"Young lady, you don't do that in my house!"
Dad's voice slams into my room like a hammer against glass. The door swings open with force, rattling against the hinges.
I barely flinch.
I should have locked it. I would have locked it—if only I had a lock.
But no, my parents had deliberately removed it, stripping me of even the smallest form of privacy, the simplest freedom to decide when I wanted them in my space.
Now, they stood in my room, towering over me like judges delivering a verdict.
"I say we confiscate all her cards," Mom declares, standing beside me, her tone sharp with disapproval.
I feel my stomach tighten, my insides trembling, but I do not let it show. I have learned that fear is something they feed off of.
Show weakness, and they tighten their grip. Show resistance, and they push harder.
"How on earth could you leave your driver behind?" Dad blurts out, his fury crackling in the air like lightning before a storm.
Silence. I offer nothing in response.
"And you did the same thing with your therapist?" Mom adds, her voice carrying the weight of her frustration.
The words strike something inside me, something raw and burning.
I snap.
"I didn't ask for this! For any of this!" The words spill out of me before I can stop them.
Dad's eyes narrow, his presence growing heavier.
"You don't make the rules around here," he fires back. "You do what you're told."
I inhale sharply. They don't listen. They never do.
"I don't need a therapist. I don't need a damn driver. I need you to listen to me!"
My voice trembles, but not with fear with anger, with exhaustion.
"You do what you're told. You don't question it," Dad repeats, like a programmed response, as if that single sentence is enough to erase everything I just said.
I go still. A bitter realization settles over me like a cold, heavy fog.
I will never be heard. Not in this house. Not by them.
Tears sting the edges of my vision,
but I refuse to let them fall in front of them. They don't deserve that. I won't give them that satisfaction.
So, I wait. I wait for them to leave. I wait for their judgmental gazes to turn away. I wait until the door finally closes behind them.
Only then do the tears break free, sliding silently down my cheeks.
I need to leave.
I need this suspension to be over.
I need to be back in school.
I need Dan.
My fingers tremble as I grab my phone. My heart pounds as I dial his number, expecting it to ring endlessly, to go unanswered.
But he picks up on the first ring.
"Dan," I breathe, my voice cracking as tears lodge in my throat.
Silence.
"Dan, please. I need to see you," I whisper desperately. "I can't keep living like this."
A long pause. Then, his voice cold, distant. "Meet me at the treehouse in five minutes. I have places to be."
The line goes dead before I can respond.
Still, I smile. He picked up. That was enough.
I move quickly, slipping into a fitted gown that clings to my curves, brushing through my hair with urgent fingers.
The treehouse, it had been our hideout, our sanctuary, our escape. We hadn't been there since our first year together,
The wind whistles through the trees as I climb the familiar wooden steps, my heart pounding. But when I reach the top, my chest tightens.
He's not here.
Panic flares through me. I grab my phone and type quickly.
"Where are you?"
The response is immediate.
"I'm here."
A second later, I hear the creak of the wooden planks as he climbs up. The treehouse shakes slightly with each step.
Then, he's in front of me.
Dan.
His expression is unreadable, his gaze cool and detached. The warmth I had been hoping for, the familiarity I had been craving—it's not there.
"You've been hanging out with Dom," he says flatly, breaking the silence.
I stiffen. So this is why he's cold.
"Yes," I admit. "Because he's my tutor."
Dan scoffs. "A tutor you begged and pleaded for?"
I stare at him, anger bubbling beneath my skin. "You'd really take that bitch's narrative over mine?" My voice is sharp, accusing.
"Isn't it true?"
"Hell no." My voice rises, frustration thick in my tone.
"I begged Mrs. Edwina not to let him tutor me, and that bitch was right there in the office with me! She's lying—she's twisting everything."
Dan says nothing.
"I would never do anything to make you lose trust in me," I plead, begging him to believe me.
He exhales, looking away.
"I don't know anymore."
I freeze.
"Are you serious right now?" My voice shakes with disbelief.
"I have been setting boundaries with Dom, but you're out here acting like you're innocent?"
Dan's jaw clenches.
