Twenty Two
Fallon
M y phone chirps beside me, waking me from my restless sleep. The screen illuminates, casting a pale glow over the room. As I reach for it, my heart pounds, already feeling the weight of whatever message awaits me. I swipe to unlock, squinting at the brightness, and see a new message from The Shark . Ugh, Remy. When the hell did he put his number in my phone?
The Shark:
Meet me at the Compton Observatory beside the science building at 8pm, little fox.
The nerve of him to even think I’d agree after everything that went down this morning. I bite my bottom lip, debating my response, but then decide to leave it unanswered. Maybe that’ll send the message. I change his name in my contacts to something more fitting, then toss my phone on the bed. Groaning, I roll out from the covers, feeling the need for a hot shower and a couple of ibuprofen tablets.
Steam fills the bathroom as I step under the hot spray, letting the water wash away the tension from the morning’s events. My mind races, replaying the confrontation with Remy and the brief moment with Nix. I can still see the anger in Remy’s eyes, the wildness that scared me so much.
The water cascades over me, and I take a deep breath, trying to calm my thoughts. I need to figure out what to do next. How to handle this complicated mess of emotions and situations. I know avoiding Remy isn’t a long-term solution, but right now, it’s all I can manage. I’m just exhausted, mentally and physically.
After my shower, I towel off in front of the mirror in my room and I notice the black drawings on me. I never looked after Remy was finished. I move closer, seeing the stars he drew around the ugly scar on my stomach. Butterflies erupt in my belly, filling me with anxious energy. I toss the towel in the bin, then pull on some comfortable clothes. The faint buzz of my phone catches my attention, but I ignore it, not ready to deal with whatever messages are waiting for me. Instead, I head to the kitchen, hunting for some ibuprofen. The headache from the morning’s stress is still lingering, a dull throb at my temples.
“Hey! You’re up!” I spin on my heels, seeing Rowyn at the table.
“Geez, I didn’t see you there. Trying to give me a heart attack?” My hand covers my heart, feeling it drum against my chest.
“Sorry, Fal. What has you so jumpy?” she asks, eyeing me suspiciously. I’m sure she knows that I went home with Remy. He was the last person she saw me with, and I didn’t come back to the bonfire. I grab a bottle of water and the medicine before I plop down at the table next to her.
I avoid her gaze, focusing on opening the bottle. “It’s nothing. Just didn’t sleep well,” I lie, hoping to deflect the conversation.
Rowyn’s eyes narrow. “You sure that’s all? I saw you leave with Remy last night. You two didn’t... I mean, everything’s alright, right?” I can’t keep this up. Rowyn and Lyndsy have been nothing but nice to me. They don’t deserve my dishonesty.
Taking a deep breath, I know what I have to do. “Rowyn,” I begin, my voice wavering slightly. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
She looks up from her phone, curiosity and concern mingling in her eyes. “What is it, Fal?”
I hesitate for a moment, then plunge ahead. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you and Lyndsy about Remy. Things have been... complicated.”
Rowyn sets her phone down, giving me her full attention. “Complicated how?” she asks gently.
“We’ve been spending more time together, and it’s gotten... intense. I didn’t know how to tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. But after last night and this morning... I can’t keep it from you anymore.”
Rowyn’s eyes widen, but she doesn’t interrupt. “What happened?”
I take another deep breath, feeling the weight of my emotions. “Well last night…” I trail off. “Remember how I said I was dealing with family stuff?” She nods, urging me to continue. “Well, it’s even crazier than I led on.” I take a gulp of water, taking a moment to get my thoughts together.
“Okay?”
“My mom called last week and invited me to dinner. She said that she needed to tell me something, which is totally weird for her to begin with. Normally she would have just said what it was. But anyways, I got to the restaurant,” I pause, knowing she’s going to freak out. “And it wasn’t just my mom there. She was actually introducing me to her new husband.” My hands cover my face, needing the coolness over my fevered skin.
“Wow, that was kinda spur of the moment right? Did you know she was dating someone?” Rowyn asks.
I shake my head. “No, but that’s not even the worst part. Remy was at the table when I walked up and so was his father.” I look down, picking at the label on the water bottle, not wanting to see her face as she realizes what I’m saying.
“Wait! Your mom married–”
“Yep.”
“And you two…”
“Yep.”
Rowyn’s eyes widen in shock as the realization dawns on her. “Holy crap, Fal! This is insane. So your mom is married to Remy’s dad? That means…”
I nod, unable to meet her gaze. “Yep. Remy and I are now... step siblings.”
