The stars had faded by the time Sophie crawled back into her window. She still felt Marcus's lips against hers, still tasted salt and fire on her tongue, still heard his broken whisper: If I fall, promise me you'll burn with me. The words clung to her like smoke, making it impossible to sleep. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling until dawn, her heart thrumming in her chest like a drumbeat she couldn't silence.
By morning, exhaustion weighed heavy on her body, but she forced herself out the door. Windmere High loomed ahead, gray against the overcast sky, its windows like unblinking eyes. Every step toward it felt like a step toward the gallows. She clutched her notebook tighter, her knuckles white.
Inside, the whispers were immediate. Ethan had spread something new. She could see it in the way students looked at her, pitying and cruel, in the way they nudged each other when she passed. Sophie tried to keep her head high, but her chest burned. She wanted Marcus here, wanted his shadow to cut through theirs, but he hadn't shown up to school in weeks. She was alone.
In English class, a folded note landed on her desk. Her stomach turned even before she opened it.
Does he hit you too?
Her vision blurred with tears. She crumpled the note and shoved it into her bag, but the words stuck like thorns. She could hear Ethan's quiet chuckle two rows behind her, feel his gaze boring into the back of her skull. She wanted to spin around, to scream, but she forced herself to stay still, her hands shaking against her notebook.
When the bell rang, she bolted, her chest tight, her legs moving without direction until she found herself in the art room. It was empty, silent except for the hum of the old lights. Sophie dropped into a chair and opened her notebook, forcing the pen across the page. She wrote furiously, words spilling out faster than she could think—about lies and whispers, about fire twisting into chains, about Marcus's hands shaking when he thought she wasn't watching.
She didn't notice Ethan until his shadow stretched across the desk.
Sophie froze. Slowly, she lifted her head. He leaned against the doorframe, smirk curling his lips, eyes glinting with mockery.
"Always writing," he said, his voice soft, too casual. "What's it about this time? Your monster? Or how much you love being his victim?"
Her throat tightened, but she forced her voice steady. "Get out."
He tilted his head, amused. "You know, you'd be prettier if you weren't always scowling. But I guess Hale likes his girls broken."
"Shut up."
Ethan pushed off the doorframe, walking toward her. Sophie's body stiffened, her pulse racing. He stopped only a few feet away, his smile sharp. "You think he can protect you? He can't even protect himself. He's slipping, Sophie. I've seen it. And when he finally snaps, when he burns out completely, he'll drag you down with him. And I'll be here. Watching."
Her hand trembled around her pen. "You're disgusting."
His eyes glinted. "No. I'm inevitable."
The door creaked open behind him. Marcus's voice cut through the room like a blade. "Get away from her."
Sophie's breath caught. Marcus stood in the doorway, his hood pulled back, his face bruised but burning with fury. His chest heaved, his fists clenched at his sides. Ethan's smirk widened.
"Well, well," Ethan drawled. "The beast returns."
Marcus stepped inside, his eyes locked on Ethan. "Touch her again, and I'll end you."
Ethan chuckled, unafraid. "You already tried. Didn't do a very good job."
The tension crackled in the air, thick and dangerous. Sophie jumped to her feet, moving between them, her hands raised. "Stop. Please. This is what he wants."
Marcus's jaw clenched, his eyes blazing. "Move, Sophie."
"No." Her voice broke, tears stinging her eyes. "If you fight him here, he wins. Don't let him win."
For a moment, it seemed Marcus might explode. His body shook with rage, his breath ragged. But then his gaze dropped to Sophie, to the tears glistening on her cheeks, and something shifted. Slowly, painfully, he stepped back.
Ethan's smirk didn't falter. "Pathetic," he said softly. "She's your leash, Hale. And I'll cut it when the time's right."
Marcus lunged before Sophie could stop him. His fist connected with the wall inches from Ethan's face, plaster cracking under the force. Ethan didn't flinch. He leaned in, his voice low enough for only Marcus to hear, but Sophie caught the words anyway.
"You're already mine."
Then he slipped past Sophie, whistling as he left the room.
Silence crashed down, suffocating. Marcus stood frozen, his fist still pressed into the wall, his body trembling with barely restrained violence. Sophie rushed to him, grabbing his arm, her voice frantic. "Marcus, look at me. Look at me!"
His eyes finally met hers, and they were wild, shattered, drowning. Sophie cupped his face, her tears spilling freely. "Don't let him break you. Please. You're stronger than this."
Marcus's chest heaved, his breath ragged. He dropped his forehead to hers, his voice a broken whisper. "I'm not. Not without you."
"You have me," Sophie whispered fiercely. "Always."
His lips crashed onto hers then, desperate and trembling, tasting of fear and fire. Sophie clung to him, her hands fisting in his shirt, her body pressed against his as if she could hold him together by sheer force of will.
When they broke apart, Marcus's voice was raw. "He won't stop until one of us is gone."
Her stomach twisted, but she held his gaze. "Then we make sure it's not you."
The words hung between them like a vow, fragile and terrifying. Outside, the rain finally began to fall, streaking the windows with silver. Inside, Sophie and Marcus clung to each other, knowing the storm had only just begun.