Watching the fire š„
1391 Words
Stacey stayed home for the next two days. Her parents, usually not the most attentive caregivers, hovered a little too much. Maybe it was the blood. Or the fainting. Or just the pale, exhausted look on her face that made them second-guess sending her to school when sheād already said she didnāt feel well that morning.
For once, she didnāt mind. No school meant no Gemma. No Plastics. No teachers or fake smiles. But it also meant no Kayla. And that was a bummer.
By midday on Tuesday, Stacey lay on the couch wrapped in her fluffiest blanket, still in her pyjamas, with one slipper lost somewhere under the coffee table. Daytime TV was mind-numbing. Her headache was easing, but the emotional whiplash hadnāt let up.
She grabbed her phone and opened a message to Kayla:
STACE:
Hey... Iāve been off. Didnāt faint for attention, I swear. Youāre not gonna believe what happened. Iāll tell you everything if you promise not to scream. Or call me names. ā¤ļø
She paused, then added:
STACE:
Itās about Mr. Callahan. Donāt hate me.
She hit send and let the phone rest on her chest, staring up at the ceiling. She had no idea what Kayla was going to say. But she was the only person Stacey could tell.
The only one who already knew just how complicated this whole thing was.
STACEY š
Hey you š Iāve been off school ā did you hear what happened??
KAYLA š„
Babe! YES!! What the actual hell?? You fainted??? Dramatic queen š© are you okay??
Did you see Callahan again?? š
STACEY š
Ugh. I hit my head. There was blood. Parents went full āletās actually careā mode.
And YES. I saw him. Alone. In medical. š³
KAYLA š„
NOOOO SHUT UP š± You were ALONE?? With THEE Mr. Callahan?!
Tell me everything. Now. Every. Single. Second.
STACEY š
Iā¦ may have had a bit of a meltdown. Like full verbal diarrhoea. Told him I liked the kiss.
I was halfway through a monologue, and then my parents walked in š
KAYLA š„
Omg I wish I had popcorn šæ Thatās SO messy. Iām obsessed.
Are you okay, though? Like, mentally? Emotionally? Hornily? š
STACEY š
Honestly? A little broken. I'm a little embarrassed. A lotā¦ confused š³
I miss your face. Can you come over tomorrow? Sleepover?
KAYLA š„
YAAAAS. Sleepover Wednesday locked in š
Weāll eat crisps, spill secrets, and maybe plot Gemmaās downfall š
Iāll bring the face masks and the hot gossip š
STACEY š
Can we walk in together Thursday morning? Iāll feel braver with you.
Like a two-girl army šŖ
KAYLA š„
100% yes. Weāll be iconic. Like school royalty but with trauma and better eyeliner š
Alsoā¦ should we plan another night out soon?? š
STACEY š
OMG, yes, please. I need to feel alive again. Letās find another band night?
Maybe less fainting this time? š
KAYLA š„
Deal. But only if we wear something outrageously illegal for school girls š
Iām thinking glitter, fishnets, danger. Weāll be legends.
STACEY š
I love you. Is that weird? I donāt care. I do.
Sleepover canāt come soon enough šš
KAYLA š„
Love you more. Not weird. Totally soulmates.
See you tomorrow, babe. Weāve got stories to write. š«
It was just past midnight when Kayla finally crawled under her duvet. Her fairy lights buzzed quietly above her head, casting soft pink shadows across her ceiling. Her phone buzzed again, Stacey, naturally. Theyād been texting all evening. The sleepover was tomorrow, and she was hyped for it, obviously, but her mind kept circling the same thing over and over.
Stacey and Mr. Callahan.
It sounded like a w*****d clichĆ©, honestly. The kind of thing girls whispered about in the locker rooms but never actually happened. Except this time, it had. Stacey had kissed him. And heād kissed her back. Sheād collapsed, bled, and spilt her guts to the man in the medical room. Kayla couldnāt decide if she wanted to scream or hold her bestie tighter than ever.
Because hereās the thing, Kayla loved drama, sure. But she loved Stacey more.
She knew people saw Stacey as quiet, even cold. But they didnāt see what Kayla saw. The way Staceyās face lit up when she talked about music. The way her laugh was always a little surprised, like she wasnāt used to feeling joy and didnāt quite trust it. The way she carried herself was like someone waiting to be disappointed.
So, yeah. Kayla was protective.
And Callahan? He was hot, undeniably, frustratingly hot, but he was also older. A TA. And Stacey was seventeen. Vulnerable. Heart sore. The kiss mightāve meant something real, but it also meant trouble.
Stillā¦ Stacey had told her everything, and Kayla could feel the aching truth in her friendās words. The feelings were genuine. Messy. Dangerous. But real. Stacey wasnāt playing some silly crush game. She was falling hard.
And Kayla? She was watching it all happen, like standing beside a house thatās just caught fire.
She rolled onto her side, staring out the tiny gap in her curtains at the orange blur of a streetlamp. Her room wasnāt big. Nothing in her house was. Two bedrooms, one bathroom with a dodgy tap, a living room that doubled as her dadās āofficeā when he wasnāt in the pub. Heād been drunk again tonight. Not shouting, just loud. He only got quiet when he was really bad. Her mum? She didnāt live with them anymore. She had a new family now, better, probably.
So Kayla played her role: bold, brash, brightly coloured, and loud enough to hide the silence inside her.
People thought she was wild. Some teachers wrote her off as trouble. But the truth was, being wild meant she didnāt have to feel small. Being wild kept her safe.
And Stacey? Stacey saw through all of that. Didnāt flinch when Kayla said something outrageous. Didnāt look away when Kayla let the mask slip for a second.
Thatās why this Callahan stuff mattered so much. Because Stacey had let her in. And now Stacey was heading for the edge of a cliff, and Kayla wasnāt about to let her jump without a parachute.
She pulled her phone off the charger again and opened a note sheād been writing.
Rules for Operation: Protect Stacey
Donāt judge. Just listen.
Keep her grounded. Remind her of who she is.
If Callahan does anything shady, call him out.
Donāt let Gemma get wind of any of this.
Be the friend you wish someone had been for you.
Kayla bit her lip and hit save.
Tomorrow, sheād sleep over at Staceyās. Theyād eat junk food, swap stories, and maybe cry a bit. Theyād paint nails, dissect every micro-expression from Callahan, and plan their Thursday morning entrance like queens walking into a battlefield.
But tonight? Tonight was for secrets and silence and the soft hum of fairy lights.
She whispered into the dark, āDonāt fall too hard, Stace.ā
Then she shut her eyes and tried to forget the fire she knew was already burning.
By Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Callahan was restless. Stacey's absence had stretched over two long days, and though he told himself it was for the best, her silence gnawed at him. Every time the classroom door opened, he half-expected her to walk in, eyes cautious, mouth pressed into that quiet almost-smile she wore when she didnāt want anyone to know she cared. But she didnāt appear. He kept busy with marking and admin tasks, but his mind drifted, back to the kiss, the medical room, her words. Sheād laid herself bare, and all heād done was push her away.
The truth was, he missed her. The energy she brought into his day, even when it made things harder. He wasnāt proud of how deeply he felt it, but he couldnāt deny it either. At one point, he passed by the cabinet where her forgotten bag still sat, untouched since the fall. He hesitated, fingers brushing the handle, then pulled away. Not yet. He couldnāt let himself cross any more lines. But even as he locked the door behind him that day, his thoughts stayed with her, hoping she was okay, dreading her return, and wanting it more than he dared admit.
- Writer
