I'm filming in my bedroom again. Ring light on, phone propped against my makeup mirror, that perfect angle I've practiced a thousand times.
"Hey besties!" I flash my signature smile, the one that's earned me two million followers. "Avery Lane here, and okay, so senior year is officially over in like… three days? Can we talk about how insane that is?"
I tilt the camera to show my cap and gown hanging on my closet door. The tassel swings a little. Gold and white. Sacramento High colors.
"I know, I know, very aesthetic. Very 'that girl.' But honestly? I'm feeling all the feelings right now. Excited, scared, nostalgic… and maybe just a little bit in love." I bite my lip, trying not to grin too hard. "More on that later. For now, let's get ready together because tonight is the senior sunset party and I need to look perfect."
I set the phone down and grab my eyeliner. The comments are already flooding in. Heart emojis. Fire emojis. Someone asks if I'm dating anyone.
I smirk at the screen but don't answer. Not yet.
The video goes up an hour later with the caption: last high school sunset 🌅 but maybe just the beginning of something better?
By the time I'm touching up my gloss, it's already at fifty thousand views.
"You're glowing," Zoey says the second I climb into her car. She's wearing a crop top with cartoon cats on it and her pink hair is in space buns. "Like, actually glowing. Did you buy a new highlighter or are you just that in love?"
"Shut up." But I'm smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.
"It's the college boyfriend, isn't it?" She pulls out of my driveway, bass thumping from her speakers. "Girl, you've been posting cryptic captions for weeks. Just tell me everything already."
I pull out my phone, scrolling to Liam's last text. Can't wait to see you this weekend. Got a surprise planned.
My stomach flips. "He's perfect, Zo. Like, actually perfect."
"Details. Now."
"Okay, so." I twist in my seat to face her. "He's a freshman at UCLA. Blonde, super hot, like surfer boy meets frat guy. We met at that college fair thing in January, remember? And we've been talking every single day since."
"Every day?"
"Every. Single. Day." I pull up a photo of us together from last month when he visited. We're at some LA café, his arm around my shoulders, both of us laughing at something. It's the kind of photo that looks effortless but took us twelve tries to get right. "He makes me feel… I don't know. Seen? Like I'm not just some high school girl with a camera. He thinks I'm smart and funny and…"
"Hot," Zoey finishes. "Because you are."
I laugh. "Yeah, that too."
We pull up to the beach parking lot. The sun is already starting to sink, painting everything orange and pink. Perfect golden hour light. I grab my phone automatically, framing the shot.
"You gonna post him eventually?" Zoey asks as we walk toward the bonfire.
"Maybe. I want to make sure it's real first, you know?"
She stops walking. Looks at me sideways. "Avery."
"What?"
"College boys." She hesitates. "Just be careful. They're not always loyal."
Something cold touches my spine. "Liam's different."
"I'm sure he is." But her voice doesn't match her words. "Just… keep your eyes open, okay?"
I want to argue. Want to defend him. But then my phone buzzes.
Liam: counting down the hours until I see you baby
I smile. Show Zoey the screen.
She sighs. "Okay, fine. He's cute. I'll give him that."
The bonfire crackles behind us, and someone's playing music from a Bluetooth speaker. People are already pairing off, taking photos, making memories we'll all post about later. But Zoey's warning sits in my stomach like a stone.
"He wouldn't hurt me," I say, more to myself than to her.
"I hope not." She links her arm through mine. "Come on. Let's go be seniors while we still can."
The graduation party is at my house three days later.
My mom went overboard. Balloons everywhere. A cake with my face on it, which is both touching and deeply embarrassing. The backyard is full of relatives I barely know, all of them wanting photos and asking about my plans.
"UCLA in the fall," I say for the hundredth time. "Communications major."
"Following that boyfriend of yours?" my aunt Linda asks with a wink.
I force a smile. "Just following my dreams."
That's when I see him. Liam, walking through the side gate like he owns the place. Backwards cap, joggers, that perfect smile that makes my heart skip.
"Surprise," he says, pulling me into a hug.
"Oh my god, what are you doing here?" I'm genuinely shocked. He said he had exams this week.
"Couldn't miss your big day." He kisses my forehead, and I breathe in his cologne. The expensive kind that probably cost more than my prom dress. "Where should we take photos?"
We end up by my mom's rose garden. The light is perfect, filtering through the trees in that way that makes everything look filtered even when it's not. Liam pulls me close, his hand on my waist, and I angle my phone for the shot.
Click. Click. Click.
