Chapter 26

I wake up to the sound of my phone buzzing against the wooden nightstand. Despite being a blissful second, I consider ignoring it; rolling over, burying my face into my pillow, and pretending the rest of the world doesn't exist. Last night still lingers in my body, not as a hangover but as something heavier. Something that sits in my chest, weighing me down the moment I become conscious.

I rub my eyes, exhaling slowly before finally reaching over to grab my phone. The brightness of the screen stings, and I blink against it, trying to adjust.

11:08 AM.

Not that late, but late enough that everyone else has probably started their day while I've been hiding under my blankets, hoping the universe would grant me a few more hours of peace.

Wishful thinking.

A cluster of notifications sits at the top of my screen. My stomach tightens before I even read them.

The most recent ones are from Will.

Will: Hey, you okay?Will: I'm coming by later to check on you.Will: You're not mad at me, right? About Jackson? I just didn't want him to hurt you again.

I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face. Will. Always overthinking. Always taking on more guilt than he should.

I can picture him now—probably pacing around his place, beating himself up over the way things went down last night. He's always been protective of me, but this? This is different. I know it hit a nerve for him, seeing Jackson like that. Seeing me like that.

I type out a response, quick and to the point.

Me: I'm fine. I'm not mad. See you later.

I don't have the energy to say more. Will would push if I sounded too distant, but this should be enough to get him to breathe easy for now.

I move to the next set of messages, and my breath catches slightly when I see Macklin's name.

Macklin: Hey, just checking in. You okay?Macklin: When you're feeling up for it, we should talk.Macklin: I'm here whenever you need me.

My fingers hover over the keyboard, hesitating.

We should talk.

That alone makes my chest tighten. I don't even know where to begin with Macklin. Last night is still tangled in my head; seeing him with that blonde girl at the party, feeling that stupid sting in my chest even though I shouldn't care.

But then, later, he was there. He stepped in. He didn't hesitate. That anger in his eyes when Jackson grabbed me, the way he reached for him, twisting his arm back with so much force Jackson actually winced.

And now he's here, offering to talk, offering to be there.

I swallow hard, locking my phone without responding. Not yet. I don't have it in me to unpack all of that right now.

But the next message notification from Instagram DMs makes me let out an audible groan.

Luke.

Luke: Hey, hope you don't mind, but I asked around for your Instagram.Luke: Wanted to hit you up, maybe grab a coffee or something?

I drop my phone onto my chest and stare at the ceiling. Seriously?

Of all things to deal with today, this is not one I have the patience for.

I wasn't even really into Luke. The flirting last night had been fun, sure, but that's all it was, fun.. And now, here he is, asking around just to find me.

I rub my temples. Nope. Not today. I don't even bother opening the message.

But the last notification; the one sitting quietly at the bottom of my screen makes my stomach tighten.

A familiar Instagram handle. One I haven't seen in over a year.

Jackson.

The name alone is enough to send a chill through me. The warmth from my blankets suddenly feels suffocating.

Jackson: Please can we talk?Jackson: I'm better now.Jackson: I miss you.

A sharp, bitter taste rises in my throat. I don't realize I'm gripping my phone so tightly until my fingers start to ache.

I should've known. Of course he wasn't done. Of course last night wasn't enough. Jackson has always had this way of creeping back in—pushing boundaries, slithering his way into my life no matter how many times I cut him out or reject his advances.

But this?

I swallow hard, my heartbeat picking up. He's still watching me. Still paying attention. Even after everything.

I force a slow, steady breath. I don't respond. I don't even let myself dwell on it.

Instead, I do what I should've done the second I saw his name. I block him.

And then, just to be safe, I throw my phone onto my nightstand, roll over, and press my face into my pillow.

So much for a peaceful morning.——

Instead of moving right away, I stayed curled up in bed, scrolling through TikTok for a good thirty minutes; watching dumb videos, zoning out, letting my brain latch onto anything that wasn't reality.

Eventually, I forced myself up. Took a long, hot shower, letting the steam loosen the tension in my shoulders. I went through the motions of getting ready, keeping it casual—sweatpants, a cropped tank, and an oversized zip-up hoodie. Chill. Comfortable. Nothing too put together because, honestly, I didn't have it in me to pretend like I had my life together today.

When I finally opened my bedroom door, I nearly jumped.

Will was standing right there.

He had one hand in the pocket of his hoodie, his expression hesitant, but in his other hand was a flower arrangement of my favorites, along with something that made my heart squeeze—a pack of candy friendship bracelets.

I blinked at him, caught between surprise and something dangerously close to sentimentality.

"Oh my god," I mumbled, crossing my arms. "You're really doing this right now?"

Will let out a breath, cracking a lopsided grin as he held the candy bracelets up between his fingers.

"You know the rules," he said. "If one of us is feeling down, or if one of us is pissed, the other has to show up with friendship bracelets. We eat them while we talk it out."

It was an inside joke, something we started when we were kids. Any time we got into dumb fights or one of us was upset, the candy bracelets came out. It was our way of saying, I care about you. Let's fix this.

