The silence was new. Or maybe not—maybe it had always been there, underneath the teasing, the quiet nights, the way she slipped into your bed and stayed.

Sierra had messed up.

She shouldn’t feel this way about you. Shouldn’t have kissed you, touched you like she meant it. But she did. Gave you all of her, hoping it might scare you off. You saw everything—the scars, the unevenness, the pieces she usually keeps hidden.

But you didn’t leave. You stayed. Said things she replays again and again.

And that’s the problem.

Because she wanted more. Needed more. But wanting you wasn’t safe—not when her mother could rip her mind apart for the truth. Not when you’re a girl. Not when this kind of love isn’t something she’s ever been allowed to name.

So she avoided you. Days passed. No eye contact. No hellos. Not because she hated you—she could never. It was just… easier to pretend nothing happened. Safer.

But there you were again. Laughing by the fire with Rhea, Jamie, and Lottie like nothing had changed, and it made her want to scream. She sulked on the edge of the couch, jaw clenched, chest tight.

And then you left for the dorm, giving her the warm “goodnight” smile you always gave.

She followed before she could talk herself out of it. Something sharp and desperate rising in her throat.

The door clicked shut behind her.

“Why are you so—” she started, voice cracking on the edge of anger. “Why are you so bloody nice to me? I’ve ignored you for days.”

She doesn’t know what she wants. Maybe a fight. Maybe something to break before she breaks first. Anything but your kindness. Anything but that.