The morning passed in a blur, with each step through the hallways feeling heavier than the last. Hanna could barely focus on anything. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts—of Elordi, of Finn, of the dangerous game Ciara was playing. She had made decisions, yes, but they were decisions she wasn’t sure she could take back.
As she walked through the crowded hall, she caught sight of Finn ahead of her. He was leaning against a locker, chatting with a friend, but when he saw her, his expression softened. There was something about the way he looked at her that made the pit in her stomach tighten. She hated the distance she felt growing between them, even if he was standing right there.
They fell into step together as they walked down the hallway, the chatter around them feeling distant, like a muffled background noise.
“You’ve been quiet,” Finn said after a moment, his voice soft but observant. “Is everything okay?”
Hanna’s heart skipped at the question. She had been trying to hide it, to keep up the façade that everything was fine, but it was getting harder with each passing day. She forced a smile, hoping it looked more natural than it felt.
“Yeah,” she said quickly, trying to sound casual, “Just stressed.”
Finn didn’t seem convinced. His brow furrowed as he studied her face, concern lining his features. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
Her throat tightened. She wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to explain the truth—the kiss with Elordi, the dangerous games Ciara was playing, and the emotional tornado she felt trapped in. But the words felt stuck, lodged in her throat, heavy with guilt. If she told Finn about Elordi, about the kiss, it would shatter whatever fragile trust they were trying to rebuild. And right now, she wasn’t sure they could survive another blow like that.
“I know,” Hanna said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Thank you.”
Finn gave her a small smile, but the hesitation in his eyes told her he wasn’t convinced. He reached out, brushing his fingers against hers for a brief moment, a silent gesture of reassurance. The simple touch should have comforted her, but instead, it made the weight of her secret feel heavier.
They walked in silence to their next class, but Hanna’s mind kept racing. The burden of the truth felt suffocating, and as much as she wanted to open up, she knew that the cracks in their foundation—ones she had helped create—were too deep to fix easily. Finn deserved to know everything, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust herself to say the words without breaking him in the process.
As they reached the door to her class, Finn paused and looked at her one last time. “I mean it, Hanna. Whatever’s going on, I’m here. Always.”
Hanna swallowed, her heart aching at the sincerity in his voice. She managed a weak smile before nodding, pushing past the door into the classroom. But as she sat down at her desk, the heaviness she had been carrying all morning settled back into her chest.
The weight of the secrets she was keeping pressed down on her like an anchor. There was no easy way out of this, no simple fix. Every choice she made seemed to have a ripple effect, pushing her further into a situation she wasn’t sure how to escape. She had wanted to protect Finn, to shield him from the mess that Ciara had made of her life, but now, more than ever, she was starting to realize that she might not be able to protect either of them.
As the bell rang, signaling the start of the lesson, Hanna tried to focus on the front of the room. But all she could think about was the distance between her and Finn—and the secret she was keeping that could tear them apart.
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