ZARA
I liked this bench.
It sat in a quiet corner of campus, half-shadowed by an old elm tree whose branches swayed like they were whispering secrets. My sketchbook lay in my lap, pages fluttering softly with the breeze. I wasn't drawing. Just staring. Holding the pencil like it meant something, like it could anchor me to anything solid.
Two weeks.
It had been two whole weeks since prom—since my world had folded in on itself. Yet here I was, back at school, pretending like I was okay. Like seeing him in the hallway didn't twist something sharp and painful inside me.
I had grown good at pretending.
My eyes were distant when I heard footsteps. I didn't look up. If it was Kaylee or Nick, they'd call my name. If it was anyone else, maybe they'd keep walking.
But they didn't.
"Hey."
Levi.
I recognized his voice instantly. I turned slightly, enough to glance at him over my shoulder. His hands were tucked into his hoodie pocket, and he wore that usual half-smirk that never quite reached his eyes.
"Can I sit?" he asked.
I shrugged. "It's a free country."
He dropped down beside me on the bench, settling in like he'd done it a thousand times before. We weren't friends. We were barely even acquaintances. But he seemed to have appointed himself something lately—somewhere between an ally and a ghost.
The silence stretched.
Then, his eyes shifted to my wrist, and his head tilted.
"Cool bracelet you got there," he said casually.
My breath caught.
Bracelet?
My gaze dropped instantly to my left wrist. And there it was—taunting me with its quiet, cruel presence. The matching bracelet. Forest green threads woven tightly with black and silver, a tiny metal charm hanging from it. L+Z.
I'd completely forgotten I still had it on.
How?
How could I have forgotten something like that?
It was like being punched. Not in the stomach—but somewhere deeper. Somewhere I hadn't realized still hurt.
"I—" My voice faltered. "I didn't realize I was still wearing this."
Levi didn't respond, just looked at me quietly.
I began fumbling with the clasp, my fingers clumsy, unsteady. I felt heat rushing to my face, an uncomfortable sting behind my eyes. My heart pounded with embarrassment, with frustration, with memories I'd fought so hard to bury.
When I finally managed to get it off, I just stared at it lying in my palm.
Stupid thing.
I held it out toward him. "Give this back to Liam."
Levi's brow furrowed. "Zara—"
"Just take it," I snapped, sharper than I meant to. "You're his friend, aren't you? You all laughed together. You all planned it together."
"I didn't plan it," he said, voice low.
I clenched my jaw. "Yeah, sure. Let me guess—you just happened to be there."
"No. I found out the night of prom," he said. "I begged him not to go through with it. I told him you didn't deserve it. I saw the way you looked at him."
That stopped me for a second.
Because something about the way he said it—it wasn't mocking. It wasn't smug.
It sounded like guilt.
Real guilt.
But I didn't want to believe him. I couldn't. Believing him would mean tearing open everything I'd worked so hard to numb.
I pressed the bracelet harder into his hand. "Then you know better than anyone that I don't want it."
He stared at me, silent.
"And Levi?" I added, voice quieter now, barely above a whisper. "Stay away from me."
He looked like he wanted to say something. Maybe even argue. But something in my face must've told him not to.
Because this time, he stood and walked away.
And this time, I let the tears fall in peace