Ivey's Pov
The next few days were... quiet.
Too quiet.
No notes. No flowers. No blocked calls. No Josh.
At first, I didn't trust it. I kept checking over my shoulder in the halls, flinching when my phone buzzed, expecting to see his name again. But nothing came. Just normal texts from Kayla and Lucas. School announcements. Homework reminders.
By the third morning, when I opened my locker without hesitation and found nothing inside but my books, I almost smiled.
"He's finally gotten the message," Kayla said, looping her arm through mine as we walked to class.
"Maybe," I said. "Or he's just… waiting."
She gave me a look. "No. Don't do that. Don't spiral. You deserve to breathe again."
And I was. Slowly.
Lucas had been giving me space, but not too much. We walked to classes together, shared snacks at lunch, and sometimes just sat in silence during free period, letting the quiet feel safe instead of heavy. He didn't push me to talk about Josh anymore, and I didn't bring it up. It was like we were building something again, gently, one small moment at a time.
Friday rolled around faster than I expected, and with it, our big English project deadline. Kayla and I had planned a full weekend of working and probably a lot of procrastinating.
"I'm staying at Kayla's tonight," I told Lucas as we packed up our things after last period.
He nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Want a ride?"
"Nah, I'm good. Her place is close enough to walk. We're just doing a snack run before we get started."
He hesitated. "You sure?"
I smiled. "Yeah. It's been quiet, remember?"
He still looked unsure, but he didn't push. "Text me when you get there?"
"I will."
The corner store wasn't far. I told Kayla I'd meet her at her place in twenty minutes — enough time to grab chips, something to drink, and maybe those gummy bears she liked pretending not to eat.
The wind was strong, and the air made me feel uneasy for some reason. I wrapped my hoodie tighter and pushed open the store's front door, greeted by the familiar chime and the smell of old candy.
I was halfway through picking out a bag of sour worms when I saw him.
Josh.
Just outside the window.
He was standing across the street, watching me. Not moving. Not blinking.
My heart stuttered so hard I dropped the candy.
I looked around. There were two other people in the store, but no one seemed to notice anything wrong.
When I looked back out the window — he was gone.
I struggled to pay, with my hands shaking, and my heart beating like a drum. The cashier didn't say anything, just handed me my change and went back to scrolling on his phone.
The moment I stepped outside, I knew something was wrong.
The street was too empty.
I pulled my phone from my pocket, fingers hovering over Lucas's name. But then—
A hand grabbed my arm.
I turned, and there he was — Josh — too close, too fast, too much.
"Ivey, wait—"
I yanked my arm back, but he tightened his grip.
"Let go of me!"
"I just want to talk," he said, eyes wide, too bright. "Just for a second. I've been trying to give you space. I thought you'd calm down by now."
"Calm—" My voice cracked. "You've been stalking me!"
"I love you," he said, voice cracking like he actually believed that was a good enough excuse. "You don't mean any of this. I know you don't. You're just confused."
"Josh, stop."
"You're mine," he whispered. "You're just scared. But once we're alone, once we talk—"
I tried to run.
I didn't get far. But, now it was even worse. It seemed like I had run into a sort of forest.
I was struggling to breathe.
His arms came around me like a trap, tight and panicked. The snacks I was holding fell on the floor. I screamed, but his hand covered my mouth.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry. But I can't let you go. Not yet."
The world blurred as he dragged me toward the alley, toward a dark car I hadn't seen parked between buildings. Panic closed in around my throat like a noose.
No one was around.
No one could hear me.
No one knew.
Lucas's Pov
I was halfway through reheating leftovers when my phone buzzed on the counter.
From Kayla:
hey is ivey with you?
I frowned and wiped my hands before grabbing the phone.
To Kayla:
no, she was going to your place right after a snack run. why?
From Kayla:
she's not here
left almost 45 mins ago and hasn't texted or picked up
she said she was just stopping by the corner store??
A chill ran through me.
I dropped the fork I was holding.
To Kayla:
which store?
From Kayla:
the little one near pinewood
My heartbeat spiked. I didn't even think — I grabbed my keys and was out the door in seconds.
As I peeled out of the driveway, a single thought kept looping through my head:
He said he'd let her go.
He said he was done.
But I'd never believed him. Not really.
Kayla's Pov
I stared down at my phone, trying not to panic.
Ivey was never late. And she always texted. Always.
I tried her again.
Straight to voicemail.
Something was wrong. I could feel it.
Lucas still hadn't texted back. That scared me more than anything. He was fast — always fast when it came to Ivey.
Seconds later, my phone buzzed again.