"These are going to blow up," he says, scrolling through them. "You look incredible."
"We look good together."
"Yeah." His voice goes softer. "We really do."
I post one immediately. The caption writes itself: couldn't have done senior year without this one 💛
The likes start rolling in before we even make it back to the party.
Later, when most people have left and the sun is setting again, he pulls me aside. Away from my family. Away from the lingering guests. We end up near the back fence where my mom's hydrangeas are blooming.
"Hey," he says. "Come visit me at UCLA this weekend."
"This weekend? But I…"
"I've got a surprise for you." His eyes are bright. Excited. "Trust me. You're gonna love it."
My heart races. "What kind of surprise?"
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." He taps my nose. "Say yes."
I should probably check with my mom. Should probably finish packing for college. Should probably do a hundred responsible things.
"Yes," I say.
He grins. Kisses me right there in my backyard while the last bit of sunlight makes everything look like a movie. Like we're the stars of our own story.
I don't see my sister watching from the kitchen window.
Madison shows up an hour after Liam leaves.
She doesn't knock. Just walks in like she still lives here, even though she moved out two years ago. Her platinum blonde hair is perfect. Her outfit is perfect. Everything about her screams I'm better than you and we both know it.
"Cute party," she says, grabbing a leftover cupcake. "Very… high school."
"Thanks for coming," I say, even though I didn't invite her.
"Wouldn't miss my baby sister's graduation." She licks frosting off her finger. "So. Liam seemed cozy."
My stomach tightens. "You know him?"
"I go to UCLA too, Avery. It's not that big." She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "He's cute. Young, but cute."
"He's nineteen."
"Right. A freshman." She says it like it's an insult. Like being nineteen somehow makes him less than. "You two serious?"
"Why do you care?"
"I don't." But she's still smiling that weird smile. The one that makes my skin crawl. "Just making conversation."
Mom calls from upstairs about something, and Madison drifts toward the stairs. But as she passes me, she stops. Leans in close enough that I can smell her perfume. The same one she's worn since high school.
"Tell Liam I said hi," she says casually.
I freeze. "What?"
"Hm?" She looks back, all innocent. "Oh, nothing. Just tell him Madison says hi. He'll know what I mean."
"How do you know…"
"See you around, baby sis."
She's gone before I can finish the question. Before I can demand answers. Before I can do anything except stand there with my stomach in knots.
I stand there in the hallway, my phone buzzing with notifications. Comments on the photos Liam and I posted. Heart emojis. Fire emojis. You two are so cute together.
But all I can hear is my sister's voice saying his name like she knows something I don't.
Like she's already won a game I didn't know we were playing.
I shake it off. Text Liam: my sister is so weird lol
He doesn't respond right away. Probably busy. Probably nothing.
I ignore the twist in my gut. Ignore Zoey's warning echoing in my head. Ignore every red flag waving frantically in front of my face.
Because Liam loves me. And this weekend, he has a surprise planned.
Everything is going to be perfect.
The drive to UCLA takes three hours.
I blast music the whole way, windows down, singing along to every breakup song on the radio even though I'm not breaking up with anyone. I'm going to see my boyfriend. He has a surprise planned. Everything is perfect.
I practice my smile in the rearview mirror at red lights. Check my makeup. Reapply my lip gloss twice.
By the time I pull into the UCLA parking structure, my heart is hammering. I text him: here!
No response.
I check his location. He shared it with me weeks ago, back when we were still in that honeymoon phase where sharing locations felt romantic instead of paranoid. It shows his dorm building.
I park and walk across campus. It's beautiful. Brick buildings and green lawns and students everywhere, looking busy and important and college. This is going to be my world in a few months. Our world.
The sun is starting to set, casting everything in gold. I snap a quick photo for my story. UCLA vibes 💫
I find his dorm. Third floor. Room 314.
The door is closed. I raise my hand to knock, already imagining his face when he sees me. The surprise he has planned. Maybe flowers. Maybe a promise ring. Maybe just him, which would be enough.
That's when I hear it.
Laughter. High and bright and familiar.
My sister's laugh.
I stand there frozen, hand still raised, not breathing. Not thinking. Just… suspended.
It's probably not her. Probably just someone who sounds like her. UCLA is huge. Thousands of students. The chances of…
"Liam, stop." Madison's voice cuts through the door. Giggling. Breathless. "You're gonna make me spill my drink."
The world tilts.
I should leave. Should walk away. Should get in my car and drive home and pretend I never came here.
Instead, my hand moves on its own.
I turn the handle.