It happened Friday night.
Talia wasn't supposed to be home. Her dad had grounded her, but she'd told him she was at the library with Felix. Technically not a lie. She had started at the library.
But now she was climbing through her bedroom window at 8:40 p.m., hoodie still damp from the drizzle, when she heard it.
Laughter.
From Jace's room.
Her stomach flipped. She crept quietly down the hall, heartbeat thunderous, and just as she reached his half-open door, she froze.
---
🕰 Earlier That Evening
Maya stood outside the Morgan house, nerves sizzling beneath her skin like static.
She wasn't here to talk. She was here to win.
Talia had ghosted her. Acted like their kiss meant nothing. Then turned around and started playing house with her stepbrother. Like Maya didn't exist. Like their entire friendship — their almost — was a phase Talia could shrug off.
But Maya didn't forget. Maya burned.
She rang the doorbell. When Eva answered, Maya smiled sweetly.
> "Hi, Mrs. Morgan. Is Jace home?"
Eva raised a brow but nodded. "Upstairs."
Maya climbed the stairs like a girl on a mission.
Jace was sprawled on his bed, hoodie half-zipped, music low.
He looked up in surprise. "Maya?"
> "Hey," she said, letting her voice drop into that smoky register she knew boys noticed. "We should talk."
He hesitated, then nodded. "Talia's not here."
> "I know," she said, closing the door. "That's kind of the point."
She sat down beside him — too close. Pulled her jacket off. Let him see the curve of her collarbone.
> "You know she used me, right?"
> "She didn't—"
> "She did. She kissed me. Then ditched me. And now she's playing pretend with you, like I didn't happen. Like none of us matter."
Jace looked away, jaw tight.
> "You ever think maybe she's just chasing what she can't have?" Maya asked, voice like poison-laced honey. "Maybe we're the ones she left behind because she's scared we see the real her."
She touched his knee.
> "I don't want to hurt you," she whispered.
> "Then don't."
> "But I also don't want her to win."
> "This isn't a game."
> "To her, it is."
Jace flinched.
> "You didn't know?" Maya asked, eyes narrowing. "About the teacher?"
> "What teacher?"
Maya smirked, enjoying the slow unravel.
> "Last semester. Mr. Keene. Talia was failing his class. Then suddenly she wasn't. Rumor was, he let her redo all her grades — private sessions, outside school. You don't think she knows how to manipulate people?"
Jace's face hardened. "That's not—"
> "Oh, and Felix? Her little gay bestie? He confessed to her last month. Said he had feelings. She told him she was 'confused,' then ignored him for a week. Ask him."
She leaned in closer, breathing the kill.
> "She breaks people, Jace. We're just the latest ones."
> "You look good when you're nervous," she murmured.
> "I'm not nervous," he said, though his voice cracked.
> "Then stop me."
And she kissed him.
---
Talia stepped back, heart plummeting. She didn't make a sound — didn't need to. Her foot hit a floorboard.
Creak.
Jace looked up.
Saw her.
> "Talia—"
She ran.
---
She didn't cry until she reached the park down the street. Rain dripped from the monkey bars as she sat on the swings, hoodie pulled over her eyes like armor.
Her phone buzzed.
JACE: It wasn't what it looked like.
JACE: She showed up. I didn't know what to do.
JACE: I didn't kiss her back.
She threw the phone. Heard it crack against the pavement.
Felix found her an hour later.
> "You look like a drowned raccoon," he said gently, offering her a hot tea.
> "They kissed."
> "Yeah. TikTok saw it before I did. Maya posted a selfie in his hoodie."
> "She knew exactly what she was doing."
> "And he let her."
Talia nodded, tears finally falling.
> "I feel like the world's laughing at me."
> "It probably is," Felix said. "But screw the world. You're allowed to fall apart. Just don't stay broken."
---
Back home, Jace sat on the floor of his room, head in hands.
Eva stood in the doorway.
> "What happened?"
He didn't answer.
> "Did you break her heart?"
> "No," he muttered. "I broke my own.
And for the first time since turning 18, Talia realized:
Love wasn't just messy.
It could be cruel.