The Person Everyone Warned Me About
778 Words
I spent the entire night thinking about Liam Carter.
Which was a problem.
A very big problem.
Because three days ago, if someone had told me I would be lying awake wondering about my brother’s enemy, I would have laughed.
Liam Carter was supposed to be easy to hate.
That was the version of him everyone gave me.
The arrogant hockey captain.
The boy who thought he was better than everyone.
The person who destroyed Ethan’s trust.
But the person I met didn’t match the story.
And that bothered me.
Because it meant someone was wrong.
Or worse…
Everyone was.
My phone lit up.
For a second, I thought it was Liam.
My heart reacted before I could stop it.
But it was only my brother.
Ethan: Are you awake?
I sighed.
Of course he knew.
Ethan always knew when something was wrong.
I replied:
Yes.
A few seconds later, my door opened.
“Thought so.”
I looked up.
“You don’t knock anymore?”
He leaned against the doorway.
“You’re my sister.”
“That’s not an excuse.”
A small smile appeared.
The old Ethan.
The one who used to annoy me on purpose when we were younger.
Then the smile disappeared.
“Are you okay?”
The question was genuine.
And somehow that made it harder.
Because Ethan wasn’t a bad brother.
That was the problem.
He loved me.
He protected me.
He just didn’t know when protection became control.
“I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You’re doing that thing.”
“What thing?”
“The thing where you pretend you’re fine because you don’t want anyone worrying about you.”
I looked away.
Because he was right.
But I hated that he still thought he knew me better than I knew myself.
“You were with Liam.”
It wasn’t a question.
I stayed quiet.
Ethan’s expression changed.
Not anger immediately.
Something worse.
Fear.
“Sophie.”
“Why are you so scared of him?”
He froze.
The question clearly wasn’t what he expected.
“Because I know him.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true.”
“Then tell me why.”
Silence.
A long silence.
One that made me realise something.
Ethan didn’t just hate Liam.
He didn’t want to talk about him.
And those were two very different things.
“There are things you don’t understand.”
I laughed softly.
“Everyone says that.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means everyone keeps deciding what I’m allowed to know.”
His expression softened.
“Sophie…”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I’m tired of being protected from everything.”
The words hurt him.
I could see it.
But they were true.
“I just don’t want to lose you.”
My anger faded slightly.
Because that was the first honest thing he had said.
“You won’t.”
He looked at me.
“Promise?”
I swallowed.
“I promise.”
But even as I said it…
I knew things were already changing.
───
The next day, I tried to focus.
I really did.
But my mind kept going back to Liam.
Especially his words.
Sometimes protecting someone means letting them hate you.
What did that mean?
What had he done?
Or not done?
I was so distracted that I almost walked into someone.
“Careful.”
A hand caught my arm.
I looked up.
Liam.
My heart immediately betrayed me.
“Do you always appear when I’m not paying attention?”
He smiled slightly.
“Maybe you’re always not paying attention.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You’re impossible.”
“You’ve said that before.”
“And you’re still impossible.”
He looked amused.
Then his expression changed.
“You talked to Ethan.”
It wasn’t a question.
I stared.
“How do you know?”
He looked away.
“Because he texted me.”
My eyebrows lifted.
“He texted you?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
Liam’s smile disappeared.
“He told me to stay away from you.”
My chest tightened.
“What did you say?”
His eyes met mine.
“That I was trying.”
The answer surprised me.
“You were?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
“Because he’s right about one thing.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“You shouldn’t trust me easily.”
I studied him.
“Why are you making it sound like you’re dangerous?”
His voice lowered.
“Because maybe I am.”
And for the first time…
I wondered if Liam Carter was hiding something from me.
- Writer
