LOGINJUNE;I walked back into Ronan’s bedroom angrily, my feet stomping against the floor. I pushed the door shut behind me and turned the lock with a loud click, ready to have a long talk without distraction. Ronan sat up from the bed, his eyes widening a little as he saw the look on my face.“What happened?” he asked, trying to sit up straighter against the pillows.I had a lot. A lot to say, to let out, so much that my words faltered at first. I dragged in a long breath, and let it out. “Natalie,” I said. “She was at the hospital!” Ronan pulled off the bed at once, so fast I feared his head might bang. I stretched forth a hand to hold him in place, but he gave me that look, the one that asked if I was being serious.I stood there, an inch away from him, my hands shaking at my sides. “Tell me what really happened that night. The night you drove off from Romy’s place. Don’t lie to me, Ronan. I’m tired of all the secrets.” My voice rolled out in firm waves.He rubbed his hand over his
JUNE;I leaned closer to the guest bathroom door, my ear pressed gently against the heavy wood. Selene’s voice came through in low, hurried whispers. “You had no business showing up at the hospital!” she mumbled. “And now you say that girl saw you? That’s bad for us… For you, not us.” She paused.I held my breath, my heart beating so hard I could feel it in my throat. My fingers curled against the doorframe as I listened.“Look, it’s too bad you dragged me into this… How did I… How did you even get me involved in this?” she mumbled on.My heart twisted, like a knife was being twisted there. This shouldn’t be true. Maybe my ears were deceiving me. But then my head rested too hard on the door and it creaked, making that small sound.“I have to go… Talk to you later.” Selene ended the call.I stood there, my legs too heavy to move. The words sat cold in my stomach. Then she pushed the door open and came face to face with me, guilt written all over her face. But she was still Selene Arkw
JUNE;The mansion felt almost different after just a few days I had stayed away, and now I was back here. Head banging from the chaos I had just witnessed, and Natalie? Why was she there at the hospital? What if she alerted the press?Then a hand pulled lightly on my arm, it was Mariah. Her smile was the brightest when I met her eyes, her eyes glistening as she helped bring Ronan to his bedroom.And Selene? I wondered why she was still here. She had driven to the mansion behind us in her car. The moment she pulled up in the driveway, Mom stood there waiting for her to come down. My stomach rumbled low, twisted in that ugly manner. I looked away at once, my hand circling Ronan’s arm as we took him upstairs.Mariah pulled me into a warm hug, whispering into my ear, “Good to have you back,” then squeezed my hand a little.For a second none of us spoke. Ronan kept adjusting on his bed. I stood there watching him act as if he had truly lost his mind. Ronan was a stellar actor, Gosh!“I’ll
JUNE;The front porch of the hospital was unusually crowded with people. At first, I had no idea who was who, or what was happening, but Mom’s hands circled mine tightly as she whispered the press into my ear. My eyes went wide. They swarmed around Mr. Grayson, poking microphones and cameras into the air like weapons. Was this what he meant whenever he said the press would attack? They gathered like a swarm of bees, ready to sting.Mom tugged me harder, pulling me like some secret agent toward the cars parked in the lot. I had never experienced anything like this, my feet stumbled on the pavement as I watched the reporters almost lynching my stepdad to death with their questions. Flashes went off nonstop, lighting up the evening like fireworks. We moved fast, weaving between parked cars, it was only safer because Ronan was already in one of the vehicles. The nurses and the driver had helped pull him through before the swarm of reporters arrived.Mom exhaled heavily when we got close
JUNE;I turned to look. Selene stood in the doorway, her hands tightly crossed over her chest, her mouth pouting in irritation. The hallway lights cast sharp shadows on her face, making her look even more annoyed than usual.I scoffed, not wanting to create a scene right there in the hospital. I moved to step past her, but she shifted sideways and blocked the doorway completely, her shoulder bumping lightly against the frame. “I am not done talking to you, slum girl,” she snapped, her voice low but sharp enough to cut.Anger rumbled low in my belly, hot and heavy. I was tired and fed up with her insults. I wouldn’t have her humiliating me here, in this hospital too, after everything that had already happened today.“Look around you, Selene,” I found my voice, taking one firm step forward so I stood right in her face. My shoes squeaked softly on the tiled floor. “This is not your father’s palace, nor Westbridge Uni where you have your cohorts hanging around you. You will watch your nex
JUNE;I sat in the armchair available in the emergency room, the machines beeping steadily around us. Shortly after we arrived at the hospital, Mr. Grayson had gotten a call that required his attention and had hurried off, promising to return back soon. Mom had walked out to the pharmacy too, leaving me alone with the quiet hum of the monitors, and Ronan who had not opened his eyes since we got here. My head rested on my hand, propped up against the wall. I had barely gotten any sleep last night, and this morning we had rushed back here. My eyes felt weak and heavy, begging for rest. I was dozing off while trying to stay awake, my head nearly hitting the side of the bed when his voice reached me.“You should take a nap,” I snapped awake. It was Ronan. He was wide awake, watching me with those familiar eyes. “Not comfortable, but it would help.”My words hitched in my throat, refusing to fully form. The sleep disappeared from my eyes in an instant. Then he groaned, placing his hand t
RONAN; I stood leaning against the wall near the back of the party hall, a cold glass in my hand, pretending to sip slowly. The music filtered in slowly. We all waited for Selene to cut her cake. I didn’t want to be here, I didn’t want anything that made Selene see us as what we were not. Bu
JUNE;The moment we reached the top of the wide staircase that led down into the party hall, my stomach dropped like a stone. Bright lights flashed before my face, low music in the background, and the air smelled quite expensive. Then my eyes wandered to the celebrant already standing behind the h
JUNE; Today was one of those days I would have preferred to just stay in bed, stare at the ceiling, or just watch my favorite shows while lazing in my house robe. In those days, the only thing that kept me going was Mary's company, either at her house or at mine. One thing I had in common with
RONAN;By the time I reached the classroom, only a few students had shown up. This school ran on clear rules I had no idea who made. It seemed to be the same even with students in their third and final year. Always moving in packs. At the top sat the golden circle, kids from old-money families, at