Rowyn leans back in her chair, processing the information. “No wonder you didn’t want to tell anyone. This is seriously fucked up.”
I bark out a laugh. “You’re telling me. That’s not even everything,” I sigh, letting out a deep breath.
“Oh! He came to the beach looking for you last night,” she murmurs like she’s just remembering. Here we go.
My heart sinks as I brace myself for the next part. “Yeah, he found me,” I confirm softly. “Whatever this is between us…I thought after that news Remy wouldn’t want anything to do with me.” Man, I was sorely mistaken.
“I thought the game night was a one time thing?” she asks, looking confused.
I let out a shaky breath, feeling the weight of my own secrecy. “It was supposed to be. But then... things escalated. Remy and I, we... we got closer. I didn’t want to admit it, not even to myself.”
Rowyn’s expression softens, a mix of understanding and concern. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
I shrug, the guilt pressing down on me. “I’ve never been good at this friend thing. I’ve always kept everything close to my chest, never letting anyone in. And now it’s all blowing up in my face.”
Rowyn reaches out, placing a reassuring hand on my arm. “We’re here for you, Fal. Even if you didn’t tell us everything, we’re still your friends. We want to help.” My heart squeezes at her concern. I don’t deserve it but if everything with Remy falls apart then they’re all I have left.
“He kisses me, Row,” I whisper, knowing she’ll know the magnitude of this situation since she was the one that told me Remy never kisses girls.
Rowyn’s eyes widen in shock as her hand covers her mouth with a gasp. “He kisses you?” she repeats, as the words echo around us. “Fal, that’s huge. Remy never kisses girls. Like, ever.”
“I know. I didn’t know it was a big deal until you mentioned that last night,” I sigh.
I nod, my mind racing. “I thought after finding out about our parents, he wouldn’t want anything to do with me. But I was wrong. He’s been... vehement. And now, with everything that happened this morning, I don’t know what to think.”
“So, what happened this morning?”
“We had a fight. A really bad one. And... It scared me. His anger reminded me of my dad. I panicked and ran out of his room into his friend, Nix. Remy saw him helping me, and things got... crazy. He punched Nix for touching me,” I wince. I hate that I was the reason for Remy’s aggression.
“I’ve heard Remy’s anger can be intense, but I never thought he’d get physical.” Rowyn reaches out and squeezes my hand. “But it sounds like he’s pretty serious about you. You need to talk to him, Fal. Figure out what he really wants. And you need to be honest with yourself about what you want too.” I bite my lip, the reality of the situation weighing heavily on me.
“Did Phoenix get hurt?” she asks.
“Who?”
“Nix. His name is Phoenix,” she explains with a strange blush on her cheeks.
“Oh, I-no I think he’s okay.”
“Well, that’s good,” she mentions, trying to be nonchalant. Interesting. I’ll have to come back to that later because I still need her advice.
“Remy’s my stepbrother now. Isn’t that weird?” I whisper, hating to even say the words aloud.
Rowyn’s expression softens with understanding. “I know it’s complicated. But you can’t ignore your feelings just because of what other people might think. If Remy’s important to you, then you owe it to yourself to figure this out.”
“So, you don’t think it’s gross?” I cringe.
Rowyn throws her head back and starts laughing. “Girl, I read stepbrother romances all the time. You actually get to live it.” Her smile is bright, making the weight of everything suddenly feel bearable. “Besides, it’s not like you grew up together. I don’t see a problem at all. I think you’re using that as an excuse to let Remy go, even though I can see how much he means to you.”
“What? No! I didn’t say that!” I stammer, feeling my face flush with embarrassment.
Rowyn’s expression softens. “Then what’s really holding you back? If it’s fear, that’s okay. But you need to be honest with yourself, Fallon.”
I take a deep breath, the weight of her words sinking in. “I guess I am scared. Scared of how complicated everything is. Scared of getting hurt.”
Rowyn nods, understanding. “That’s natural. But remember, sometimes the things we’re most afraid of are the things worth fighting for.” I nod, as she gets up from the table. “I’m always here for you. Lyndsy, too. We need to fill her in on everything at some point.”
“Yeah, definitely,” I agree.
Rowyn’s phone vibrates in her pocket. She pulls it out and blushes from whatever message she just received. “I’m going out for a bit,” she mentions, making me wonder who she’s talking to.
“Sure. I need to get some things done, too.” She nods, keeping her face glued to her phone as she walks into her room, closing the door behind her.
