Burke’s Little Secret

C-7 P-4

Annabeth's POV

The morning light filtering through my dorm window was bright, unforgiving, and completely unwelcome. I woke up with a dull ache behind my eyes, the heavy silence of the room a stark contrast to the absolute chaos of the night before. For a few seconds, I lay perfectly still under the covers, wishing I could just hit pause on reality.

But then the memories came rushing back in vivid, agonizing detail: Marcus’s smug, toxic comment; the collective gasp of the crowded room; the sickening thud of Levi’s fist making contact with his jaw; and finally, Isaac’s face under the streetlamp, looking completely undone as Haley told him to walk away.

I sat up, rubbing my face. Across the room, Haley was already awake, sitting cross-legged on the futon with her phone in her hand. She looked up, her expression a mix of caution and fierce protectiveness.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"Like I got hit by a truck," I muttered, pulling my knees to my chest. "But... I'm also angry. Really angry."

I thought about the way Levi had lunged across the room. I thought about the way Noah had to restrain him. I thought about how Isaac had been keeping his distance for weeks just to appease my brothers' ridiculous, suffocating rules. For my entire life, my brothers had treated me like something fragile that needed to be locked away and guarded. They called it protection, but right now, it felt like a cage. Marcus had only weaponized that dynamic because he knew exactly how predictable my brothers were.

And then there was Isaac. Just thinking about him made my stomach twist into a complicated knot. I couldn't bring myself to talk to him today. I couldn't face the heavy, serious conversation he wanted to have, and I couldn't handle seeing the guilt in his eyes for a mess he didn't even start. Every time I pictured him standing under that streetlamp, a part of me softened, but a bigger part of me just wanted to push everything away.

"Haley," I said, my voice firmer than it had been all weekend. "We're not hiding today."

Haley’s eyes lit up, a familiar, wicked spark returning to her expression. "What are you thinking?"

"The plan we made yesterday? Before everything went sideways? We're sticking to it," I decided, throwing off the blankets. "Marcus wanted to make me look like a victim, and my brothers want to lock me in a tower. I'm not doing either. Today, I'm going to act like absolutely nothing happened. We're going to go out there, we're going to hang around the team, and we're going to let everyone see that a stupid rumor doesn't touch me."

A slow, triumphant smile spread across Haley's face. "That is exactly what I wanted to hear. If Levi wants to play the overprotective bodyguard, let's give him something to actually stress about. And as for Isaac? Let him see you totally unbothered."

The campus quad was bustling with Sunday afternoon activity. The weather was crisp and clear, the perfect backdrop for students lounging on the grass and discussing the weekend's football victory. It didn't take long for us to spot the usual crowd. A large group from the team, including Noah, Levi, and Isaac, were gathered near the outdoor campus cafe, sitting at a cluster of metal tables.

As we walked closer, I felt a momentary surge of panic. My heart hammered against my ribs, and the urge to turn around and sprint back to my room was overwhelming. But Haley caught my eye, giving me a sharp, encouraging nod. I adjusted the strap of my bag, squared my shoulders, and forced a bright, casual smile onto my face.

I was wearing a pair of high-waisted cargo pants, a cropped white tee, and a pair of sleek sunglasses pushed up onto my head. It wasn't as dramatic as the leather jacket from the night before, but it was effortlessly confident. I looked like someone who had slept like a baby, not someone who had spent the night crying into her pillow.

"Hey, guys!" Haley called out loudly as we approached the tables, her voice dripping with cheerful energy.

The effect was instantaneous. The conversation at the main table died instantly.

Levi practically bolted upright in his chair, his eyes widening in complete shock as he stared at me. Noah dropped his plastic fork onto his plate, a look of pure bewilderment crossing his face. And Isaac—Isaac just froze. He had been leaning back in his chair, looking exhausted and miserable, but the moment he heard my voice, his head snapped up. His dark eyes locked onto mine, searching my face with an intensity that made my breath hitch.

"Annabeth," Levi stammered, stepping forward. "What are you doing out here? I've been texting you all morning. We need to talk about last night—"

"Talk about what?" I interrupted smoothly, leaning against the edge of an empty chair and tilting my head. I kept my voice light, casual, and completely conversational. "The game was great. Did you guys see the highlights they posted on the campus network? The defense looked incredible."

The guys at the surrounding tables looked at each other, completely thrown off by my demeanor. They had clearly spent the morning bracing for drama, rumors, or tears. Instead, I was standing here talking about sports statistics.

Noah’s bewildered expression slowly morphed into that familiar, amused smirk. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he looked from me to Haley. He knew exactly what we were doing, and he looked thoroughly impressed by the sheer audacity of it.

"Yeah, the defense really held it down," Noah chimed in, deliberately helping me pivot the conversation. "Levi’s interception is basically trending on the school’s athletic page."

"Shut up, Noah," Levi hissed, not breaking eye contact with me. He took another step closer, lowering his voice so the rest of the team couldn't hear. "Annabeth, seriously. Marcus is off the team for a week, and Coach is furious. Are you okay? Because after what he said—"

"Levi, I'm completely fine," I said, cutting him off with a bright, dismissive laugh that felt entirely foreign leaving my mouth. "It was just a stupid party. People say dumb things when they're trying to get a rise out of you. Honestly, I forgot about it the second I went to sleep."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Isaac. He hadn't said a word, but the tension radiating off him was palpable. He looked completely bewildered, his jaw clenched tightly as he watched me act like the entire traumatic event was just a minor blip on my radar. I could tell he wanted to reach out, to apologize, to force the serious conversation we desperately needed to have. But by refusing to acknowledge the elephant in the room, I was completely taking away his ability to do so.

Haley smoothly stepped into the space next to me, sliding a hand into the pocket of her silver jacket. "Anyway, since it's such a nice day, Annabeth and I were thinking about heading over to the athletic field to watch the scrimmage. Who's coming with us?"

She didn't look at Levi; instead, she directed the question toward a couple of sophomore wide receivers sitting at the adjacent table. The guys immediately brightened up, eager to jump into the conversation now that the tension had lifted.

"I'm down," one of them said, standing up. "We were just about to head over there anyway."

"Perfect," I said, flashing them a smile before finally, deliberately, letting my gaze drift over to Isaac.

He was staring at me with a mixture of profound confusion and a quiet, burning frustration. The distance between us felt wider than ever, but for the first time, I felt like I was the one holding the remote control. I gave him a polite, entirely blank nod—the kind of nod you give a casual acquaintance you barely know—before turning on my heel.

"Let's go, guys," I said to the sophomores.

As Haley and I walked away, the guys falling into step beside us, I could feel Levi’s furious, protective glare burning into my back, and Isaac’s heavy, agonizing silence following me across the grass. The plan was working perfectly. I hadn't fixed the mess, and I hadn't talked to the boy I was starting to like, but as we walked across the sunlit quad, I finally felt like I was the one making the rules.