Game Over, Heartbreaker — Episode 9

He said it like a joke, light and amused, but it was truer than he knew. I glanced at him and said nothing. That one look held a hundred unspoken questions. I wanted to ask him what 12 years meant to him. I wanted to ask if he'd ever actually cared about me, even for a minute. I wanted to ask if he'd do it all again, if he could go back. But I never asked.

What was the point? I already knew the answer. The bell rang. I picked up my box and took one last look around the classroom.

Three years of memories. Logs and tears. But starting today, none of it had anything to do with me anymore. Hey, Joan, wait!

Joan, what's with the attitude? I ignored him and walked faster. I left the building straight to my aunt's car. She'd taken the day off and driven nearly seven hours to pick me up.

I'll pack? Her eyes were soft and sad. She'd seen the videos. She'd been so mad. She'd wanted to call and report them right away. I'd stopped her. I didn't want to make a big deal out of

Yeah, then let's go you're staying with me. I got your room all set up the car pulled slowly out of the parking lot in Rearview mirror. I saw Tristan run outside. He stood at the entrance lost and confused