Page 82 of Picture Perfect

Gen joins us, perching on the arm of the couch beside me. She tilts her head, the question there but unasked. I know she's hoping I'll spill everything that's clawing its way up my throat. But what could I possibly say?

There's a heaviness in the air, an unspoken tension that lingers like a dark cloud over our little group. I can feel it, building and festering, threatening to consume us all.

I exhale a shaky breath, a mix of frustration and desperation swirling within me. Gen reaches out and gently squeezes my hand, offering me a small smile filled with empathy.

"We should get to class," she announces. "I'll walk her today."

I nod, grateful for Gen's presence. As we rise from our seats and make our way out of the study area. She links her arm through mine the way she seems to like and greets the passing students when they call out to her.

I catch glimpses of the others following behind us, watching, waiting, for what I don't know. A twinge of pain runs through my stiffening legs. I turn back to face front with a grimace I can't even hide.

"Look, you don't really know me, I get that. The boys have swooped into your life and taken over—they do that. And, it may not seem like it, but we care, Addy. We do. And we're here for you okay. I know not everything is as it seems. I—there's something dark in you Addy. I've seen it in the boys. I think that's why they're so drawn to you, like attracts like."

"Gen, that's—"

"I'm just saying I'm here if you want to talk, okay?"

"Sure, Gen."

But I can't tell anyone anything. Yet.

Chapter thirty-nine

Dre

The bell rings, slicing through the cacophony of high school chaos like a knife. I watch her from across the hall—my snowflake. There's an elegance to her stride, but it's marred by something—a hitch in her step, a tremor in her hands as she clutches her books.

She glances at me, and for a moment, I think she might actually let her guard down. But then the walls slam back up, and she forces a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

I hate it. I want to claw through her icy exterior to the soft center. I want her to spill her guts willingly. I want her. And, I’m not sure how to make that happen. She’s not like any other girl I’ve ever encountered.

As we walk side by side, I can't shake the feeling that there's a storm brewing beneath her calm surface. I want to tear into whatever's haunting her, fight off the ghosts that cling to her like shadows, make them bleed until they can't touch her anymore. She's gotten under my skin—deep, dark, and inevitable.

But I see it. The weariness that weighs on her shoulders like chains, the pain that lurks behind her stoic mask. It calls to me, a siren song of shared suffering. I've danced with demons before, wrestled with the darkest parts of my soul until I was more scar than skin. And I'd do it again, become her personal devil if it meant I could chase away the ones that torment her.

My blood sings with a darkness that's been tamed but never broken. Even if she pushes everyone away, I'll stand by her. I'll suffocate her demons in shadows, drown them in the same darkness that runs through my veins. Because Addy... she's strong enough to stand alone.

But she doesn't have to. Not anymore.

??????

The gym echoes with the scuff of sneakers and the rhythmic thud of basketballs. I'm not participating—not my scene. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Addy being in this class. Instead, I lean against the bleachers, arms crossed, watching her. Addy moves among the others, a solitary figure wrapped in an aura of cold detachment.

I mutter to myself, tracing the lines of her form with my gaze. She's changed, filled out where sharp angles used to jut from her too-thin frame. It's subtle, but it's there. Muscle has woven itself over her bones, a testament to a strength that's more than physical. Yet there's a fragility about her that tugs at something in my chest—a fierce protectiveness I didn't know I had.

Ice Princess. They're not exactly wrong. My snowflake, she's strong, made of ice, but even the strongest glacier can crack under enough pressure.

"Addy, keep your back straight!" The coach’s bark cuts through the noise, aiming to correct her posture. But I see what he doesn’t—the wince as she adjusts, the slight tremble in her limbs. Pain flickers across her features, so quick anyone else would miss it.

I push away from the wall, a silent predator ready to pounce—not on her, but for her. My muscles coil as I track her every movement. Then it happens. Her balance falters during a lunge, her body giving in to the silent agony she's been fighting to hide.

"Shit," I hiss, launching forward. Time slows, my heart thundering in my ears. I close the distance between us, sliding into place just as gravity claims her.

"Gotcha," I breathe out as I catch her before she crashes to the ground.

"Dre..." Her voice is strained, a mix of confusion and the stubborn pride I’ve come to expect from her.

"Don't talk. Just... let me handle this." I steady her against me, feeling the rapid beat of her heart against my chest. She's all fire and ice, burning bright even as she shivers in my arms.

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