Forever Changing

Calliope

The bell chimed as Mrs. Gretchen walked in, her heels clicking sharply on the tile. The class fell silent, students scrambling to sit down, hide their phones, and shove away contraband snacks. I smirked from my usual spot—last row, third column near the window. It was the perfect seat: far enough to avoid her wrath, but close enough to daydream during the duller lessons.

Mrs. Gretchen dove into AP Calculus, her voice sharp as she solved problems step by step. I stayed engaged, earning an occasional approving nod. Math wasn’t my favorite, but solving problems gave me a sense of grounding. Still, I was relieved when the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class.

My schedule rolled on: AP English, AP World History, AP Biology, each teacher droning on about exams and expectations. By the time Home Ec came around, I was eager for the relative reprieve. Cooking wasn’t my passion, but it reminded me of simpler times—when my family felt whole.

Photography was next, my favorite class. In the darkroom, I adjusted the focus on a black-and-white shot I had taken of Echo.

Capturing a moment felt magical, like bottling emotions to revisit later. But the bell rang, dragging me back to the chaos of the hallways.

Lunch was a blur of chatter and clatter. I sat with Em, Charles, Noah, Brigiet, and William, tuning out their gossip about breakups and disastrous parties. I only perked up when Em nudged me.

“Lolli, STD is coming,” Em whispered, her eyes darting to our right.

I followed her gaze and saw Emmett striding toward us. “STD—Sexually Transmitted Disease,” Em smirked. She’d coined the nickname after watching girl after girl follow him around for his charm, money, and ego. He was the richest kid in school, oozing privilege, and girls fawned over him. I, however, found him insufferable.

Emmett stopped beside me, hands in his pockets. “Hey, Poppy. Wait for me after school.”

I blinked, confused. “Excuse me?”

He sighed, annoyed. “We’re going to your house. Didn’t your mom tell you?”

“No. Why are we going to my house?”

“Dinner thing. Don’t ask me for details—I wasn’t paying attention.”

I folded my arms. “I can walk home, thanks.”

Emmett leaned in closer, his smirk infuriating. “You wait for me, or…” He trailed off, leaving the threat hanging.

I arched a brow. “Or what?”

“Or I’ll make your life miserable like old times. Remember when I convinced the whole class you thought ‘Narwhal’ was toothpaste?” His grin widened.

My stomach churned at the thought. The last thing I needed was him pestering me like we were still kids. “Fine,” I gritted out. “But you owe me.”

He laughed. “Sure, Poppy. Whatever you say.”

Em rolled her eyes. “Seriously, why do you even bother with him?”

“Good question,” I muttered.

As he walked off, my friends gaped at me.

“Did that just happen?” Noah asked.

“What’s your plan, Lolli?” Em raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll deal with it. You guys go bowling without me.”

“Are you sure?” Brigiet asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure. You don’t need to stick around.”

The rest of the day dragged on—gym was painful, and finally, the bell rang. I made my way to the parking lot, waiting for Emmett.

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Thirty. I called him. No answer.

Frustrated, I headed to the library, hoping to escape the chaos.

The library was nearly empty, its usual hum replaced by the faint rustle of pages. I flipped through a photography book, trying to focus on something other than Emmett’s annoying presence earlier.

But my thoughts kept drifting back to him. Emmett always pushed my buttons. He thought he could control me, like we were still kids. I wasn’t that naive girl anymore, but his antics still got under my skin.

Then I heard it—a soft sound, a low moan. My heart skipped. I glanced around, trying to pinpoint it. It wasn’t the usual library noise.

It was… s*x.

I froze, realizing the noise was coming from a hidden corner of the library. Against my better judgment, I stood and walked toward it. I rounded a shelf and saw Emmett.

There he was, sprawled on the floor with some girl, her hands gripping his chest as they moved together. The girl’s moans echoed in the stillness, and I stood frozen, too shocked to move.

I felt my face burn. This was not what I had expected, especially not from Emmett—my childhood friend, the guy who used to prank me. This wasn’t a prank. This was real.

I quickly turned away, my heart pounding. I didn’t want to be there, didn’t want to witness this. But it wasn’t just the s*x that bothered me—it was the fact that he had made me wait for him, only for me to find him doing this. I had been under the impression that we were meeting for some dinner with both families, not this. I was a virgin, hadn’t even kissed anyone yet, and there he was, going through girls like it was no big deal.

I grabbed my things and rushed out, my hands shaking. I didn’t care where I went, I just needed to get away from the scene.

