I wouldn’t let her do it. It was me she wanted. Fine.
“It’s exactly how it looks.” I shrugged casually, as if I wasn’t about to lose my entire world. Because the only way to keep Avery safe was to push her away. If she wasn’t with me, Maddiewould leave her and everyone else alone. I could learn to be okay without them if it meant they didn’t get hurt because of me. “And she begged me to kiss her the same way you did.”
I hoped Avery would leave right then and there, let me start to pretend to get over her.
Instead, she stepped toward me, giving me the perfect view of the rage flaring in her eyes. “You’re a fucking coward.” A finger jabbed into my chest, forcing me back until I hit the wall behind me. “I hope you’re proud of yourself because you betrayed the people who have stood by you through everything. How could you do that to Luca?” Her voice cracked as her fury grew. “To me?”
“Sorry to pop your bubble, princess. This is reality. Take it or leave it.”
“Fuck you,” she spat. “If you ever cared about any of us, if there’s some part of my best friend still in there, you’re going to quit the band. You’re going to leave us alone because we’re all better off without you.”
And she left.
Track Thirteen
Avery:I told you I broke up Fool’s Gambit, but only because I thought I was doing what was best for everyone.
Wesley:The next morning, our kiss was everywhere. Blurry pictures of the club that would haunt me for years. When asked, Avery said it was a silly mistake between friends. Nothing serious.
Wesley:I went to Jared and Garrett, told them I wanted to go solo. Luca and I were on thin ice for obvious reasons, but I didn’t know how to tell him. How to face him. I thought the others would explain, but apparently the first he heard of it was during a press release.
Jared:It was a bit of a shock to hear that Wes wanted to split. But we were bound to go our separate ways soon enough, so we went with it. I was thinking of asking Alyssa to get married. Garrett was applying to law schools. We had another year on ourcontract, but Wes insisted. And after all he’d done to make it happen for us, it was hard to say no.
Wesley:Luca had started to see a new girl, Emily. She came to our dressing room the day of our final performance. She kissed me, and there was this moment when I could have gotten up and left. I could have done the right thing. Instead, I thought, you know what? What else do I have to lose? At least if we get caught, maybe Luca will learn to stop trusting people. He already hated me, why not save him from it happening again? I was so stupid.
Wesley:Fuck.
Wesley:He ended up in the hospital that night. Fainted on stage from a panic attack. I visited him when he was sleeping. I sat in the corner, head in my hands, knowing there was no coming back from what I’d done. That I didn’t want him to forgive me because I didn’t think I could ever forgive myself.
31
Wesley
January 2026
Idon’t know how long we sit in silence. Me, catching my breath. Avery and Luca, soaking in what I’ve told them.
None of us seem to know who should be the first to speak. In the end, it’s none of us.
“Mr. Hart, we’re hoping to get a status update,” someone calls through the door.
The couch shifts under me as Avery gets up. “I’ll talk to them, you two take all the time you need. See you back at the hotel after?”
“Yeah. I’ll see you there.”
Before leaving, she presses a kiss to my head. “I love you. I’m proud of you.”
The room seems to shrink in her absence, with just Luca and I sitting across from each other.
“I’m sorry,” I start, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t know how to say it before without it feeling like a lie. You deserved to know the full truth before I asked you to forgive me for what I’ve done. Still, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.”
I’ve pretended that a false sense of control was better than reality. No apology meant I didn’t have to learn whether he would forgive me or not. Now it’s in his hands.
“I forgave you a while ago, and sure. I didn’t know all of this. Fuck. I wish I had.” He shakes his head, sending his hair over his eyes. “You know you were one of the first people in my life who believed in me? You came up to me with this opportunity and helped me become someone who mattered. And I lost that for a time.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeat, not knowing what else I can say.
“I know. I’m sorry too, it took me longer than I’d hoped to show up here. I actually had tickets for the first show but couldn’t get on the plane. I ended up calling my therapist instead.” His eyes fall to the grey carpet and cheeks tinge pink at the admission.
