Chapter 13
JULES
The house creaks as I climb the stairs, my pulse still jumping from the porch—from the way he looked at me, like I was both the mistake he never got over and the future he knows he can’t have.
This weekend wasn’t supposed to shake my world, but it has.
I can’t let Calvin get to me.
I toss my earrings into the ceramic dish by the bed and unzip my dress. The fabric clings, warm and wrinkled. I peel it off, pull on an oversized sleep shirt, and collapse onto the mattress. Maybe if I fall asleep, I’ll wake from this bad dream.
The bed creaks beneath me. Old and tired. Like I feel.
I don’t cry. Too tired. Too stubborn. Maybe just… numb.
For a while I hover there, eyes half-shut, until the heat and makeup sticking to my skin make me restless. With a long exhale, I push myself up and tug the window open.
September slips in, cool and damp, threaded with grass and the murmur of voices drifting up from the lawn.
I lean my forehead to the frame.
Riot’s voice cuts through, too loud: “Alright, Cal. Real talk. Would you rather get a second chance with Jules… or be the guy who walks away and never looks back?”
A hush follows.
“C’mon, Cal. Spill your guts.”
Then Calvin. Quiet, careful. “I’d tell her… no one ever fit like she did. And no one ever will.”
The words hit like a stone in water. Ripples. Silence. A muttered, “Bro…”
My palm presses flat to the sill, cold wood against hot skin. My chest twists, sharp and sudden.
“No one ever fit?” I whisper. “No one… ever… will.”
It hangs there. Time holding its breath.
He said it like a truth that’s been replaying for years.
“My eyes close. His face is right there, too easy to remember. Like everything happened yesterday.”
For years I’ve been ‘fine.’ My life’s been ‘good.’ ‘Happy’? Maybe.
But in this moment, ‘maybe’ feels more honest.
Maybe I’ve been coasting.
Maybe I’ve settled.
Maybe I let go too much.
Riot laughs again, too loud, too far away. The world keeps spinning, and I realize Calvin Stewart is still in it.
Still here. Still spinning. Not nearly as far away as I thought.
Hearing his truth out loud feels invasive. Like he’s standing on the foundation I built my life on.
Shock. Guilt. Heat.
And a longing, too sharp, too young, like hearing your secret crush likes you back.
Two years with Evan.
A few days ago, I was certain.
One breath, and it all could fall apart.
In this town, secrets never stay.
Maddie’s getting married tomorrow.
Evan was supposed to be here today.
And I…
I can’t tell which way is up anymore.
Calvin Stewart, who are you?