Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jackie had notice that senior year was getting to everyone—but Shauna had been different.For the past few weeks, Shauna had been acting strangely. Quieter. Distracted. Jumpier than usual. At first, Jackie chalked it up to college decisions coming out soon. Shauna was still waiting to hear back from Brown, and even if she pretended not to care, Jackie knew she did. They both did.They had always talked about going to college together.

Rutgers had been the plan—the safe, shared plan. Jackie had imagined dorm shopping, game days, late-night pizza runs with Shauna at her side. When Shauna started talking more seriously about Brown, Jackie had applied to NYU too. She told herself it was about options, about ambition. But really, it was about not being left behind.Whenever Jackie brought up NYU, though, Shauna would go distant.

Like that wasn’t what was bothering her at all.A car horn blared outside, pulling Jackie from her thoughts.Right. Shauna.Jackie called a quick goodbye to her mother—who, for once was surprisingly alert,and hurried out the front door. The morning air was sharp against her skin as she jogged to the familiar car.She slipped into the passenger seat with a bright grin already in place.“Hi,” she said warmly.

Shauna smiled back, but it was wrong. It didn’t reach her eyes. The expression sat on her face like something rehearsed.Jackie leaned over and wrapped her arms around her. Shauna’s body was stiff at first, rigid under her touch. Jackie hesitated, about to pull away, when Shauna suddenly melted into the embrace, holding on tighter than expected.It only made Jackie more uneasy.

“So,” Jackie said lightly as she settled back into her seat, studying her, “how was studying yesterday? I hope you got enough done to make up for skipping our sleepover.”Shauna blinked.The confusion on her face was real—too real.

“Studying?” she repeated. “Yeah. It was—it was good. Got a lot of work done.” She cleared her throat and looked back at the road. “I’ll come over tonight. Don’t worry.”

Jackie frowned slightly and reached to turn on the radio as they started down the block.“You can’t tonight,” she said. “Nat’s coming over, remember?”The reaction was immediate. Shauna’s hand tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles paling.

“Oh.” Her jaw flexed. “So you’d rather spend time with Nat than with me? Why can’t you just cancel?”Jackie stared at her.

“Seriously?” she asked, heat creeping into her cheeks. “You’ve been disappearing for three weeks. ‘Studying.’ ‘Busy.’ ‘Too tired.’ And now that I actually have plans with someone else, it’s a problem?”Shauna’s eyes flicked toward her, defensive. “I haven’t been disappearing.”

“You have,” Jackie shot back. “You’ve been fucking off to God knows where.”

The car felt smaller. Thicker. Like the air had curdled between them.

“And I didn’t say I’d rather hang out with Nat,” Jackie continued, her voice tightening. “But she actually shows up.”Silence slammed into the space.

Shauna’s breathing grew shallow, her fingers flexing against the wheel.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she muttered.“Then tell me,” Jackie said immediately. “Because I’m starting to feel like I’m the only one trying here.”

Shauna swallowed hard.“I am trying,” she said, but it sounded weak. Forced.

Jackie searched her face, desperate for something familiar—something honest.

All she saw was guilt.And that scared her more than anger ever could.

When they reached the school parking lot, the car had barely rolled to a complete stop before Jackie shoved the door open.“Jackie—” Shauna started.Jackie didn’t wait for whatever excuse she was about to spin. She stepped out, slamming the door harder than necessary. For weeks, Shauna had been making her feel irrational. Paranoid. Like every shift in tone, every canceled plan, every strange look was something Jackie had imagined.

She was sick of it.She could hear Shauna calling her name behind her, but she didn’t turn around. Instead, she made a beeline toward the front steps where Lottie and Laura Lee were standing together.Lottie noticed her first.“Jackie!” she greeted warmly, pulling her into a hug. Laura Lee followed, wrapping her arms around both of them in a softer embrace.

But when they pulled back, the smiles faded.“What happened?” Laura Lee asked gently.Jackie’s jaw tightened. “Can we not do this out here?”The three of them moved quickly inside. Jackie led them down the hallway and into the senior girls’ bathroom, which was usually empty this early. She pushed the door open, checked the stalls out of habit, then leaned back against the counter.

The fluorescent lights hummed overhead.Lottie crossed her arms. “Okay. What’s going on?”And just like that, everything Jackie had been holding in cracked open.

“She’s lying to me,” Jackie said, her voice already wavering.“Shauna?” Laura Lee asked carefully.“Who else?” Jackie snapped, then immediately softened. “Sorry. I just—”She pressed her palms against the edge of the sink.

