Sienna

A few days had passed quietly. The air in the house felt heavier as usual, like it was holding our secret that neither of us wanted to expose.

Summer was almost over. Just a few days left before school started again—my final year—and Jaxon had finally made his choice. Stanford. My dad couldn’t stop talking about it, and my mom was already planning a shopping day to get him everything he’d need before he left.

It should’ve felt normal. It should’ve just been another chapter in our family’s story. But nothing about us had been normal for weeks.

Between the stolen touches, the quick glances, the long silences that...