The Fallout
The ride home from the banquet felt longer than it should have. Nobody in Kiara’s car said much. Which was unusual. Kiara usually talked enough for three people. But this time, even she kept glancing at me like she was trying to decide whether to ask a question she already knew the answer to. Mason, sitting in the back, finally broke the silence. “So… that was intense.” I didn’t respond. Kiara shot him a look through the rearview mirror. “Read the room.” “I am reading it,” he muttered. “It’s screaming.” I leaned my head against the window. The streetlights blurred past. Elena’s face wouldn’t leave my mind. That calm expression. That final sentence. I hope you figure it out before it gets messy. Like it wasn’t already messy. Like it hadn’t been messy since the moment Jace
- Writer