“She doesn’t stay on the phone with me anymore,” Jackie continued. “She used to fall asleep with me still talking. Now she hangs up after ten minutes. Fifteen if I’m lucky.”Lottie frowned. “That could just be stress—” she tired to reassure but Jackie wouldn’t hear it she knew that wasn’t it.“It’s not just that,” Jackie cut in. “She smells different sometimes.”

They both blinked.“Different how?” Laura Lee asked.“Not like she changed her perfume. I’d know if she changed her perfume.” Jackie’s voice shook. “It’s like… like someone else is on her. Like it’s not her scent. Like it’s someone else’s cologne or soap or something clinging to her.”The words sounded crazy out loud.

But they had been circling her mind for weeks.“And the arguments,” Jackie pushed on. “Everything turns into a fight. I ask where she’s been? I’m controlling. I ask why she didn’t call? I’m needy. I make plans with Nat and suddenly I’m the bad guy.”At the mention of Nat, Lottie’s expression shifted slightly, but she didn’t interrupt.“She’s distant,” Jackie whispered. “When I hug her, she’s stiff at first.

Like she has to remind herself to relax. She doesn’t look at me the same way.”

Her throat closed.“For weeks,” she said, tears finally spilling over, “I’ve felt like I’m losing her. And every time I bring it up, she makes me feel insane. Like I’m imagining it.”Laura Lee stepped forward immediately, pulling Jackie into a tight hug.

“You’re not insane,” she murmured.Lottie moved closer too, resting a steadying hand on Jackie’s back. “Trust your instincts,” she said quietly. “You know her better than anyone.”Jackie let out a shaky breath.“I don’t know anything anymore,” she admitted. “I don’t even know if she wants me. Or if she’s just too scared to say it.”

The bathroom felt too small, too bright.“What if she’s cheating?” Jackie whispered, the word tasting like poison.Neither of them answered right away.And somehow, that silence hurt more than anything.

They pulled her into another tight hug, holding her there until her breathing evened out.“Okay,” Lottie said softly, brushing a tear from Jackie’s cheek. “We’re not letting you walk around looking like you just starred in a breakup montage.”

Laura Lee gave her a small, encouraging smile and reached for Jackie’s makeup bag. “Sit.”

Jackie obeyed, perching on the edge of the counter while Laura Lee carefully dabbed concealer beneath her eyes and reapplied her mascara. Lottie stood in front of her, hands resting on Jackie’s knees.“You are not crazy,” Lottie said firmly. “And you are not asking for too much.” She continued.“You deserve someone who chooses you,” Laura Lee added.

Jackie swallowed.“I know,” she said quietly. “I just… I don’t know how to handle it if she doesn’t.”They exchanged a look but didn’t push.When Laura Lee finished fixing her lipstick, she stepped back. “There. Perfect.”Jackie forced a small smile at her reflection. Composed. Untouched. Like nothing was unraveling underneath.

“I’m really glad I have you guys,” she admitted, voice softer now. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had to deal with this alone.” She said.“ It’s a good thing you’re not alone,” Lottie said immediately.Jackie nodded, but another thought slipped in.

“God, can you imagine if I told Nat?”Both girls stilled.

Natalie had clocked Shauna’s weird behavior almost as quickly as Jackie had. Probably quicker. Natalie had always been sharp like that—observant in a way that felt almost invasive sometimes. She didn’t sugarcoat things, either. If she thought something was wrong, she said it.Repeatedly.Jackie could already hear it.“You deserve better.”,”She’s screwing you over.”,”Wake up, Jackie.” The bleach blonde’s voice rang through her head like an unneeded conscience.

“There’s only so many times I can hear that I deserve better before it starts feeling like a threat,” Jackie muttered.“A threat?” Laura Lee asked gently.“If I admit she’s right, then it’s real,” Jackie said. “If I say it out loud—if I let myself believe Shauna might be cheating or pulling away or whatever this is—then I have to do something about it.”

Her fingers curled against the counter.“And I don’t want to,” she finished, barely above a whisper.Because the truth was, Jackie didn’t want to believe it.Shauna had been everything for so long. Every plan. Every future. Every quiet moment and inside joke and shared glance across a crowded room. Jackie had built her world around her without even noticing.

If that foundation cracked—She inhaled sharply.“It would break me,” she admitted. “If I found out I’m not… if I’m not the only thing she sees anymore.”

The words hung there.Lottie squeezed her knee. “Then don’t jump to conclusions. Talk to her. Make her answer you.”Laura Lee nodded. “You deserve honesty, Jackie.”

