The 18th Shade Of Summer (Fractured Script Series #1)

CHAPTER 01

I hadn't heard anything since four a.m., but I could still feel him.

I dried my hands and walked slowly to the front door, my steps dragging. I opened it without thinking.

The hallway was dim and still, lit by flickering fluorescent lights that buzzed like nervous insects. The wallpaper was peeling in one corner, and the tiled floor felt cold against my bare feet.

I looked directly at the door across from mine.

5B.

No welcome mat. No shoes outside. No sound.

I walked over and stood in front of it.

I didn't have a plan. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to confront him. I just wanted to know and to see what he'd do. If he'd open the door. If he'd say something.

I raised my hand and knocked.

Once. Softly.

Nothing.

I waited, listening.

No footsteps. No creaking floorboards. No rustling.

I knocked again. Harder this time.

Still nothing.

I pressed my ear to the door slowly and cautiously. The surface was cool. I held my breath. Silence. Like no one was there at all.

But he had been there. I knew he had.

The music. The anime. The guitar. I hadn't imagined it. I wasn't that sleep-deprived.

Then my phone buzzed in my pocket. I jolted, stepping back from the door and pulled my phone out, expecting a spam message.

Dad.

Of course.

I stared at the name for a few seconds before answering.

"Hello?"

"El," he said, his voice a rough crackle. "You moved in?"

"Three days ago."

"You didn't say you'd be alone."

"I didn't plan to be," I said. "The room was supposed to be shared, but I asked the landlord to give me the whole thing instead."

He sighed. "You could've stayed with your grandfather for a while. At least until—"

"No," I cut in, a little too quickly. "That wasn't an option."

He went quiet.

I could hear faint movement on his end. Probably walking around the kitchen. Maybe trying to decide how far to push me.

"I just think... maybe you rushed it."

"I didn't."

He let out another sigh. "Your mom's been asking about you."

That surprised me. But only for a second. "She didn't seem that concerned when she told me I was 'too much for the house.'"

"El—"

"I'm fine," I said, letting the lie roll off my tongue. "I just wanted some space."

Another pause. Then, quietly "Don't shut everyone out."

I was about to reply when something creaked.
Not from my apartment. From behind the door in front of me.

My eyes snapped up. I held my breath.