Between Us

☆ part two ☆

The car ride home was quiet, the hum of the engine the only sound filling the space between us. Liam had tried to start a conversation a couple of times—something about practice, something about Oakley cracking a joke in biology—but I'd barely registered the words, let alone answered. Now, he was glancing at me again, his hand resting loosely on the steering wheel as he turned onto our street. I could feel his concern, like the weight of his gaze was pressing down on my chest, making it even harder to breathe.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft but insistent.

I shook my head, forcing a small smile. "Nothing. Just tired."

Liam didn't look convinced. "You've been quiet all day."

"I'm fine," I said quickly, too quickly. "Really."

But I wasn't fine. Everything was wrong.

The tension in the group was suffocating, a web of unspoken things tightening around all of us. Kitty's snide comments kept looping in my head—little jabs disguised as compliments, always aimed at me or Liam, her smile just sharp enough to cut. "Wow, Sophie, you're so lucky Liam's such a good boyfriend. Most guys wouldn't even bother sticking around for someone like you." and "Don't you think Liam deserves someone who's a little more... exciting?"

And then there was Lark. Or the lack of her. She'd barely spoken all day, her voice reduced to murmurs exchanged with Indiana or Oakley. Every time I'd worked up the courage to approach her, to say something, she'd walked away, her expression unreadable. It was like she was there but not really present, a ghost haunting the edges of the group.

"Seriously, Soph," Liam said, his voice cutting through my thoughts. "If something's bothering you, you can tell me."

I turned to look at him, his brown eyes full of that earnest kindness that made my stomach twist. He was so good. Too good. He didn't deserve the mess swirling in my head, the lies I was building up every time I told him everything was fine. "I promise, it's nothing," I said, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "Just... first-day stress, I guess."

He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. I could tell he didn't believe me, but he let it drop anyway. Liam wasn't the type to push, and that only made the guilt worse. As we pulled into the driveway of the Anderson household, I stared out the window, my chest tightening at the sight of their house. It was familiar and warm, the kind of place that always felt like home. But now, it felt like a battleground. I couldn't stop thinking about the way Lark had looked at me this morning—or, more accurately, the way she hadn't looked at me. There had been something in her eyes when she glanced at me in the hallway, something sharp and fleeting, like anger or maybe hurt. And then she'd turned away, locking herself behind that wall she'd built all summer.

I felt Liam's hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Ready to go in?" he asked, his voice light but tentative.

I nodded, unbuckling my seatbelt. "Yeah."But as I stepped out of the car and followed him to the front door, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking into a storm, and I didn't know if I was ready to face it.

The smell of lasagna greets me the second I step into the Anderson house, warm and comforting, like a soft blanket wrapping around me. Karen Anderson's cooking is legendary—rich, cheesy, and absolutely perfect every single time. For a moment, I let myself get lost in it, hoping the familiar comfort of their home will smooth out the knots in my chest.

"Sophie! There you are!" Karen's voice is bright as always, coming from the kitchen. She appears a second later, wiping her hands on a dish towel. Her brown hair is pulled back into a messy bun, and she's wearing an apron with a tiny sauce stain on the hem.