Jackie straightened her shoulders, staring at her reflection again.Honesty.She just wasn’t sure she was ready for whatever that honesty would cost her.

Jackie somehow made it through all four classes.

She thanked God she was a senior. If she’d had to sit through a full nine-period day like the underclassmen, she might have actually lost it. Even as it was, she barely absorbed anything. Teachers talked. Pens scratched across paper. People laughed in the halls. It all felt distant, like she was watching everything through glass.She checked her reflection in the bathroom mirror between every class, making sure the redness in her eyes had faded, that the puffiness in her cheeks wasn’t obvious.

By lunch, she looked normal again.At least on the outside.But now she still had practice to get through.And worse—Natalie walking beside her, practically vibrating with suspicion.“I can tell something’s wrong, Jack,” Natalie said as they headed toward the locker room. “Just tell me. You look like you’ve been crying. So clearly something happened.”Jackie stiffened.“How could you even tell?” she asked, trying to sound annoyed instead of rattled. “My face looks fine.”

Natalie gave her a look.“You forget who you’re talking to?” she said flatly.

Jackie shouldn’t have been surprised. Natalie had always been weirdly in tune with her. Ever since they’d gotten close sophomore year, Natalie could read her moods like they were printed in bold across her forehead. It was infuriating. And comforting. And right now—dangerous.“It’s nothing, Nat,” Jackie said quickly. “I’m fine, okay? I’m just stressed.”

“Bullshit.”Jackie stopped walking for half a second before forcing herself forward again.“I am,” she insisted.Natalie’s blue eyes narrowed, scanning her face. Not buying it. Not even a little.“It was her, wasn’t it?” Natalie asked, her voice dropping. “She made you cry?”Jackie opened her mouth to deny it.

She even shook her head.But Natalie saw right through her.“Fucking Shipman,” Natalie muttered as they pushed through the locker room doors.The words hit Jackie like a slap.“Don’t,” Jackie snapped immediately, turning on her. “Don’t do that.” She said voice shaking slightly.“Do what? Say her name?” Natalie shot back. “Or call her out for treating you like crap?”

“She’s not—” Jackie started, then faltered. “It’s not like that.”Natalie let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah? Because from where I’m standing, it looks exactly like that.”Girls were filing in around them now, the noise level rising, lockers slamming shut. Jackie kept her voice low.“You don’t know what’s going on,” she said tightly.

“Then tell me.”Jackie hesitated.

She could feel it—the edge of the truth pressing against her ribs, begging to be let out. The smell that wasn’t Shauna’s. The distance. The guilt in her eyes that morning.What if she said it out loud?What if Natalie confirmed it?“I don’t want to talk about it,” Jackie said finally.Natalie stepped closer instead of backing off.

“She doesn’t get to hurt you and then walk around like nothing happened,” she said, anger simmering just beneath the surface. “You deserve better than someone who makes you cry before first period.”

Jackie’s throat tightened.“I don’t want better,” she whispered before she could stop herself. “I want her.”Natalie went quiet.For a second, something softer flickered across her face—frustration tangled with something else.“That’s the problem,” Natalie said quietly. “You want someone who doesn’t look at you the way you look at her anymore.”Jackie felt her stomach drop.“That’s not true,” she said quickly. Too quickly.Natalie didn’t argue this time. She just held her gaze.

And that silence felt a lot like confirmation.

Jackie saw it happen in real time.Shauna was smiling at Tai—soft, easy, familiar. Then her eyes shifted past her shoulder and landed on Jackie and Natalie standing close together.The smile dropped instantly.Her mouth flattened. Her shoulders went rigid.Jackie’s stomach twisted.

Shauna’s fist clenched at her side as she turned sharply toward her locker. She yanked it open hard enough for the metal to rattle, shoving her books inside with more force than necessary. She changed quickly, movements sharp and angry.

Then, on her way out—She slammed her shoulder straight into Natalie’s.Hard.

Natalie staggered half a step before catching herself. “Watch it, Shipman,” she

snapped.

Shauna didn’t turn around. “Maybe don’t stand in the way.”Jackie felt the temperature in the room spike.Natalie’s face flushed red, her jaw tightening as she took a step forward. “You’ve got something to say—”  Jackie couldn’t let this continue not here.Not now.“Nat,” Jackie cut in quickly, grabbing her arm.

