Joshua and Alex at the club.
Aly, Layla, and Jennie in the lobby of my own home.
No hiding. No pretending. No safe space left.
I kept my head down, hair falling forward to hide my face. If anyone looked too long, I turned away. I could still feel the weight of the skirt from Saturday, the sting of the heels on my feet, the panic in my chest when the girls’ laughter died.
I reached the quad and hesitated, scanning for familiar faces. Aly, Layla, and Jennie usually waited here before lectures. My fingers trembled on the strap of my bag. Maybe they wouldn’t come. Maybe they didn’t want to.
If they looked at me differently now, I deserved it. If they turned away, I’d survive. I always had. But God, it hurt to know that for a few small days, I’d actually believed I belonged here.
My head shot up, hearing a familiar voice calling out for me. Me.
I froze. My pulse kicked hard.
“Rory!”
Aly’s voice cut through the noise, warm and careless, like every other Monday.
I blinked as all three of them turned toward me. Aly was already grinning, one hand waving wildly over her head. Layla laughed and nudged Jennie, and suddenly they were jogging across the pavement.
“Where have you been?” Layla said, out of breath, as if the world hadn’t stopped two days ago. “Perfect little Aurora being late?”
Aly threw her arm around my shoulder before I could react, dragging me closer. “Don’t worry, we forgive you,” she said. “But first, let’s go get coffee because I need a high.”
Jennie smirked. “Just coffee? Not a good enough high.”
They were talking over each other, teasing, laughing, exactly like always. Not a single flicker of hesitation. Not fake, too. Not one mention of Saturday.
I nodded when they looked at me, a small, shaky smile tugging at my mouth. My chest felt too tight, my throat too full.
Aly bumped her hip against mine as we started walking. “You okay?” she asked softly, almost like a secret.
I managed a nod.
She grinned. “Good. Because Jennie’s paying for coffee.”
Jennie groaned as Layla did a little clap. The chatter picked up again, easy and familiar, wrapping around me like a blanket.
We soon arrived at the café; the smell of roasted beans and vanilla syrup hit me as soon as we entered. Mid-morning light spilt through the windows, cutting across the table where four cups sat in a row, steam curling up between them.
Aly was talking with her hands, Jennie kept stealing Layla’s straw, and the whole table buzzed with easy noise. I sat quietly, fingers curled around my paper cup, tracing the ridge where the lid met the cardboard.
The warmth seeped into my palms, steadying me. Now and then, I nodded, smiled when they did. My heartbeat was still a little too fast, like I was waiting for something I didn’t want to hear.
Aly leaned forward suddenly, resting her chin in her hand, eyes glinting. “So…” she said, drawing the word out. “Saturday.”
My stomach dropped.
She let the pause hang just long enough for me to freeze, my grip tightening on the cup. Then her mouth curved into a grin, mischievous, not cruel.
“You lookedsofucking hot,” she whispered, voice low enough that only I could hear. “Like, model in a music video hot. Straight out of my fantasy.”
Her wink was quick and harmless.
Heat rushed to my cheeks before I could stop it. I ducked my head, biting the inside of my lip, a smile twitching at the corner. My fingers fidgeted with the sleeve of my cup, the sound of their laughter washing over me like sunlight.
Layla caught on, smiling knowingly but saying nothing. Jennie just sipped her drink, eyes sparkling over the rim as if to sayyeah, we saw, and it’s fine.