From Lucas:
i'm heading to the store now
if she shows up, CALL ME
do not wait
i mean it
I clutched my phone tighter, standing by the window and praying to see Ivey walking down the sidewalk with some excuse like a dead phone or a forgotten charger.
But the street stayed empty.
And I had the sickest feeling in my stomach that something terrible had just begun.
Lucas's Pov
The corner store was quiet when I pulled up. I rushed inside, scanning the aisles.
No sign of Ivey.
I asked the cashier, described her — green hoodie, black backpack, brown eyes, way too kind for this world — but he just shrugged.
"She came in about 40 minutes ago. Bought a few snacks. Left alone."
Alone.
Back in my car, I hit call again. Her phone still went straight to voicemail.
I was already pulling away from the curb when Kayla called.
"She's still not here," she said, voice tight with panic. "Lucas—what do we do?"
"I'm coming there now."
I didn't have a plan, just a thousand worst-case scenarios clawing at my brain.
But just before I turned onto Kayla's street, my phone rang again. Unknown number.
I answered.
Silence. Then:
"Miss me?"
My whole body went cold.
"Josh."
"Glad you remember me," he said casually, like we were old friends catching up. "Thought I'd do what no one else had the guts to do."
"Where's Ivey?"
"She's safe. For now. Don't worry. I just needed her to listen without your little rescue missions getting in the way."
"You're insane," I said. My voice was low. Dangerous.
"No. I'm right. You stole her from me. Twisted her. She used to love me, Lucas. I'm just… fixing things."
"If you hurt her—"
"I won't," he cut in. "Unless you make me. So here's the deal. You want her back? Fine. But you're gonna have to prove you're worth her."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Josh's tone darkened. "You wanted a fight, didn't you? You got one. Come find us."
He hung up.
I stared at the screen, heart racing.
This wasn't about Ivey anymore.
This was about control. About winning.
And Josh was willing to do anything to prove he still had power over her — and over me.
Ivey's Pov
My head throbbed.
A dull, pounding ache behind my eyes dragged me slowly back to consciousness. The air was cold. Not outdoors-cold — basement-cold.
Concrete.
The floor beneath me was hard. My jacket was gone. My backpack too.
I blinked, disoriented, and sat up too quickly. The room tilted. My mouth was dry and my limbs felt heavy, like I'd been asleep for hours. Or drugged.
Where—
My breath caught in my throat.
This wasn't Kayla's house. This wasn't any house I recognized.
It looked like an old storage room. There was a small lamp in the corner, flickering weakly. A single chair. A mattress shoved in the corner. No windows. One door.
And then I heard him.
Josh.
"I was starting to think you wouldn't wake up," he said from across the room. He was sitting in the chair like this was normal, legs crossed, his phone in hand.
I scrambled to my feet. "What the hell is this?! Where am I?!"
"Safe," he said calmly, like that answered anything. "Away from all the noise. From everyone feeding you lies about me. From Lucas."
I stared at him, heart thudding. "You kidnapped me?"
"No," he said, standing. "I rescued you. You don't see it now, but you will — you'll realize how much better things were when it was just us."
I backed away as he stepped toward me.
"You're insane," I whispered.
He flinched — not at the word, but at the tone. "You didn't used to say things like that. Before him. Before Lucas." He practically spat the name. "You were softer. Sweeter. You smiled at me like I was your whole world. Don't you remember that?"
I didn't answer.
He moved faster than I expected — crossed the room and grabbed my wrists before I could react. His grip wasn't painful, but it was firm. Possessive.
"I can make you love me again," he said, eyes dark and locked onto mine. "I just need time. That's why we're here. No distractions. Just you and me."
I twisted in his grasp. "Let me go, Josh."
He leaned in, grabbing my face pulling it closer to his.
I tried to resist but his grip got tighter — before I could stop him, his mouth was on mine. I froze. It wasn't a kiss. It was a claim. Desperate. Twisted. Wrong.
I shoved him back with all the strength I had, wiped my mouth with my sleeve.
"Don't touch me!"
Josh stumbled back a step, face hardening. "You didn't used to mind," he said coldly. "You used to kiss me like you meant it."
I stared at him, heart racing, every cell in my body screaming for an escape.
"This won't work," I said. "You can't force me to love you. You can't trap me into remembering something that wasn't real."
"It was real," he snapped. "Lucas messed it up. He poisoned you."
I turned away, breathing fast.
Somewhere in my pocket, my phone buzzed faintly. Hope surged — but then Josh reached over and snatched it.
"No more interruptions," he said, sliding it into his back pocket. "This time, we do things my way."
He walked to the door and locked it behind him.
"Try to rest," he said without turning back. "We have a lot to talk about."
And then I was alone.
Shaking. Furious. Terrified.