Theo bumped my shoulder with his as we moved toward the showers. His posture stayed loose, but his eyes remained too alert.
“You’re coming tonight,” he insisted.
I turned my head, meeting his gaze. “To what?”
He tossed his towel into his stall and reached for his hoodie. “A bonfire at the beach to celebrate.”
Chase appeared behind him, hair still damp and his grin already too wide. “Jax has supplies.”
Jax’s laugh rolled low as he pulled his shirt over his head. “Theo has a location, a lighter, and an inflated sense of responsibility.”
Theo flipped him off without looking. “You’re all coming. Avery, Mila, and Tori too.”
My jaw clenched before I could stop it.
Chase’s grin softened into something more measured, as if he understood what that name did to me right now. He stepped closer, dropping his voice.
“We’re not doing drama tonight,” he promised. “We’re doing fire, food, and pretending our lives are not being narrated by select members of the senior class.”
Jax’s gaze flicked toward me. He didn’t ask questions in the locker room. He rarely did. He only offered a single nod.
“You need a reset,” he reminded me.
I did. More than that, Mila did. I could still see her expression from earlier, the way she held Elise’s stare without blinking. That courage didn’t come free. It always cost something later when the adrenaline wore off and the mind started replaying everything it had survived.
I grabbed my phone and texted Mila before I could overthink it.
Me:You good?
Mila:Absolutely. I know where I stand, and I’m not moving.
Elise had to be on her mind. I hated letting her take the lead, but I understood her point. Soon, Elise would have to answer to me.
Me:Good. Stay there. I’m coming for you.
As I headed toward my SUV, my phone buzzed.
Mila:I’ll meet you there. Avery’s already here—she’s driving.
I stared at the message a second longer than necessary. I’d planned on picking her up. I typed back,Okay. See you soon.
It didn’t matter how we got there. What mattered was that we would be together.
The beach road curled along the water as the sun bled out behind the horizon. Blackwood’s shoreline always looked too beautiful for what the town actually was. The waves hit the sand with an endless rhythm that had nothing to do with money or influence or old sins. The ocean did not care who owned what.
I drove with the windows cracked, cool air cutting through the lingering scent of the rink. My hands stayed steady on the wheel, but my thoughts refused to settle.
I replayed the cafeteria and the way people watched Mila’s hand in mine. The way their attention stuck to us, hungry and eager for any sign of weakness.
I remembered Elise’s little threats delivered in soft tones, as if cruelty could be polite. Most of all, I kept replaying the way Mila refused to back down.
The SUV’s headlights swept over the turn into the parking lot at the north end of the beach. The space opened up between the sand and the tree line, a stretch of grass that sloped toward a view of the water. Someone had already stacked wood in a pit near the center. Smoke rose in a straight column into the night air. Folding chairs formed a loose circle. A cooler sat near Theo’s feet.
Music played from a portable speaker, loud enough to create a bubble without turning into a party. I parked along the edge and stepped out, scanning automatically before my shoes hit the grass. The field held familiar faces. Teammates. A handful of seniors and juniors who knew how to keep their mouths shut. Avery’s friends, Margie and Jasmine. Tori standing near Theo with her arms tucked against her chest, looking more comfortable than she had this morning.
I didn’t see Logan, Elise, or Nina. The absence eased something tight in my ribs.
Jax spotted me and waved. “You’re late.”
