LOGINWren’s pov
“You’re drunk.” It was the only reasonable thing to say, the only thing that made sense given Dani was leaning close to me like that. “A little.” He admitted, like it was nothing, like he didn’t just ask if he could kiss me. “Then you should move… I’m your friend, not some random girl you could throw such words at.” I kept my voice calm even though my blood had literally run cold. “We should pretend this never happened.” He didn’t move. “Dani.” I pressed on longer. It was getting awkward by the minute. I stood up once he leaned away. “I’ll be leaving, goodnight, Dani.” My voice was almost shaky. “Get back home safely.” I turned to walk away when he grabbed me by my arm. Not hard but strong enough to stop me from walking away. He stood up, leaning closer to me but not the uncomfortable kind, his eyes were dark and plain. “Dani..:” I trailed quietly. “Are you really going to leave?” He asked, from the frown on his lips I could tell he had something else in mind to blurt out but changed his mind at the last minute. “Of course I’m going to leave.” I frowned, twisting my hand away from him but it barely did anything. How delusional I was to think I could have more strength than an athlete? Even in his drunk state I was no match for him so I didn’t bother struggling anymore. His hand slid from my wrist to my waist, I stood for a second dumbfounded and my body froze in shock. He suddenly pressed his lips against mine, literally sucking the air out of me. I struggled to push him off but to no avail so I decided to give in. My hands felt heavy even as they were empty, so I leaned them on his chest, closing my eyes and telling myself this was going to be over soon enough. I kissed him back. I kissed him back because I apparently am the person who makes the worst decisions when I’m in the same space as Dani Calloway. I grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him closer to me. My head went quirky, no thoughts just two people kissing and almost losing themselves. I felt lighter having him this close… What was I thinking?. I pushed him away, gasping for air. “Fuck.” I gasped, brushing my fingers through my hair. Looking at him I went still, he was still very close to me, his thumb gently touching my lips that were probably already swollen thanks to him. Then I heard footsteps behind him, I moved slightly away and gulped. “Bla…” Before I could fully blurt out his name he was storming towards us. “So this is the reason why you came, huh?” He roared, I stepped back so fast I nearly lost my footing, Dani reached out to hold me from falling with one hand before letting go of me instantly, both of us turning to face Blake. I stood between them. “It’s not what you think Blake.” He stopped. “Don’t you fucking tell me that shit.” He snapped at me and turned his gaze to Dani. “I’m done with your shit, I’m going to teach you not to mess with what’s mine!” He snarled, pulling me away from Dani’s side to stand behind him. “Dani is drunk, he had no idea what…” “Fucking shut it.” He threw a punch straight at Dani’s jaw. The drink in his hand hit the grass, Dani’s head snapped sideways from the impact, Blake didn’t stop, he swung again but Dani caught his hand this time. Two of them grappled while a handful of other students gathered around cheering them on. “Stop.” I moved towards them, trying my hardest to tear them apart. “Stop it, Blake stop…” “Get away Wren,” Dani warned, dodging another punch from Blake, the cut on his mouth from earlier had reopened and fresh blood seeped out from his lip. “Both of you, stop.” I reached for Blake’s arm, trying to get him to stop, but neither of them even spared a glance towards me. Blake was either focused on giving more punches or blocking the ones Dani lunged at him. Dani was also doing the same thing. “How dare you touch my girl?” Blake snarled. “There are lots of bitches you could kiss in this damn party and you chose mine?” “Well, it’s not like she hated it.” Dani chuckled darkly, his eyes staring joyously at the punches he had inflicted on Blake. “Stop this madness, please,” I begged. It was my fault and I didn’t want this to continue “Keep your damn mouth shut.” Blake snapped, glaring at me. “Why do you have to be such a bitch to me? You really must be toying with me that much, huh?” “It’s not what you think, I already explained to you.” “Save your fucking lies for later.” Blake snarled, his eyes burning with rage. “I tried not to hope for the worst but you’ve finally given me every reason to.” “So daring of you to say, you treat her like trash and I believe I’m only doing this to make her realize she doesn’t have to remain with a self-centered psycho head who isn’t loved at home.” Dani sneered. “Come on druggie, aren’t the pills enough to keep you calm anymore?” “Dani quit talking nonsense, are you trying to…” Dani turned around to look at me. “You really don’t know a lot about the guy you’re dating, do you really know what he’s like?” I gritted my teeth. “I know he doesn’t take advantage of girls as you do.” I snapped back at him. “You think you’re better than him? You’re nothing more than a man whore, you’ve practically slept with the whole school if not more.” “I can say the same for your darling boyfriend.” He smirked, when all of a sudden Blake swung his fist towards him. Dani swerved and dodged, kicking him in the side. I was about to step in between them again when I felt a hand push me.Wren's POVI didn't sleep again. I lay there with the phone clutched against my chest until the room started turning gray with early light, running through every possible explanation for how he'd known about the police station within hours of us leaving it.By the time Anna stirred awake, I'd already made a decision."We need to show everyone," I said, the second her eyes opened."Show everyone what?" She sat up, hair a mess, blinking against the light. Then she saw my face. "Wren. What happened?"I handed her the phone instead of explaining. She read it twice, her expression sliding from confusion into something closer to fear."He knew we went to the police," she said slowly. "Like, knew within hours.""That's what scares me the most. It's not just threats anymore. He's tracking us somehow."We found everyone in the kitchen already, Ross at the stove again like cooking had become his only coping mechanism, Dani at the table scrolling something on his laptop, Ryan leaning against the
