Brynne
T heo kissed me for the first time two days ago.
Two days of doing nothing but thinking about it, of replaying it in my head on a loop, of being desperate for a repeat.
But he was busy all weekend with the lighthouse project, and I was getting things ready for Mason’s visit next week.
So all we did was message—we were still talking on Pulse, and a part of me loved the secrecy of it.
The forbidden messages sent in the dead of night, the things we could say to each other that somehow felt less real behind the wall of a glass screen, on an app where people were meant to be depraved.
If we said it in our texts, it became tangible. It became real.
Right now, we were still just having fun. Neither of us were looking for anything serious, so why would we treat this little…whatever it was…like anything other than something casual?
My phone had been burning a hole in my pocket all day—all I wanted to do was pull it out and check to see if he’d messaged me again. But I was working, and that meant pretending like my phone didn’t exist.
I looked around the classroom, making sure everyone was on task. But when I got to Scout, I sighed heavily.
She wasn’t working. She wasn’t writing, or reading, or doing her homework like I’d asked everyone to do. Instead, she sat at her desk, hood on, earbuds clearly in, and was staring at the wall. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her leg bounced wildly.
Over the weeks, she’d gotten more comfortable writing in her journal, and even let me read some of the poetry she wrote.
It was all amazing for a twelve-year-old, and I told her as much.
I’d tried to convince her to enter the poetry reading at the end of the semester, but she was still unsure about it.
And I understood why. It would be a massive step, and I wasn’t sure if she thought she was ready for it.
Even if she didn’t see it, she had changed. She was a different kid.
But today, it seemed like she’d taken ten steps back and was the same stubborn, lost kid that came into my classroom on the first day of school.
She didn’t look like she wanted to be here.
She jumped out of her chair and raced toward the door.
“Scout!” I called as she flung it open and ran into the hall. Everyone looked around, confused at the sudden commotion. “Keep writing. Keep working.” I waved at them as I rushed to the door, shutting and locking it behind me.
My shoes clacked against the tiles as I ran down the hallway, hearing the sound of her sneakers squeaking and echoing off the walls as she ran. When I rounded the corner, I saw her disappear into the girl’s bathroom.
What the fuck was she doing?
I shoved the door open and immediately grimaced at the sound of painful retching. “Scout?”
A groan rang off the walls before she gagged again. Shit .
“You need some water?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’ll be back.”
I hurried to the vending machine at the end of the hall and bought a ginger-ale and bottle of water, and returned, finding her standing at the sink. Her hands were braced on the porcelain, eyes closed, face pale. Sweat coated her clammy skin, and when she opened her eyes, they were glassy.
“How long have you felt sick?” I asked, holding out the drinks. She shrugged as she weakly grabbed the ginger-ale, taking a tentative sip.
“Since before lunch, but I—” She shoved the bottle back at me and raced into the stall again, groaning.
“You need to go home.”
She made a sound somewhere between a confirmative grunt and a disgusted moan.
“I can take you to the office so you can call—” I couldn’t say his name. The letters wouldn’t form on my lips, no matter how hard I tried. “Your dad.”
She vomited again, and I winced. Fuck .
“I can’t leave the bathroom,” she whined. “Can you call him?”
My stomach twisted into a messy knot of anxiety. I could call him—I should call him. That was the right thing. The best thing.
But the thought of hearing his voice, of seeing him in the cold light of day? Of coming face to face with the kiss, with all the nasty words we’d said to each other all weekend?
Then Scout gagged again, and it pushed enough of my anxiety away that I slipped my phone from my pocket.
“You sure you can’t talk to him?” I joked, laughing nervously.
Her only response was a painful-sounding dry heave.
“Alright.” I let out a long breath as I found his contact.
My thumb hovered over the call button. What if he ignored me? Maybe calling from my work phone would be better. But I didn’t think Scout had the time for me to run back to the classroom.
“Alright. I can do this.” I bounced on the balls of my feet a few times. “Okay.” I shook my hand out, letting the antsy energy fall from my fingertips. “ Okay .”
I didn’t give myself time to think. I tapped the call button and pressed the phone to my ear. Pacing up and down the bathroom, I tried to ignore the sounds of Scout getting sick in the stall, and braced myself for Theo’s voice.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang.
It rang for so long I didn’t think he’d answer. But right when I’d given up hope, the line connected.
I held my breath, waiting.
He didn’t say anything, but I knew he was there.
I could feel him on the other end.
“Brynne?”
My name fell from his lips like a dream—unbelieving. Completely absurd.
Completely unreal.
Scout gagged again, and I shook myself.
“Hey,” I said, my voice shaky. “I’m sorry to bother you?—”
“You never bother me,” he said quickly. “Ever.”
I smiled softly at the earnestness in his voice. “It’s about Scout.” When he said nothing, I let out a breathy laugh. “Déjà vu, huh?”
“What about her?” he asked quietly. “Is she alright?”
“She’s sick. Probably a stomach bug or something, but—” As if on cue, she let out the loudest retch of the afternoon.
“Oh, shit. Fuck. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I expected him to hang up, but he didn’t. There was a pause, a shift in the air, and I waited for what he was going to say next. But he just let out a harsh sigh, and said, “I’ll be there soon.”
I sent a text to one of the teacher aids, asking her to grab my key and sit with my class until I could come back. Then I waited for Theo.
At some point, Scout stopped vomiting, and when I peeked under the stalls, I found her curled up in a ball on the floor. My heart shattered at the sight of her hugging her knees to her chest, her body trembling.
Softly, I knocked on the door. “Can you unlock this for me?”
She groaned, but soon enough the lock unbolted, and the door swung open. From where she laid on the floor, it missed her entirely, and even though it absolutely disgusted me, I sank down, crossing my legs under me.