Deciding to not waste the rest of the day, I return to my room just as I hear another text come through. I sigh, flopping on the bed to read them.
Mom:
Sweetie, answer your phone. I’m sorry about last night, but I’m worried about you.
Mom:
I love you, Fallon. Please don’t shut me out.
I sigh, reading her messages, but I don’t think I can talk to right now. I need to get things sorted out in my mind first. Hearing from her will only make my decision more complicated. I decide on a quick reply to stop her calls.
Fallon:
In the library. I can’t answer the phone. Talk later.
I feel guilty for lying, but I’m sure she’ll understand eventually. Looking at the time, it’s later than I thought it was. I guess I really passed out when I got back this morning. My thumb hovers over the message I received earlier. I chuckle at the name I changed his contact to.
Pink Psycho:
Meet me at the Compton Observatory beside the science building at 8pm, little fox.
Before I can contemplate if I want to respond now, he messages again.
Pink Psycho:
Be a good girl and get dressed, Fallon.
A thrill runs through me at his words. Damn him and his smooth talking. I roll my eyes but I know this isn’t a fight that I’ll win, and I don’t think I want to. His confidence, his determination—it’s intoxicating . Part of me wants to resist, to keep up the barriers I’ve built, but another part of me is drawn to him, unable to resist the pull. Maybe I should just let go and see where this takes us.
I jump from the bed, deciding to dig through my closet for something to wear tonight before tackling the mess of my hair. Clothes scatter as I rummage through my options, searching for the perfect outfit. Anticipation mingles with the nervous energy still buzzing inside me.
Finally, I find a dress that feels just right. It’s one that Lyndsy gave me the other day—comfortable but stylish, something that might make me feel a bit more confident tonight. With the dress laid out, I turn to the mirror, ready to face the battle of taming my hair.
Since Rowyn left and I needed help getting ready, I asked Lyndsy to help, which meant I had to spill the same story to her. Fortunately, she understood why I hadn’t told them sooner and wasn’t mad. She still gave me a little lecture like the mother hen she is, but after that she helped me get ready, saying “You need to look so perfect that his eyeballs will pop out his head.” We both laughed and she got to work with my hair and makeup.
Now that I’m walking toward that end of campus, my nerves have skyrocketed. For a Saturday night, there aren’t many students out and about. Maybe there is a party somewhere that I don’t know about, or maybe everyone is just hunkered down for the night. Either way, the solitude amplifies my nerves.
Glancing down at my phone, I realize I’m a little early. I couldn’t sit in the dorm any longer after I was finished getting ready so I opted to go ahead and leave, giving me plenty of time to reach the observatory. I had to ask where it was because I haven’t been there but fortunately it’s close to the old library which I definitely remember from game night.
Taking a deep breath, I continue my journey, my mind swirling with thoughts of what Remy will say, and more importantly, how I will respond. The observatory looms ahead, its silhouette stark against the evening sky. The closer I get, the louder the pounding of my heart becomes.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of pink. Turning quickly, I see Remy wearing his pink mask. So, that’s how he wanted tonight to go. I laugh to myself, pulling my phone out.
Fallon:
I see game night isn’t the only time you don the mask. Game on, psycho. * winky face *
I shove my phone back in my purse and follow my masked man through the woods. The hairs stand on the back of my neck but I chalk it up to the thrill of the unknown.
The forest is dense, shadows cast by the moonlight creating an eerie but mesmerizing landscape.
Every step we take seems to amplify the quiet, the only sounds being the rustle of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig underfoot. My masked guide moves with confidence, not hesitating as we navigate the winding path.
The anticipation builds with each step, my curiosity piqued by where he could be leading me. This sense of mystery, coupled with the cool night air, sends shivers down my spine.
He takes a sharp right, entering a side door to the old library. I didn’t think students were allowed in here since it’s basically condemned. The air inside is musty and stale, with dust motes dancing in the faint light filtering through the broken windows.
“Are you sure we’re supposed to be in here?” I whisper, the thrill of breaking the rules mingling with a sense of unease.
He turns to me, the mask obscuring his expression. “Trust me.” He’s using the voice distorter again. It must be built into the mask. Fear begins to bubble up inside me, making my hands sweat. I’m about to ask him if we can leave but he leads me into a small room,
“Remy–” but I don’t get to finish before something hard strikes me in the back of the head. All of a sudden, darkness consumes me and I’m falling. The last thing I feel is the cold, hard floor rushing up to meet me before everything goes black.