Wren's POVNobody slept much that night. I know because I heard footsteps on the stairs at almost every hour, Ross checking the locks again, Dani's door opening and closing somewhere around two, even Anna shifting restlessly on the air mattress we'd dragged into my room so she wouldn't have to drive home in the dark.By morning, the five of us were gathered in the kitchen looking like a support group for people who'd all had the same nightmare."We need an actual plan," Dani said, sliding a mug of coffee toward me without being asked. "Not just locking doors and hoping.""What kind of plan?" Ryan asked. He'd come back over before sunrise, unable to sit at home not knowing what was happening here. "We can't exactly go arrest him ourselves.""No. But we can figure out where he actually is right now." Dani leaned against the counter. "If he's been in that group chat, there's a chance he's said something about location. Where he's staying. Who he's with.""I can check," Ryan said. "I'll s
Wren's POVThe campus security office smelled like burnt coffee and old carpet, and the officer behind the desk looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, scrolling through something on his computer that definitely wasn't related to us.“Threatening text messages, do you have a name attached to the number?”“No,” I said. “It's unknown. We think it might be a student named Blake Lawson. He's currently suspended."That got a flicker of actual attention. He typed the name into his system, squinted at the screen, then looked back up. "Blake Lawson is suspended through next week. Banned from campus grounds for the duration.""He was on campus three days ago," I said. "I saw him near the athletics field during cheer practice.""You saw him, or you think you saw him?"I hesitated.“Look, without a clear photo, a confirmed sighting from someone else, or a name actually attached to the number sending these texts, there's not a lot I can officially do beyond logging the report. I'd suggest block
Wren’s povAnna showed up twenty minutes later, hair still damp from a rushed shower, sweatpants thrown on over what looked suspiciously like one of Ryan's old shirts. She didn't say anything about it, and for once, neither did I.“Show me again,” she said, dropping onto my bed.I pulled the messages up and handed her the phone instead of reading them out loud. She read both texts twice, her face going progressively paler. “Okay. We're telling Ross. Right now.”“I know.”“I mean it, Wren. This isn't a let's wait and see situation anymore.”“I said I know.”We found him downstairs, already elbow-deep in cleanup from the night before, a trash bag in one hand. He looked up when we came in and immediately set the bag down.“Why do you two look like that?”“Like what?” I asked.“Like someone died. What happened now?”Anna didn't bother easing into it. She held her own phone up, the screenshot already pulled up from when I'd forwarded it to her, and handed it over. “Read this.”Ross read i
Wren’s POVI woke up with my head pounding and my makeup half down my face, still in last night’s dress, the blanket Ross had pulled over me tangled around my legs. For a second I just lay there, replaying the night in pieces, the kiss, the fist connecting with Dani’s jaw, Theo’s headlights disappearing down the street.I groaned and pressed my palms into my eyes.Someone knocked softly. “Wren?” Dani’s voice, careful. “Can I come in?”I sat up too fast and regretted it immediately. “Yeah.”He opened the door slowly, like he wasn’t sure what he’d be walking into. He had a bruise blooming along his jaw, dark and ugly, and he was holding two mugs of coffee, one of which he held out to me.“Thanks,” I said, taking it, not quite meeting his eyes.He sat on the edge of the bed, leaving careful space between us. “How are you feeling?”“Like I got hit by a truck.” I glanced at his jaw. “He really did you dirty.”“Theo’s got a mean right hook. I’ll give him that.”“Dani.”“I’m fine, Wren.”I wr
Dani’s POV Ryan pressed the ice pack against my jaw harder than necessary, and I winced. “Easy.” “It’s not even that bad, you’ll have a bruise for like a week, that’s it. Maybe a little swelling tomorrow morning. Theo’s got a decent right hand, though, I’ll give him that much.” “Thanks for the diagnosis, doctor.” “I’m not a doctor, but I’ve taken enough hits on the field to know the difference between broken and bruised.” He hopped up onto the counter beside me. “What the hell were you thinking, by the way?” I didn’t answer right away. I was still replaying it on a loop, Wren’s face crumpling as she told me about the girl kissing Theo, her voice cracking and instead of being someone she could actually lean on in that moment, I’d kissed her. Like that solved anything. Like that wasn’t the single worst possible moment in the history of moments to do it. “I wasn’t thinking,” I admitted finally. “That’s the whole problem.” “Yeah. I noticed. Everyone noticed, Dani. There we
Wren’s POV Blake’s idea of an apology was a house party.Didn’t care to have a conversation, phone call, or even a text that said something related to sorry. Just a message through Anna that there was a gathering at his place tonight and that he hoped I would come. Which apparently translates to h
Dani's povI knocked lightly on the door before walking in. Coach Harlan’s office melted like the usual old coffee machine that has been sitting on the side desk since I had known him.I sat in the chair across from his desk with my hand loose on my knees while he stood at the window with his back
Wren’s povI blinked. “What?”“Take it off.” He reached past me and grabbed my arm leading me sideways to an empty room and shut the door behind us.“Blake.” I stepped back from him. “I cannot take it off, or have nothing to wear.”“I don’t care.”“I have a few more classes to attend, you don’t exp
Wren’s POV Blake sat with a smile on his face, patient and completely at ease with himself. I looked at him with my jaw wide open. Maria had frozen beside him the money she heard his words, even she must have thought it to be crazy.“Well?” Blake tilted his head. “I’m waiting.”“You’re out of your