I held the bottle of water out, and her hand trembled as she took it. She sipped, then moved onto her knees, expelling the liquid.
My hand rested on her back, rubbing soothing circles. “I’m so sorry,” I murmured. She rested her head against the stall, trying to catch her breath.
Softly, I began humming a song Mason had been working on for the last few weeks. He sent me videos and FaceTimed me with new snippets and updates. I helped with some of the writing, and it was really shaping up to be something incredible.
She let me rub her back and gently lift her hair off her neck, letting her get some much needed cool air.
It broke my heart seeing her so sick.
Eventually, the humming turned into quiet singing. Her body swayed in time with the song, and I felt her back vibrate as she hummed along with me. I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that—probably only ten minutes—but it felt like forever in the best way.
My phone buzzed in my hand, and I glanced at it, finding a text from Theo.
THEO:
I’m at the office. Where are you?
ME:
The girl’s bathroom near the vending machine.
Minutes passed, then the door hesitantly opened. “Theo?” I called softly, and Scout lifted her head. “We’re in here.”
His head poked around the wall, and my heart leapt into my throat. His beard was full, his hair slightly messy, but he was somehow more handsome than I remembered. He stepped forward—in jeans.
He was wearing jeans.
Again .
I nearly laughed at the sight. I still wasn’t used to seeing him in denim, but the intense expression on his face—a conflicting mix of vulnerability and fatherly protectiveness that made the laughter die away.
His eyes briefly met mine before they dropped to his daughter. “Oh, Scout.” He crouched, balancing on the balls of his feet, forearms resting on his knees. His expression was softer than I’d ever seen before. “You look terrible, honey.”
My mouth fell open, but before I could say anything, Scout let out a raspy laugh. “You don’t look too good yourself, old man.”
I pushed to my feet, slipping behind Theo so he could get closer. He rested the back of his knuckles against her forehead, sympathy spilling across his face.
“I think you have a fever.” He glanced at me as if for confirmation, but I couldn’t tell. She was warm, but she also had a hoodie on. She might just be hot.
He got to his feet and held his hand out. She weakly reached for it, but her arm fell back to her side, a pathetic-sounding whine leaving her.
“I can’t,” she said pitifully. “Just leave me here to die.”
“I think there’s a wheelchair in the nurse’s office,” I said, tossing my thumb over my shoulder. “I can get it for her.”
Theo waved his hand as he bent and scooped Scout effortlessly in his arms. She rested her head against his broad shoulder, her eyes drifting shut as she let out a relieved breath, as if she were finally comfortable.
Finally safe.
I pulled the door open, letting him pass, then fell into step at his side. By the time we made it to the office, Scout was asleep. I signed them out, followed them to the parking lot, and helped Theo slide Scout into the passenger seat of that ridiculous car.
He kept his back to me for a long moment after he shut the door. I stepped backward, closer to the school. But then he spun, and our eyes met, and it felt like the entire world melted away.
Not for the first time today, my breath caught at his expression—it was unguarded, like he was opening himself fully to me. Letting me see every bit of his broken, tattered soul. Everything he thought, everything he felt.
Everything .
We didn’t say anything, just stared at each other.
Everything from the other night came rushing back in a sudden tidal wave. I shifted from one foot to the other, looking everywhere but at him. At the fluffy white clouds floating across the blue sky. At the sea of different colored cars in the parking lot. At the heels on my aching feet.
He chuckled, almost drawing my attention to him, but I turned my gaze skyward again.
“Thank you for calling me,” he finally said. “I didn't know she was sick.”
I risked a glance at him, finding him with this all-knowing smirk on his face like he knew the effect he had on me and liked it. I rolled my eyes. He was such a cocky bastard.
“She said she just started feeling bad a few hours ago,” I explained, and he nodded a few times. He glanced around the parking lot before stepping closer.
“Are you busy this weekend?” he asked, voice low.
“Mason will be here Saturday.”
Theo’s eyes dropped to my lips. “I want to see you,” he murmured, hand flexing at his side as if he was trying not to touch me.
“We can…go to trivia night.” I nearly slapped myself. That was not what he meant. But he laughed all the same, his hair swaying as he shook his head.
“Outside of trivia night. Just you and me.”
I dragged the diamond along my necklace. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
He shrugged. “It’s always a good idea to seeyou, Red.”
Heat filled my cheeks, and I glanced away, unable to hide the smile on my face. He had this way of bringing out this giddiness in me that was so childish and ridiculous, but I couldn’t help it.
Scout slammed her palm against the window, jolting me back to reality, and I jumped back a step as if I’d been electrocuted.
“I’ll talk to you tonight, okay?”he said softly.
“Alright,” I rasped, my stomach already clenching with anticipation.
He hesitated, and before I realized what he was doing, he leaned in. At the last second, I turned my head, letting him plant a soft kiss to my cheek. I felt his mouth tug into a grin before he moved his lips to my ear.
“That wasn’t nice,” he purred. “Next time, let me kiss you.”
My heart was in my throat. Breathing ragged.
Oh, my god .
“And if I don’t?” I challenged. He chuckled softly, his breath brushing against my hair.
“How do you feel about punishments, Red? How do you feel about being brought right to the edge of orgasm, but never being allowed to come?”
I gasped and jerked away. “You can’t be serious.”
He smirked as he slid his sunglasses on. “See you later, Red.”
“ Theo ,” I hissed, but all he did was flash me that infuriating grin as he rounded the hood of his stupid car.
“Have a good day.” He waved his fingers in that arrogantly condescending way he’d somehow perfected and slid into the driver’s seat, leaving me standing there like a speechless idiot, watching as he pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared down the street.