards her, their hands resting on the strong plane of his abdomen."Well, if my incredibly wise, insightful girlfriend will recall..." He mimicked her sly tone, telegraphing his intentions with the smolder of his stare. "It's been over one week since we last had any, ah...quality time together.""One week, and..." Miranda's smokey giggle cut right through his core. "Approximately eleven hours, if my calculations are correct."God, the sound o
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER 27*** MONDAY MORNING ***Julia Matthews stroked her hands over the silky cotton of her sundress, her palms moist from nervous perspiration. She took a fortifying breath, taking in her new surroundings with a mix of fear and morbid interest.Willow Creek High's main door loomed ahead, a faded relic of red brick and institutional dreariness. Students surged through the ancient double doors in chattering gangs, jockeying and roughhousing with the unrestrained energy of wild beasts. A big difference from Brookfield Academy's polished formality.Julia gulped hard, fighting the knot of anxiety in her throat. The entire world, with its foreign sights and sounds, felt so...gritty. Unpolished. Dangerous even in its sheer sincerity.She was startled when a solid hand came to rest on her shoulder. Caleb's craggy features softened into a reassuring smile. "You've got this, Julia," he said softly, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Just breathe and go with the flow, alright? "I'll be
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER 28JULIA POV:Julia wiped her hands over her sundress, hoping to get rid of the damp sweat. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to enter Caleb's classroom after the lunch break.Her first day at Willow Creek High was already unsettling, a stark contrast to the elegant decorum of Brookfield Academy. The raucous energy, graffitied lockers, and shameless honesty created a raw, unrefined image that was utterly unlike her privileged upbringing. But Julia was determined to have an open mind and immerse herself in this new atmosphere, no matter how chaotic. She simply hoped that speaking with her brother would help her stay grounded in the face of an overwhelming tide.Julia squared her shoulders and pushed through the classroom door, her gaze immediately drawn to Caleb's recognizable presence among the rows of full desks. He sat with Miranda draped over him in a proprietary manner, both of them accompanied by boys she recognized as Trent and Maddie from earlier encounters.
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER 29JULIA POV:Julia couldn't get the unsettling pictures out of her mind in the hours following the altercation with Caleb and his friends. Lila's stubborn yet resigned emerald stare was burnt onto the backs of her eyelids, mocking her with its quiet resolve in the face of such obvious brutality.Julia's mind kept going back to the enigmatic, selectively mute girl as she worked on her algebra homework that night. What underlying past could generate such hostility and scorn among Caleb's circle, to the point where they felt justified in harassing Lila merely for being in their presence?The entire situation smelled of ugliness and cruelty, which turned Julia off. Perhaps because it reflected an insidious kernel of ugliness she'd always suspected lurked beneath Caleb's charming exterior but had chosen to ignore in favor of sibling loyalty.Julia felt her blinkers had been destroyed after seeing his explosive, aggressive side firsthand. The sibling she idolized as a child had an
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER THIRTY
Chapter 30The rusty groan of her locker door signalled the beginning of another torturous day at Willow Creek High. Lila took a deep breath and began transferring textbooks with mechanical efficiency, the familiar ritual grounding her in the cacophonous cacophony ringing through the crowded hallway.Halfway through the transfer, her fingers remained motionless against the cool metal as her sight fell on an unexpected object nestled near the top shelf. A folded sheet of paper appeared benign enough, yet its presence made the hairs at Lila's nape bristle with innate uneasiness.Lila carefully withdrew the paper and twisted it over in her grasp, as if it would catch fire. No taunting scribbling or wicked emblem disfigured the outside surface, heightening her sense of doom tenfold. Dark curiosity gnawed at her resolve, and she eventually pried open the crumpled folds to expose a neat wall of letters written in looping script.Lila's breath stuttered in her chest when she heard the top sal
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER 31 The next morning, Lila found herself moving through the crowded halls towards Julia's locker, her jaw set with grim purpose. The skeptical voices in her head attempted to drown out the delicate spark of optimism in Julia's letter, but she pushed them away.Lila approached the corner and saw Julia at her locker, her blonde hair falling in glossy curls. Lila took a fortifying breath and lightly tapped Julia's shoulder. Julia gasped slightly before her eyes focused on Lila, widening in amazement."Lila! "I wasn't expecting you here," Julia said cautiously.Lila reached into her bag and pulled out a worn notebook, quickly scrawling a response. “I got your letter. Even after Trent crumpled it, I read every word.”Julia's expression crumpled with remorse and anger as she took in the implication of Lila's words. "That vile piece of trash dared defile my letter?" she said through gritted teeth. "Lila, I am so sorry. But please know I meant every sentiment wholeheartedly."Lila fe
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER 32*** Willow Creek Art Gallery ***As Lila entered the dimly lit painting studio, she was greeted by the musty perfume of oil paints and turpentine, almost like an old acquaintance. A haven among the swamp of Willow Creek's institutional harshness, where she might escape, if only for little periods of isolation. Lila took her normal stool before an eager easel, deposited her damaged messenger bag, and withdrew her supplies with practiced speed. The weight of the brushes in her calloused palm stabilized her erratic thoughts as she methodically prepped her palette with a subtle symphony of color.Soon, the repetitive rasp of bristles against canvas absorbed her attention. Lila found peace in immersing herself in these hazy realms of color and shape. The caustic jeers and cruel slights that plagued her daily life could never detract from the intense poetry she channeled through each deftly laden brushstroke.Lila was so focused on transferring the swirling discordance of her ps
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
CHAPTER 33Lila's chest expanded with a deep, fortifying breath as she finished the last tubes of paint and looked over her latest masterpiece. The canvas vibrated with a boldly dissonant symphony of shapes and hues, an unashamed expression of her volatile emotions in the aftermath of Yuria's brutal assault.Yet, beneath the seething maelstrom of color, there was something profound...something steadfast and unwavering in the face of the chaotic tempest. A single figure emanating peaceful defiance, exalted within its eye as if illuminated by an inner brilliance that no outer turbulence could destroy.Lila felt her lips curve slightly as her gaze traced the familiar yet subtly empowered contours of her self-portrait, which stared back with quiet determination. Julia's energy appeared to vibrate through each iconic brushstroke, strengthening Lila's essence against the caustic voices begging for her to submit once more._Never again_, she promised with a somber lowering of her chin. Yuria
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