CHAPTER 9
792 Words
(Makayla’s POV)
The rest of the day blurred.
Micah’s words replayed in my head on a loop, impossible to shut off.
"You and Jared aren’t exactly walking in sync lately..I’d really like the chance to take you"
Micah, with his easy smile and messy curls and that persistent undercurrent of charm. Micah, who once kissed me behind the bleachers sophomore year and then got into a fistfight with Jared over it two days later.
And now, two years later, he was asking—without asking—if I’d go to prom with him.
I didn’t know what to do.
My head felt like it was splitting open from too many questions: Is there even a future with Jared? Would Micah be a safer option? Would I even be welcome in his world?
Jared's was the only one I'd known. And even that one had started closing its doors on me.
At first, Jared’s parents were warm—really warm. I used to spend weekends at their huge house nestled at the edge of the woods. Movie nights. Backyard BBQs. Jared’s mom, Emma, always had extra blankets for me on the couch and a soft spot in her voice whenever she said my name.
His dad was quieter but polite, always offering me lemonade or asking about school. It felt… safe. Like I belonged.
But somewhere along the way, things changed.
It wasn’t sudden, just a slow, creeping frost. His father started avoiding eye contact. Conversations grew stiffer, shorter. I wasn’t invited over as much. Dinners turned into drop-offs. Questions I asked about their family or home were dodged or dismissed. Any mention of Jared’s extended family—or that strange group of close friends they called "community"—was carefully avoided in front of me.
Like there was a version of their life I just wasn’t allowed to see.
Eventually, I stopped asking.
Jared never explained it either. Said his dad was under a lot of pressure. That they were “dealing with stuff” he couldn’t talk about. And maybe that was true… but it left me feeling like an outsider in a place that once felt like home.
Now, I couldn’t help wondering: Would I always be on the outside of Jared’s world? Would Micah’s be any different?
By the time gym class rolled around, my thoughts were a tangled mess. At least here, I didn’t have to think.
Volleyball was easy. I didn’t need to try. I was fast, coordinated, and competitive enough to keep people from underestimating me. Jessa and I had just rotated out, taking a seat on the sidelines while the next group played.
“So,” she said, catching her breath and wiping sweat from her brow, “you looked super intense all period. That’s not your normal zen volleyball energy.”
I glanced around, then leaned in. “Micah asked me to prom.”
Her eyes went wide. “Micah? Micah Quinn?”
I nodded, heat rising to my cheeks.
“Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“I’m not. He basically asked. Said if Jared wasn’t stepping up, maybe he should.”
Jessa made a noise between a scoff and a laugh. “Did he forget sophomore year? Jared almost broke his jaw for looking at you too long.”
“I think he’s hoping Jared won’t care anymore.”
Her look turned serious. “And do you think he won’t?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted quietly. “I really don’t.”
Before Jessa could say anything else, the gym doors swung open, and the admin lady stepped inside. Her eyes scanned the room, landing on me: “Makayla Roberts?”
I stood up, confused.
“You need to come with me,” she said gently. “There’s been an accident. Your father’s in the hospital.”
Everything dropped out from under me.
I barely heard the rest. Something about a car, some head trauma. He was unconscious but she didn’t have any more information.
Jessa was already shoving her keys into my hand before I could process it.
“Take my car. Just go.”
“I—I can’t—”
“You can. Go now. Text me later, okay?”
I nodded, numb, fingers tightening around the keys as I bolted.
The parking lot spun around me in a blur of colors and noise. I barely remembered which car was Jessa’s until the familiar chime of her beat-up Corolla greeted me.
As I pulled out of the school driveway, hands trembling on the wheel, one thing became crystal clear in the chaos:
Whatever was going on with Jared and Micah and prom could wait.
Right now, I needed to get to my dad.
- Writer