Natalie tried to shrug her off. “Did you see that?” She asked affronted.“Yes,” Jackie hissed. “Just drop it.” She begged.“She did that on purpose.” Natalie argued.“I know.” Jackie said in a defeated tone.The admission slipped out before she could stop it.Natalie paused, looking at her.“Then why are you defending her?” Jackie had to smooth this over she just needed everyone to relax and go back to normal for one second was that too much to ask.

“I’m not,” Jackie said, lowering her voice. “I just—I don’t want a scene before practice please.”Natalie’s nostrils flared, anger still burning hot behind her eyes, but after a tense second she exhaled sharply.“Fine,” she muttered. “For you.”

Jackie squeezed her arm gratefully before letting go.By the time they stepped out onto the field, Jackie forced her shoulders back and lifted her chin.

Captain Taylor mode.Confident. Composed. Untouchable.She blew the whistle and called everyone in, giving instructions with steady authority she didn’t feel. Lottie and Laura Lee shot her matching worried looks from across the line.

Jackie sent them a bright smile.It didn’t convince them.It didn’t convince her either.

Scrimmage started, and it took less than two minutes for Jackie to realize something was wrong.Shauna was playing rough.Not normal playfully competitive rough—reckless rough.Her tackles were sharp and punishing. She kicked the ball hard enough that the impact echoed down the field. She moved like she had something to prove. Or something to punish.And it didn’t take long to see who she was aiming for.

Natalie.Every time Natalie got possession, Shauna was there. Cutting her off. Slamming into her side. Forcing her wide. Once, she clipped her ankle hard enough that Natalie stumbled.“Jesus, Shipman!” Natalie barked, regaining her balance.“Stay on your feet,” Shauna shot back coldly.Jackie’s pulse pounded in her ears.

This wasn’t about soccer.Natalie stole the ball again, pushing downfield. Shauna chased her immediately, faster this time, sliding in for a tackle that sent them both skidding across the grass.The whistle shrieked from Jackie’s mouth before she even realized she’d blown it.“Enough!” she yelled, jogging over.Natalie was already climbing back to her feet, grass stains streaking her knees. “Tell your girlfriend to chill the hell out.”

Shauna stood too, brushing herself off with tight, jerky movements. “Maybe she shouldn’t be so easy to knock down.” She said refusing to back down.“Shauna,” Jackie warned.Both girls looked at her.The anger in Shauna’s eyes wasn’t just competitive.It was personal.“You’re playing dirty,” Jackie said firmly. “Knock it off.”

Shauna let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “I’m playing the game it’s a contact sport she needs to toughen up.” She argued.“You know that’s not what you’re doing.” Jackie shot back with a disbelieving look.For a second, something flickered across Shauna’s face—hurt? betrayal?—before it hardened again.

“Right,” she muttered.She stepped back into position without another word.

Jackie swallowed, trying to steady herself as she signaled for scrimmage to resume.But as play started again, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t just jealousy.It felt like guilt.

By the time practice ended, the tension wasn’t subtle anymore. It was thick. Sharp. Ready to snap.Jackie didn’t wait for the team to fully disperse before turning to Natalie.“Come to my house at five instead of three,” she said quickly.

Natalie frowned. “Why?” She asked.“I’m talking to her,” Jackie replied, not needing to clarify who. “After school.”Natalie’s expression darkened immediately. “Jack—”

“I know,” Jackie cut in. “It’s going to turn into an argument. It always does. And it could take hours. I don’t want you sitting there waiting while I figure out whatever the hell this is.”Natalie studied her face like she wanted to argue.Then she just nodded once. “Five,” she said. “If you’re not there, I’m coming to find you.”

Jackie gave a faint, humorless smile. “Noted.”

She could feel Shauna’s glare burning into her from across the field.She didn’t look back.Instead, she walked straight toward Shauna’s car in the parking lot and stopped beside it, folding her arms. She waited.Shauna approached a minute later, jaw tight.“You could’ve just walked home,” she muttered, unlocking the car.

“Get in,” Jackie said evenly.Shauna hesitated for half a second before sliding into the driver’s seat. Jackie climbed into the passenger side without another word.

The drive started in silence.Not the comfortable kind they used to share. This silence was heavy. Hostile. Every small sound—the hum of the engine, the click of the turn signal—felt amplified.Jackie stared out the window, watching the houses blur past.She needed to say it before she lost her nerve.She waited until they were close enough to her house that if she had to, she could walk the rest of the way.

Then she turned.“Who is it?”Shauna glanced at her, brows pulling together. “What?” She said.Jackie shook her head, her throat tightening as she forced herself to stay steady.“Who is it?” she repeated, her voice trembling despite her effort. “Who’s taking you away from me?”She didn’t phrase it like a question.

