Spring break was over. Senior year was sprinting toward the finish line - college decisions, finals, yearbooks, countdowns.
And everything felt louder. Brighter. Like the last burst of fireworks before the sky went dark.
Jessica walked the halls like a storm - hair wild, hoodie half-zipped, earbuds in. But underneath, she was cracked wide open.
She hadn't talked to Molly since the party.
And yet every corner of the school felt like a memory of her.
The locker they slammed shut together. The chem lab where their knees touched under the table. The library where Molly pretended to "borrow a pencil" and left Jessica blushing for an hour.
Jessica wasn't used to wanting someone who didn't know how to be wanted.
Molly, meanwhile, was unravelling slowly - silently.
She broke up with Adam.
No big fight. Just a quiet, "I can't do this anymore," in the parking lot, her voice shaking.
Adam didn't yell. He just nodded; eyes sad. "I hope you figure it out."
And Molly? She didn't cry.
She just drove home. Parked her Mercedes in the driveway. Sat in it for an hour, staring at the cracked leather wheel, wishing she was braver.
Samantha noticed the change first.
"You're like, quieter," she said, biting into an apple at lunch. "And you keep staring into the distance like you're in a teen drama."
Molly sighed. "I'm fine."
Amy rolled her eyes. "No one says, 'I'm fine' and actually means it."
Ben just looked at her. No teasing this time. Just understanding.
"You still haven't told her, have you?"
Molly didn't answer.
They got paired together. Again.
Ms. Warren was either completely oblivious or secretly a sadist.
They sat at their usual table. Too close. Too far. Tension thick as syrup.
Jessica didn't say a word.
She was wearing that black tank top. The one that clung to her collarbone just right. And her lip was bitten raw from nervous chewing.
Molly tapped her pencil. "Did you finish the lab write-up?"
Jessica didn't look at her. "I turned it in already."
"Oh."
Pause.
"I liked your Instagram post," Molly added quietly.
Jessica turned then. Slowly. Eyes flat. "You going to ignore me again after this too?"
Molly flinched.
Jessica stood up, grabbing her notebook. "I'm not your project, Molly. You don't get to pick me up when you're bored and drop me when it gets hard."
Molly opened her mouth, then closed it.
Because what could she say? That she was scared? That she thought loving Jessica would ruin everything she'd built?
That maybe… it would fix her instead?
Jessica was closing up the bookstore. It was dark, quiet, raining softly outside. The scent of pages and peppermint tea hung in the air.
She turned the sign to CLOSED.
And Molly was standing there.
Soaked. Hair curled from the rain. Mascara smudged. Hoodie zipped halfway up over her cheer uniform.
Jessica stared at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I didn't know where else to go."
Jessica didn't move. "That's not my problem."
"I broke up with Adam."
Silence.
Molly stepped forward. "I didn't do it for you. I did it because it wasn't fair. To him. To me."
Jessica crossed her arms. "And what do you want now? A medal?"
"No," Molly whispered. "I want a second chance."
Jessica's breath hitched.
"I'm still scared," Molly admitted, voice trembling. "But I'd rather be scared with you than safe with someone who doesn't see me."
Jessica stared at her, heart thudding. "You don't get to keep breaking me and expecting me to put myself back together."
"I know."
Jessica stepped closer; voice low. "So what do you want from me, Molly?"
Molly swallowed. Then reached into her pocket.
Pulled out a folded slip of paper.
Jessica took it.
It was a college acceptance letter.
NYU.
Jessica blinked. "You applied to New York?"
"I want to be where you are."
Jessica's fingers trembled.
Molly leaned in. "I don't want to burn anymore. I want to be the match you strike on purpose."
Jessica didn't kiss her.
But her fingers brushed Molly's.
And for once, she didn't pull away.