First message
Rain lashes Redwood State College, turning paths to mud. For months, Asher Bennett was a ghost: one minute leaning close by my locker, murmuring about our shared lecture, the next gone—vanished when I looked for him, always “helping someone” or “caught up in work.” I told myself he was just busy, that the way he smiled only at me meant something… until I saw him laughing with different girls every week, his arm slung round their shoulders like he’d never done with me.
Tonight’s party blares through the hall. Then I spot him—alone, hovering by the door. Before I can turn away, someone whispers it: he got Lila pregnant. They’re together now.
Rage burns hot. I storm over. “You lied. You said you needed space—you were just choosing everyone else but me. Stay away from me.”
I burst outside into the deluge, water soaking through my shirt instantly. Heavy drops blind me as I run.
“Wait!” His voice cuts through thunder. He catches up, breathless, hair plastered to his face. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was scared—scared I’d mess things up, so I ran. But I never stopped thinking about you. It’s not what you think—”
“Save it,” I snap, stepping back. “You lost your chance the first time you vanished.”