I stepped outside into the cool air, my mind a blur. I leaned against the wall, trying to calm down. I glanced at the parking lot, dreading the idea of facing Emmett.

An hour and a half passed before he finally emerged, his tall frame easily recognizable. The girl followed behind him, looking disheveled but satisfied. They reached the parking lot’s entrance. She touched his arm, and he gave her a quick, dismissive grin.

“See you later?” she asked softly.

“Yeah. Later,” he said effortlessly.

She turned back toward the school, and Emmett walked toward his car without a second glance.

My stomach twisted as I tried to process everything. I couldn’t believe he had made me wait this long, only for him to show up like nothing had happened. The girl was gone by the time he reached the car, and I slid into the passenger seat without a word.

The leather seats were cool against my skin, the scent of cologne and leather heavy in the air. It was all so... him—his wealth, his arrogance, his indifference.

Emmett started the engine, the car rumbling to life. He didn’t say anything, just focused on the road ahead like nothing had happened.

The silence in the car felt suffocating. I felt like nothing more than an accessory in his life—an afterthought, a childhood friend he tolerated when it was convenient for him. It stung, but I couldn’t deny it.

I couldn’t decide which part of this was worse—the fact that he had made me wait, or the fact that I had just seen him with another girl, completely unfazed. All I knew was that there is no way I'm going to talk to him about this. The ride was painfully silent, the hum of the engine the only sound between us. Emmett’s grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles white, while I stared out the window, my thoughts a jumbled mess. He had made me wait, like I was some inconvenience. The memory of earlier—the way he had made me wait while he disappeared—still irritated me. It felt like I was invisible to him.

Finally, I couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “You could’ve at least texted me, you know. Let me know what was going on,” I said, my voice sharp.

Emmett didn’t respond right away, but I could see his jaw clench as he focused on the road. After a moment, he sighed. “I know. It wasn’t cool. But it’s done now. Let’s just get this over with.”

I didn’t want to talk about it. I definitely didn’t want to bring up what I’d walked in on. But the anger still lingered, gnawing at me.

“I’m not doing this because I want to,” I said, my eyes still on the passing scenery. “You don’t get to make people wait around and just expect everything to be fine.”

There was another pause before Emmett spoke again, this time softer. “I didn’t mean to make you wait. It wasn’t intentional.”

I wasn’t sure if I believed him, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.

We pulled into the driveway, both of our families’ cars already parked. I looked at the house, feeling the weight of the evening settling in. I didn’t know what was worse: the fact that I had to deal with Emmett’s arrogance, or the fact that I had to pretend everything was fine around our families, like nothing had happened.

I grabbed my bag and turned to Emmett. “Let’s just go in. The sooner we do this, the sooner it’s over.”

He gave a short nod, still not offering much in the way of conversation. He didn’t know I had seen him earlier. He didn’t know I had caught him with that girl. And that’s how it was going to stay. There was no reason to bring it up now, not with the dinner ahead.

The rest of the car ride was silent, the tension thick between us. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d seen earlier—Emmett with that girl in the library. The sound of her moans still echoed in my mind, and the image wouldn’t leave. I wasn’t about to bring it up, though. Emmett didn’t know I’d seen him, and I wasn’t going to be the one to ruin his carefree attitude.

I focused on the road ahead, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling stirring inside me. We pulled into the driveway, and I saw

Echo bouncing by the front door. I was almost relieved to be home, even if I didn’t want to go inside.

“Let’s just get this over with,” I muttered to myself as I got out of the car.

Emmett followed me up to the door. He was always there, always so damn sure of himself, but for some reason today, I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to forget about everything, but his presence made it impossible.

We stepped inside, and I immediately noticed the quiet hum of conversation coming from the living room. My mom was talking with someone, but I didn’t recognize their voice. It wasn’t until we walked in that I saw him.

A man—tall, familiar, with broad shoulders—was standing near the living room window. My heart skipped a beat. I knew who he was, but I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Emmett hadn’t noticed him yet, still walking in front of me, chatting casually. He didn’t even look at the man who had his back turned.

I froze. My throat tightened, and the room felt like it was spinning.

“Who’s that?” Emmett asked, turning toward me, still oblivious.

I didn’t answer, still processing the shock. There was no way it could be—yet, the familiarity was undeniable.

Without saying anything, I walked past, my heart racing. The last thing I needed was to confront this now, especially with everything else hanging over my head.