Last night he stood beside me in a hospital room, quiet and steady, and somehow knew exactly what I needed.
Now this morning, he’s acting like he barely knows me. Like I’m just another person in his way.
Annoyance crawls up my spine because this is exactly what he does: pulls away and rebuilds the wall brick by brick until all that’s left is cold silence and distance.
I should have expected it because I knew exactly who Jace Cooper was.
I exhale and grab my tote bag from the passenger seat. My hands are trembling slightly, unsure if it’s from anger, hurt, or both.
“Congratulations, Lola,” I mutter as I climb out of the car. “You fell in love with a total a-hole.”
The words taste bitter on my tongue because it’s true. I did fall in love with him. And he’s going to break my heart.
The morning air is cool as I slam the door shut and walk toward the school. My footsteps echo across the pavement, each one feeling heavier than the last.
I can still see him ahead of me, cutting through the parking lot with his head down and disappearing around the side of the building where I know he goes to smoke before class.
Back to the life he knows. Back to being the guy who doesn’t let anyone in.
Students are already crowding the entrance, voices echoing through the hallway when I open the doors.
Eastern High. Same chaos, noise, and smell of cheap perfume and cafeteria food.
I barely manage to take ten steps down the hallway before someone calls my name.
“Lola.”
I turn just in time to be tackled into a hug. Aubrey wraps her arms around me so tightly that my tote bag almost slips off my shoulder completely.
“Oh my God,” she breathes into my hair.
I laugh quietly, caught off guard by the sudden attack.
Sam joins us a second later, wrapping her arms around both of us in a three-way hug that blocks half the hallway.
“I’m sorry,” Sam says against my shoulder. “For how we’ve been acting lately. For ignoring you the past couple of weeks.”
“We should have been there more,” Aubrey adds, pulling back to look at me. Her eyes are glassy. “I’m sorry.”
A warmth spreads through my chest, it’s like coming home.
“Thank you,” I say softly, meaning it. These girls are everything to me—my people, my safe place. I would be completely lost without them.
When they finally step back, I realize Noah and Reece are standing behind them.
Noah gives me a small nod, his typical quiet acknowledgment.
Reece lifts his chin in greeting. “Hey, Lola.”
“So, how is your dad?” Aubrey asks immediately, her hands still resting on my arms as if she’s afraid I might disappear if she lets go.
“He woke up last night,” I say, the words sounding strange as they leave my mouth.
Aubrey’s face lights up. “Lola, that’s amazing.”
“Oh my God, I’m so happy for you,” Sam adds, squeezing my hand.
We stand in the hallway talking for a few more minutes about my dad, school, and the ridiculous amount of homework I apparently missed while my life was in the process of falling apart. Sam offers to share her notes. Aubrey promises to help me catch up in calculus even though she barely understands it herself.