Because it wasn’t one.She knew.She just needed to hear it.Shauna’s confusion shifted—too slow to be genuine.“What are you talking about?” she asked carefully.“Don’t,” Jackie snapped, tears finally spilling over. “Don’t make me feel crazy again.” She snapped.“I’m not—” Jackie refused to let her lie to her again.“You are.” Jackie’s voice cracked. “You don’t stay on the phone. You smell like someone else. You pick fights over nothing. You look at me like you’re guilty.”

Shauna’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.“Jackie—” she tried.“Just tell me.” Her voice broke completely now. “Is it someone from school? Is it someone on the team? Is it—”She couldn’t finish

the thought.Shauna didn’t answer.And that silence was louder than anything she could’ve said.Jackie let out a shaky breath, staring straight ahead.“I can feel you slipping,” she whispered. “You think I don’t notice? You think I don’t see the way you look at me like you’re already gone?”

Shauna’s jaw flexed.“There’s no one else,” she said finally.But she didn’t look at her when she said it.And Jackie knew.“You’re lying,” Jackie whispered.

The car slowed as they reached her street.“You’re lying to me,” she repeated, her voice hollow now. “And the worst part is, I don’t even know if you feel bad about it anymore.”

The car rolled to a stop a few houses away from hers.Jackie reached for the door handle.“Jackie, wait—”She didn’t.She stepped out of the car, tears blurring her vision, and shut the door behind her without slamming it this time.Because if she did, she was afraid she might shatter with it. Jackie walked the rest of the way home with her head held high, even as tears blurred her vision.

She refused to be seen falling apart.She would not go to school tomorrow and hear whispers about how someone saw Jackie Taylor crying down Maple Street. She wouldn’t survive that on top of everything else. Not the stares. Not the pity. Not the curiosity disguised as concern.By the time she reached her porch steps, her hands were shaking.Then it hit her.She hadn’t actually ended it.She hadn’t said the words.

For a second she considered letting it hang there—letting the silence rot between them—but no. If Shauna couldn’t even be honest when confronted, what was the point of dragging this out?Fine.She pulled her phone out and stepped onto the porch.Future Jackie could deal with whatever fallout came next. The tears. The begging. The anger. That was her problem.Current Jackie just wanted to curl up with Natalie, eat ice cream straight from the carton, and watch beaches.

And as if summoned by the thought, Natalie was already there—sitting on the porch steps, like she’d known.She stood the second she saw Jackie’s face.

“Hey,” she said softly.That was all it took.Jackie collapsed into her arms.

Natalie held her tight, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other firm around her waist. No questions. No I told you so. Just steady warmth.“I’ve got you,” Natalie murmured.She led Jackie inside and up the stairs to her bedroom like it was second nature.

“Go shower,” Natalie said gently once they were inside. “You’ll feel better.”

Jackie nodded, too drained to argue.The hot water stung her face where she’d been crying, but she let it run until her breathing steadied. She changed into sweats and one of Natalie’s old hoodies before walking back into the bedroom.

Natalie was sitting against the headboard, a tub of ice cream already open on the nightstand.

Jackie didn’t say anything. She just crawled into her arms.Natalie wrapped around her immediately, one arm across her shoulders, the other stroking slow circles along her back.And Jackie cried.She soaked Natalie’s shoulder with weeks of swallowed doubt and humiliation and heartbreak. Natalie let her. Didn’t rush her. Didn’t flinch.“You deserve better,” Natalie whispered into her hair. “You deserve someone who chooses you every time.”

Jackie’s sobs eventually quieted into shaky breaths.Maybe Natalie was right.

Maybe she did deserve better.When her tears finally dried, Jackie pulled back just enough to grab her phone from the nightstand.Natalie didn’t stop her. She just stayed close.Jackie hit Shauna’s contact before she could overthink it.

The line rang once. Twice.Shauna answered immediately.“Jackie—thank God. Are you okay? Did you get home?” Her voice was coated in frantic relief, fake concern bleeding through every word.

Jackie felt something inside her go cold.She didn’t answer the questions instead she took a steadying breath.“We’re done.” She said Flat and final there was a long pause.Then she heard Shauna’s breathing hitch.“What?” Shauna’s voice trembled. “No—Jackie, please. I love you. I swear I do. Please, I’ll never talk to her again. Please just don’t leave.”Jackie’s eyes slid shut.“I thought there wasn’t anyone else,” she said quietly.