I took the flowers, staring at them for a moment before exhaling through my nose. "You really thought I was mad at you, huh?"

Will shrugged, not even bothering to deny it.

Gabi walked into the hallway then, her keys in hand. "I'll give you guys some time," she said knowingly, grabbing her tote bag. "I need to do some grocery shopping anyway."

I mouthed thank you to her as she shot me a smile and slipped out the door.

Now, it was just me and Will.

I set the flowers down on the counter and ripped open the candy bracelet pack, biting off a piece as I leaned against the kitchen island.

"I swear, I'm not mad at you," I said finally. "It was just a lot to handle this morning, so I didn't have it in me to send a full response."

Will nodded, waiting, because he knew there was more.

I took a breath. "I got some messages this morning."

His brows furrowed. "What kind of messages?"

I grabbed my phone off the counter, unlocking it. "Well, first was from Macklin."

Will's face didn't change, but there was an awareness there, like he already knew Macklin had been thinking about me.

I read off the texts. "He was checking in, asking if I was okay. Said we should talk when I'm ready and that he's here for me whenever I need."

Will rested his elbows on the counter. "And how do you feel about that?"

I let out a breath, staring at the screen. "I don't know. My mind is all over the place. Last night, he stepped in without hesitation. But before that, I saw him with that blonde girl at the party, so..." I trailed off, shaking my head. "I don't even know if he's serious about any of this. Or me."

Will was quiet for a second, then shrugged. "Listen, I'm not in a place to speak on his behalf, but I really think you guys should talk it out. You both probably have the wrong idea about what's going on, and I'd bet money it's a miscommunication."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "You really think so?"

"I know so." Will sighed. "I've seen the way he looks at you, Lex. The guy's into you. Like, really into you. I think you should at least hear him out."

I huffed. "That's... another problem for another time."

Will let me have that one, but I knew he wasn't letting it go for good.

I moved on to the next message. "Then, there was Luke."

Will's eyebrows shot up. "Luke?"

I groaned, rubbing my face. "He tracked down my Instagram and messaged me, asking if I wanted to grab a coffee or something."

Will made a face. "What was that about? I mean, yeah, he was coming on pretty strong last night, but you definitely entertained it." He shot me a pointed look. "Not that I'm judging, but it for sure got Macklin's attention."

I crossed my arms, my face heating up. "Okay, first of all, Luke was the one doing most of the work. I was just... playing along."

Will snorted. "Lex, you were flirting back."

I scowled. "Barely."

He arched an eyebrow. "If that's what helps you sleep at night."

I exhaled sharply, grabbing another piece of candy. "Fine. Maybe I was flirting. But in my defense, I wasn't even that into it. It was more of a... revenge thing."

Will's lips twitched. "Revenge."

"Shut up." I sighed, shaking my head. "I was just pissed at Macklin for talking to another girl. But whatever. Luke is not my problem right now."

Will didn't push further, but I could see the amusement in his eyes.

Then, my expression darkened. "The last message..." My voice trailed off, and Will immediately caught on to the shift in my tone.

His body tensed. "What?"

I hesitated, then turned my phone screen toward him. "It was from Jackson."

Will's entire expression changed in an instant. His relaxed stance vanished, replaced with something sharp—something dangerous.

I read the message out loud. "He said, please can we talk? I'm better now. I miss you."

Will's jaw clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might crack. His fingers curled into fists against the counter. "That fucking—" He exhaled harshly, gripping the edge of the island like it was the only thing keeping him from punching something. "Please tell me you blocked him."

"I blocked him."

Will nodded, but it didn't do much to calm the storm in his eyes.

"I knew he'd pull some shit like this," he muttered. "He always does this, trying to weasel his way back in when he thinks he has an opening."

I stayed quiet, letting him rant.

"I never trusted that guy. Not in high school, not now." His voice was low, heated. "Everyone acted like he was this perfect golden boy, but I always felt like something was off." He ran a hand down his face. "And now he follows you to San Jose after his career goes to shit? That's karma kicking his ass for the way he treated you."

There was something else there. Something heavy.

Will exhaled sharply, looking at me. "I should've stood up for you more back then."

I blinked at him. "Will, that's not on you."

"I knew he was bad news," Will said, voice tight. "I saw how he was with you, how he always made you feel like you were the one at fault. And I still didn't do enough."

I reached out, squeezing his hand. "You're doing enough now."

Will didn't look convinced, but he squeezed my hand back.

I took another bite of my candy bracelet and chewed thoughtfully. "So, what do I do?"

Will sighed, shaking his head. "For starters? Keep him blocked. Stay away from him. As for the rest..." He shrugged. "Talk to Macklin."

I groaned dramatically. "Ugh."

Will smirked. "You're impossible."

"Yeah, yeah." I shoved him lightly. "Thanks for the bracelets, though."

"Anytime."

And just like that, for the first time all day, I actually felt a little lighter.

-=+=-

Ugh am I using ; correctly? I hope 😔