Burn After You

The fire hadn’t gone out. It should have, hours ago, when the campus retreat ended and the others piled back onto the bus with their matching sweatshirts and fake laughs. But the flames still flickered, stubborn and quiet, casting warped shadows against the trees like something was waiting. Watching. Emma sat on the edge of the circle, arms crossed tight, jacket zipped up to her throat. Her phone was dead. No signal anyway. No service in the middle of the university’s “leadership wilderness experience.” Just miles of trees and the leftover echo of everyone forgetting she existed. The bus had left without her. They hadn’t even noticed. Her throat burned with the words she hadn’t said… Wait. I’m still here. But no one looked back. Not even the instructors. Not even the girl she helped during the scavenger hunt. Not even a twig snapped behind her. She shot to her feet, heart clenching, every muscle locked. “Who’s there?” Footsteps. Slow. Heavy. Then he stepped into the firelight. Jace Carter. Black hoodie. Hands in his pockets. That same unreadable look on his face, like the world annoyed him but never surprised him. His dark eyes landed on her, and for a second, just one, something flickered there. Not recognition. Not guilt. Something worse. Amusement. “You’re still here?” he said, voice low, rough. She stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “Are you kidding me?” He didn’t blink. “You were on the bus,” she snapped. “You saw me running toward it.” He didn’t deny it. Emma took a step forward. “You let them leave without me.” He tilted his head. “Didn’t think you’d panic. You’re the logical type.” “You didn’t think I’d panic?” Her voice cracked. “You think I wanted to sit in the woods alone at night? With a dying fire and no way back to campus?” He shrugged. She wanted to hit him. He looked around casually, then dropped his bag near the fire. “I forgot something. Came back to get it.” Emma crossed her arms. “What, your soul?” His mouth twitched. Almost a smile. But not quite. “Funny.” “Not trying to be.” Silence settled between them. Heavy. Sharp. The kind that came when two people had too much history and not enough distance. She hadn’t seen him up close since the hearing. Since he let her take the fall for something they both knew he started. Since he sat there with his perfect face and clean record and said nothing while her scholarship almost shattered. She hated him. Or she wanted to. “What are you even doing here, Jace?” she asked. “What’s the point of this? Just wanted to see if the nerd cracked under pressure?” He crouched beside the fire, poking at the embers with a stick. “Wanted to see if you’d cry.” “Well, sorry to disappoint.” “I didn’t say I was disappointed.” Her breath caught. The flames snapped louder. Sparks floated up like ghosts between them. She took a step back. “I don’t want to talk to you.” “Then don’t.” “I mean it.” “So do I.” She turned, started walking . Then stopped. Spun back around. “You’re such a coward.” That got his attention. He rose slowly, eyes locked on hers. “What did you just say?” “You heard me. You kissed me. And the next day, you acted like I didn’t exist.” He moved. One step. Two. Until there was barely space between them. “You want the truth?” he asked. “No. I want my time back.” He smirked, low and bitter. “I kissed you because I wanted to. I ignored you because I had to.” “Had to?” “You think my family wants me involved with the scholarship girl who tried to get me expelled?” She slapped him. Or tried to. He caught her wrist mid-air, fast. Too fast. His fingers closed around her skin, and her breath stuttered. “Let go of me.” But he didn’t. His eyes searched hers like they were trying to find something he lost. “You don’t get to act like you didn’t want it too,” he said quietly. She yanked her hand away. “I don’t want anything from you.” “That’s a lie.” Before she could speak again, he stepped in and kissed her. Hard. It wasn’t sweet. It wasn’t soft. It was teeth and fury and unsaid things crashing together in the dark. His hands gripped her waist. Hers tangled in his hoodie before she could stop them. She hated him. But she kissed him back. Because hate didn’t cancel history. And her body didn’t care about logic. She broke the kiss first, breathing hard, eyes wide. He didn’t say a word. Just looked at her like she was a secret he wished he never told. Then he stepped back. Grabbed his bag. And walked into the trees. No goodbye. No glance over his shoulder. He left her standing in front of a dying fire, heart racing, hands shaking, mouth still burning. He kissed her like she was a promise. And left her like a warning.