A sob broke through the speaker.And weirdly—Jackie felt nothing.Not the usual panic at hearing Shauna cry. Not the instinct to comfort her. Just… distance.How strange usually, the thought of Shauna crying would’ve shattered her.But now she knew she hadn’t meant enough to stop her.So why should Shauna’s tears mean anything now?“Goodbye, Shauna,” Jackie said evenly. “You can come get your stuff tomorrow. I’ll have it ready. As long as I can get mine.”

“Jackie, please—”

“I hope she was worth it.”

And then she hung up.The room was silent except for her breathing.Natalie’s arm tightened around her waist.Jackie stared at the dark screen in her hand.It hurt.But beneath the hurt, there was something steadier beginning to form.Not relief.Not yet.But the first fragile edge of freedom.

Jackie cried the entire weekend.Not the dramatic, loud kind. The quiet kind. The kind that came in waves when she thought she was fine and then suddenly wasn’t.Natalie stayed.She didn’t hover. She didn’t preach. She just stayed.When Shauna came by Sunday afternoon to drop off Jackie’s things and collect her own, Natalie stood beside Jackie on the porch like a wall.

Shauna looked wrecked. Red eyes. Pale skin. Hands shaking as she held out a bag of folded clothes.“Can we talk?” Shauna asked, voice already breaking.“There’s nothing to talk about,” Jackie said evenly.“There is,” Shauna insisted. “Please. I’ll fix it. I swear I will. I’ll be better. I’ll cut her off completely. I’ll do whatever you want.”Natalie’s jaw tightened at Jackie’s side.Jackie felt it—the pull. The familiarity. The history. Years of it pressing against her ribs.

If Natalie hadn’t been there, steady and silent and solid beside her, she might have given in.That terrified her.“You already lied,” Jackie said. “That was your chance.”Shauna stepped forward. “Jackie, I love you.”Jackie didn’t.  respond.Because maybe Shauna believed that.But it hadn’t stopped her.“Get your stuff,” Jackie said finally. “Please.”Shauna stood there a second longer, like she was waiting for Jackie to crack.She didn’t.

Eventually, Shauna left.And Natalie stayed.By Monday, the team knew.By lunch, everyone else did.High school was like that.The general consensus was swift and brutal—Shauna had fucked up.Most of the team made it very clear where they stood. The whispers stopped when Jackie walked by. Shoulders brushed hers in solidarity. Glares were thrown across the hallway.

The only one who didn’t abandon Shauna completely was Melissa.Which just confirmed it for Jackie.Her affair partner.“Seriously?” Jackie muttered to Lottie one afternoon. “A junior? She cheated on me with a fucking junior?”Lottie winced. “It’s… not a good look.”Tai refused to cut Shauna off, which meant Van hovered around by proxy. But even Van looked uncomfortable every time Shauna tried to act normal.Everyone else made sure Shauna knew she’d screwed up.

Especially Laura Lee.For two straight days, Laura Lee didn’t say a word to her. Just glared. Hard. No sermons about turning the other cheek. No gentle forgiveness.At one point, Jackie overheard her mutter, “I can repent later.”It almost made Jackie laugh.Almost.And then—Time passed.The sting dulled.It didn’t disappear. You don’t throw away years of memories without feeling it. It was a decade of growing up together. Sleepovers. First kisses. Shared plans. All of it.

But shit happened.And Jackie didn’t fall apart.Instead, she spent more time withNatalie. And Lottie. And Laura Lee.She laughed again.Really laughed.Summer came, and with it long afternoons stretched out on the beach, music playing from Natalie’s car, late nights tangled up in blankets talking about everything and nothing.Natalie made her feel safe.Seen.Chosen.

There was no guessing. No distance. No guilt lurking behind smiles.

Just steady warmth.Eventually—one humid night in July, sitting on the hood of Natalie’s car with the ocean air wrapping around them—Natalie asked.“Do you want to make this official?” she said, trying and failing to sound casual. “Like… actually be my girlfriend?”Jackie smiled.“Yes.”It felt easy.It felt right.

According to Lottie—who heard from Van, who heard from Tai—Shauna completely lost it when she found out.Apparently, she called Tai at two in the morning, ranting about how she was going to go to Jackie’s house and “confront ” her, confront her.Jackie had laughed when she heard that.For the first time in months, it didn’t hurt.Because she wasn’t waiting for Shauna anymore.She wasn’t hoping she’d change.She had someone who already showed up.And that made all the difference.