I never got visitors. So when Rachel knocked and said someone was waiting for me, I didn’t expect to see him—Ronnie, stepdad who vanished after my mom died. He grinned like we were family, called himself Dad, and offered me dinner. I should’ve walked away. Instead, I followed him.
The pages of my textbook blurred as my eyes darted between notes, formulas, and underlined sections. Midterms were coming up, and I had no time for distractions.
Suzy, however, had other plans.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” she said, lying on her bed, twirling a strand of her blonde hair around her fingers.
“He actually ordered for me. Like, without even asking. Can you believe that?”
I muttered something noncommittal, eyes glued to my book.
Suzy sighed dramatically. “Sophie, you are the worst audience. Can you at least pretend to be outraged?”
I smirked, finally glancing up. “I don’t know, Suzy. Maybe he thought you’d take too long deciding?”
She gasped, grabbing a pillow and tossing it at me. “Rude!”
I dodged it, laughing. “I’m just saying, I’ve seen you take twenty minutes to pick a smoothie flavor.”
Before she could come up with a sassy reply, a knock at the door cut through the moment.
Suzy raised a brow. “Expecting someone?”
I shook my head. No one ever came for me.
Rachel, a girl from down the hall, poked her head in. “Hey, Sophie. You got a visitor.”
I blinked. “A visitor?”
Rachel jerked her thumb toward the hallway. “Yeah. He’s standing out there. Looks kinda… familiar?”
My stomach twisted.
Confused, I got up and walked past her, my heart thumping too hard against my ribs.
What happened next changed everything… FULL STORY on the next page.
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