I sit down on the piano bench, my fingers touching the cool ivory. It feels like it’s been forever since I played. The quiet of the room soothes me. I know that no one else is on this side of the school, at least no one that truly matters, not when everyone else is in the auditorium. My chest aches with thoughts of the last time I played, messing around with my dad on his stage before his show, just playing because we loved it. It was our thing. Before every show, he’d clear everyone out except for Mac, and we’d just play the songs we loved the most. Him on his guitar, me on the keys.
I start to play, the soft chords fill the room as silent tears fall down my face. I know the reason I haven’t played in forever is the exact reason I’m playing right now. It makes me feel. Too much. Everything. I just need to let this raging storm of me out. Just a bit of it though, otherwise I’m going to break so catastrophically that I might not come back from it.
I fall into the music, playing out every swirling emotion that’s been rotting inside of me since he died.
Every single thing I’ve dealt with since I came back to Echoes Cove pours out of me, and I start to sing my old favorite song for any kind of heartbreak. I put every piece of myself into the music, like cutting myself open and letting myself bleed over everything, while ignoring the tears that track down my face, instead focusing on feeling every fucking thing I’ve been avoiding. I never usually let myself cry, despite being pushed to it by others so far this year, but just this once, I let go of the walls I’ve kept around myself since everything happened with my dad.
The song draws to a close, the soft tinkling of the ivory echoing in the room, eventually giving way to absolute silence beyond my own breaths.
“Octavia…” I spin on the bench and find Finley standing in the doorway, his voice barely more than a whisper. Just like the dark knight that he is, watching me in the shadows. The emotion on his face isn’t anything I’ve seen before. At least not from him, but I don’t care. Not anymore. Not after everything that’s happened recently. I stand, clutching my arms against myself. I have no idea how long he’s been there, and even though I’m fully clothed, I’ve never felt more exposed in my entire life.
I rush past him, tears still streaming down my face. I do not have the emotional capacity to deal with Finley Knight right now. I hear his heavy footsteps behind me, and he reaches me before I make it to the end of the hall. He grabs me from behind, pulling me back until my body is flush to his chest, and just holds me against him. I cave and lean into him, pretending the comfort is coming from anyone but him. He turns me around once he realizes I’m not going to struggle, and wraps me in his arms as I war with myself over taking comfort from someone who is one of the main reasons I need it.
He holds me until my tears slow, pulling back to wipe them from my face after a couple of minutes. He cups my face gently. “Octavia…”
His voice is like a bucket of cold water.
This isn’t right.
I untangle from his arms, despite his protests, and turn and walk away from him.
Finley Knight is not the guy who comforts you. He’s the guy that makes you cry. Something I’m all too fucking aware of. He’s still the guy who iced me out the second I got back here, and I’m not stupid enough to think this means something now. He might have caught me at my weakest, but I’d be an idiot to think this changes anything.
We’re still not friends, and we’re definitely not what we used to be.
I doubt we ever will be again.
Chapter Nine
Finley
Octavia fucking Royal makes my world spin off axis.
Always has.
Always will.
Ever since she came back, my entire life has been upside down and ass backward. Something about that girl pulls all of my attention, and everything else just goes to shit.
Which is exactly why I hoped she’d never come back.
It was safer with her gone. For us, and for her.
Chapter Ten
Octavia
“Where did you disappear to earlier?” I look up from my locker to see Indi leaning against the one next to mine.
“I went to the music rooms, which was a huge mistake. I should’ve just gone to the stupid assembly. Did I miss much?” I ask as I pull my books from the locker into my bag and slam it shut. Apparently, I’m still not over my run-in with Finley earlier.
“Just Principal Evans droning on about his expectations for the year and some new rules being introduced after the summer of war between us and ECH.” I lift my eyebrows in question, and she continues. “Echoes Cove High… Ryker Donovan and his boys practically run the place, and to say the rivalry between this school and theirs is epic is an understatement. One guy ended up in critical condition after a fight over the summer apparently.”
“Well shit, I think I remember Ryker… He’s a twin right?” I ask, as we start heading down the hall to escape this living nightmare of a school.
“Yeah, that’s him. Ellis is his twin. They have an older brother, Diego, and a younger sister, Scout,” she says, nodding as she opens the door. She freezes on the threshold before peeking over her shoulder at me. “Uhm… Octavia…”
She grimaces as she turns back to me all the way. I look over her shoulder, and rage floods my system. Most of the school is out front with their phones out, pointed in our direction. Waiting. My eyes flick from my brand new car, which now has bright yellow paint poured all over it, to the smirk on Blair’s face. My eyes slide to Lincoln, Finley, and Maverick, who are watching me, straight-faced.