Page 1 of Checks & Bonds

1

Freya

The library at Crestwood Academy felt more like a labyrinth than a place of learning. Shelves groaned under the weight of centuries-old tomes, and the scent of aged paper hung heavy in the air. I sat hunched over a thick law book, its pages filled with dense legalese about contract negotiations. Each word blurred into the next as my eyes traced over them, but I forced myself to focus.

Henry Mathers had been on my mind all morning. The thought of him made my stomach twist into knots. Just because he was a hot hockey player didn't mean I wanted him to be my husband.

I never wanted any of this.

I flipped another page, scanning for anything that might give me an out. Legal jargon about breach of contract stared back at me, unyielding. How did I get here? It was a question that gnawed at my insides.

My fingers traced the edge of the page, feeling its rough texture beneath my skin. The quiet rustle of turning pages echoed through the otherwise silent library. A soft click fromacross the room reminded me I wasn't alone; a student librarian organizing returned books.

"Excuse me," a voice broke through my thoughts.

I looked up to see the student librarian standing beside me, an inquisitive look on her face.

"Do you need help finding something?" she asked.

"I think I've got it," I replied, though the truth was far from it.

She nodded and moved away, her footsteps soft against the carpeted floor. I returned my attention to the tome before me, tracing my finger down a section on mutual agreement clauses. The words seemed so cold and clinical—so different from the mess of emotions churning inside me.

I tried to end it with Henry countless times, and every time, he refused. I needed something, anything, to go on at this point.

Another page turned under my fingertips as I searched for some sort of guidance or inspiration within those ancient texts. Anything to help navigate this tangled web I'd spun myself into.

Desperation clawed at me as I absorbed every clause and stipulation that might apply to breaking an unwanted promise. If only this arrangement could be handled as methodically as business contracts, with clear terms and conditions for dissolution.

I rubbed my temples and leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. If only there was something, anything, I could do to get out of this mess.

Without warning, a brunette dropped into the seat in front of me. She wore the Crestwood uniform, marking her as a student, but I'd never seen her before.

"Hi," she said, breaking my reverie.

I gave her a weary look. "Hey. I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

"Probably not," she replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I'm Rebecca. I'm a junior."

"Okay..." I still didn't understand what this had to do with me.

"You're engaged to Henry Mathers, aren't you?" she asked, her eyes locking onto mine.

My eyes widened. "How could you possibly know that?"

Rebecca rolled her brown eyes as if the answer were obvious. "Everyone knows that. You've been engaged your whole life, right?"

I blew out a breath. This shouldn't have surprised me, but it did.

Rebecca’s eyes flickered over the books spread out on my table, lingering on the heavy law tome.

“Let me guess,” she said, her tone confident. “You’re trying to get out of your engagement?”

“What gave it away?” I asked flatly, my voice betraying none of the turmoil inside.

She grinned and leaned forward, revealing an ample bosom beneath her uniform. “Because it’s obvious,” she said. “I mean, you went out with Dan Harbor for the majority of the year, right? What happened to you guys?”

I looked away, crossing my arms over my chest defensively. The memory of Dan still stung like an open wound.

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