Later that night, Finn found himself staring into the mirror, his hair still damp from the shower. The reflection staring back at him looked worn, and he didn’t like the way it made him feel. He wasn’t himself anymore. His head was spinning from all directions, and every time he thought he had things figured out, another problem surfaced.
His phone buzzed on the bathroom counter. Without even looking, he knew who it was—Ciara. Her messages had been non-stop lately, more insistent and demanding. She wasn’t giving him any room to breathe, and the more she tried to pull him closer, the more he wanted to run the other way.
He picked up the phone and glanced at the screen.
We need to talk, Finn. Why are you avoiding me? I thought you and I made sense?
Finn clenched his jaw, tossing the phone onto the counter. He hadn’t replied to her last few texts, and he knew she was getting frustrated. But what was he supposed to say? That he’d been wrong? That he didn’t want to be with her anymore? Because it was starting to feel like the truth.
He had told her they made sense at the party. At the time, it seemed like the logical thing to say. Ciara was beautiful, confident, and popular—everything everyone expected Finn to be with. But since then, she had become suffocating. The constant texts, the possessive way she latched onto him... it was starting to feel more like a trap than a relationship.
And then there was Hanna.
Ever since that conversation at the party, ever since she’d told him she liked Elordi, Finn couldn’t stop thinking about her. She wasn’t supposed to matter. Not like this. But for some reason, she did. And the fact that she liked someone else—his teammate, of all people—made it worse.
His phone buzzed again. Another message from Ciara, demanding to know why he was avoiding her. Finn groaned, running a hand over his face. He didn’t have the energy for this tonight. He didn’t have the energy for any of it anymore.
The sound of his parents’ voices from downstairs snapped him out of his thoughts. He could hear his father’s deep voice carrying up the stairs, the same lecture they’d been having for weeks.
“You need to get your head in the game, Finn,” his father had said over dinner the night before. “No more distractions. College applications are coming up. You can’t afford to let anything pull you off track.”
His mother had nodded in agreement, her voice softer but just as firm. “Your future is too important. We’re counting on you to stay focused.”
It was always the same: focus on school, focus on soccer, focus on his future. And now, more than ever, it felt like everything was slipping through his fingers. His parents didn’t know about Ciara, of course. If they did, they would have told him to drop her immediately—just another distraction. And they sure didn’t know about the confusing feelings swirling around Hanna.
Finn let out a long breath, staring at his reflection again. He didn’t know how to fix this. His parents were right about one thing—he needed to cut out the distractions. Ciara. Hanna. All of it. He had to focus on what was important: his future.
But the thought of cutting everything out left him feeling hollow. And no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, the idea of letting go of Hanna—really letting go—wasn’t something he was ready to face.
His phone buzzed again, another text from Ciara. He ignored it this time, turning away from the mirror. He’d deal with her tomorrow.