𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂(HS)

prologue I: Hey Honey

Omg, this is my new book! ✨ And if you've read Darlings, I promise you're going to love this one too. Just trust the process. 💕

Honestly, I was so skeptical at first-I wasn't sure if you all would like it or if I'd even get any response. I need to admit something: there was a time I felt so demotivated that I almost stopped Darling in the middle. But your love and support kept me going. 🌸

Now, this book needs your love just as much. It's a 20k-word chapter (yes, that long! 😅) and I've poured my heart into it. So please, please share your feedback, drop your votes, and let me know what you think. Every comment, every response means the world and truly keeps me motivated to write more.

And now I'm just waiting... waiting for your response, your feedback, your votes, your love. Because without you, these words lose their meaning.

Please, don't let this book walk alone. Your support is the only reason I still write, and this book needs your love as much as I do. 💔✨

I'm counting on you, and this book is too. 💌

..............🐝............

The bus hummed softly as it rolled along the endless stretch of highway, the golden California sun bleeding into the horizon. Evelyn sat curled up against the window, chin resting on her knees, her knitted sweater bunched around her shoulders as though it could shield her from the nerves twisting inside her stomach. Outside, the desert stretched wide and unending-dusty fields, scattered palms, and the occasional gas station sign blurring past.

Melissa nudged her with a grin. "You're awfully quiet. What's going on in that head of yours, Evelyn?"

Evelyn's voice was small. "I just... I've never done this before."

"Done what? Sat on a bus?" Melissa teased, though she softened when she saw Evelyn's expression.

Evelyn turned her face back to the window, her reflection faint against the glass. "I mean-leaving. Going somewhere without telling my parents. I've never lied to them. Not once." Her fingers toyed with the loose threads on her sweater sleeve. "They think I'm staying at your place for the weekend."

Melissa rolled her eyes but reached over to squeeze Evelyn's arm. "It's just two days. Two days, Evelyn. We just graduated high school-we deserve this. Freedom, even if it's only for a little while. Come on, we're not doing anything wrong."

"I know," Evelyn whispered, though her chest tightened. "But in my house, this would count as a crime. My father... he doesn't even let me walk to the store alone. My mom still insists on calling me the second I leave school, just to know where I am. And now..." She bit her lip, watching the endless desert blur into a haze. "Now I'm on a bus to Coachella. Without them even knowing."

Melissa laughed lightly, though her eyes softened with understanding. "That's called living, Ev. You've been locked up in that Oasis bubble your whole life. The farthest you've gone is church, school, and family dinners. Don't you think you deserve to know what the world feels like outside their walls?"

Evelyn let the words hang in the air. Oasis had been her whole world-its dusty neighborhoods, the same grocery store her mother shopped at every Saturday, the same sidewalks she'd walked since kindergarten. A household where curfews were strict, clothes were carefully chosen, and her every movement felt watched.

"I feel like I'm doing something unforgivable," Evelyn murmured.

Melissa leaned back in her seat, smirking. "It's Coachella, not a drug cartel. You'll survive. Your parents will survive. And who knows-you might actually have fun."