"And you know why that is. Stop acting like you don't."
I bite my lip, unable to respond. He's right.
"I'm supposed to be your brother, Hel. How do you expect people to see us?"
"Dan—"
"We can't keep doing this back and forth," I say, desperation creeping into my voice.
"I can't keep doing this distance."
Dan sighs, raking a hand through his hair. "You're not seeing the bigger picture, Hel. You're making this difficult."
I go still. "What bigger picture?"
He looks at me, his expression unreadable. "Our parents will never let us be together. No matter what we do." His voice is quiet, almost resigned.
"That's why I use Sabrina as a cover. We can still be us, just not publicly."
A sharp pang stabs through me.
Was Sabrina really just a cover-up?
Dan steps closer, his voice softer now.
"I don't like anyone being near you, Hel." His hand trails along my back, and I feel myself melt into his touch.
His fingers lift my chin, and before I can think, his lips brush against mine—light, hesitant, but familiar.
"You know I care about you, Hel," he whispers against my lips.
"I just don't want to lose us in the long run."
His scent—clean musk, fresh aftershave fills my lungs, intoxicating me.
I exhale shakily.
His lips find mine again, this time deeper, hungrier. He sucks my bottom lip, sending shivers racing through me.
"I miss you," I whisper, a moan slipping from my lips.
His hands slide under my gown, cupping my bare breasts. I gasp, my body arching into his touch.
I tangle my fingers in his hair as he pins me against the treehouse.
His mouth moves to my neck, my collarbone, then lower,
his lips wrapping around my hardened nipple, his tongue flicking over it with torturous precision.
A broken moan rips from my throat.
I should stop this.
But I can't.
Not when he's here. Not when this is all we have.
The thought of him being my brother flees from my mind,
like smoke dissolving into the air, vanishing into nothingness.
All that matters is the heat between us, the way his body presses against mine, I can feel him hardened.
Dan lets out a low, guttural moan, his breath warm against my lips as he leans in, capturing me in another kiss.
I melt into him.
His lips move urgently, hungrily, as if he's been starving for this moment.
I part my lips wider, granting him entrance, and he takes full control, pulling my tongue into his mouth, sucking it in slow, deliberate strokes.
A soft whimper escapes me as his fingers flick over my hardened breasts, teasing, pinching, rolling.
I don't want this to stop.
I don't want it to end.
My hands roam up his back, slipping under his shirt, feeling the taut muscles beneath my fingertips. His body tenses, his breathing ragged as his hands travel lower, lower—
Then suddenly, a shrill ring cuts through the air.
Dan stops instantly.
I blink in a daze, my body still humming from his touch. He pulls back, cursing under his breath as he reaches for his phone.
Curiosity gets the best of me, and I glance at the screen.
Sabrina.
A surge of anger floods through me, burning hot in my chest. My whole body stiffens.
I begin straightening my gown, my hands shaking as I smooth down the fabric. I run my fingers through my hair, my mind racing.
Dan notices.
"You know, you don't have to be like this," he says casually, silencing the call and slipping the phone into his pocket.
I don't look at him. My heart pounds, my emotions spiraling.
"You can see I didn't pick up," he adds, smirking slightly. "Come on, don't be like this."
His words only fuel my irritation.
"Why her?" I blurt out, unable to hold it in any longer.
Dan sighs, rolling his eyes. "Helen, you already know why. Why are you making this harder than it already is?"
My anger wavers, my shoulders sagging slightly.
"You could've picked any other girl," I whisper, my voice barely above a breath.
Dan tilts his head, amusement flickering in his dark eyes.
"What, do I sense jealousy?" His lips twitch into a teasing smirk.
I roll my eyes, but before I can retort, he pulls me closer.
His arms wrap around me, his warmth seeping into my skin.
He kisses me again, once, twice soft, lingering kisses that slowly melt away my frustration.
Before I realize it, I'm smiling.
Dan grins, pressing his forehead against mine.
"You're more, Hel. Always have been."
His words settle into my chest, wrapping around my heart.
And when he takes my lips into his again, this time, I don't resist.