"Hey Aura, here's your water bottle... I took yours by mistake this morning."
Harper's breath clouded faintly in the morning chill as she held out the bottle, her fingers red from the cold. A whistle blew in the distance, and the sounds of sneakers pounding against the track echoed through the crisp air.
Aura looked up from where she'd been stretching by the bleachers. Her dark curls were pulled into a loose bun, cheeks already flushed from her warm-up jog. She blinked in surprise before smiling and taking the bottle.
"Oh! Thanks, Harper... Hey, do you have a minute?"
Harper tilted her head slightly, sensing something in her sister's tone. She nodded, her brow creasing.
"Yeah. What's up?"
Aura gently tugged Harper's sleeve, leading her away from the activity on the track. The two girls stepped behind the bleachers where the chain-link fence rattled softly in the breeze. Overhead, the sky was pale and overcast, casting a soft gray light over the school grounds. Harper pulled her hoodie tighter around herself.
Aura studied her sister's face closely, the tension between them humming like a low current.
"You okay?" she asked finally, her voice lower now, more serious. "After... you know. What Grandma said and everything."
Harper hesitated. The question hit harder than she expected, like someone poking a bruise. She looked away, jaw clenched.
"Yeah... I'm okay." she lied at first. Then she sighed, shoulders drooping. "I don't know. I just... I think I might have to break up with Josie."
Aura's eyes widened. "Seriously? Harp..." she trailed off, stepping back a little as if trying to make sense of the words. "What are you going to tell her?"
Harper's mouth was dry. She pressed her lips together before answering.
"The truth. I can't lie to her — not about this. I just wish Mom had a goddamn backbone. I wish she'd say something, do something instead of letting Grandma run our lives like some dictator in pearls. Who cares what people say about us?"
Aura gave a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "You know Grandma. She's obsessed with the family name, the legacy — all that twisted old money crap. She thinks love is a weakness."
"Yeah, well.." Harper muttered, "if love's a weakness, I'm happy to be weak."
Aura nodded slowly, then leaned in and wrapped her arms around Harper's shoulders in a quick, tight hug.
"Josie's going to be heartbroken." she whispered.
"So am I." Harper whispered back.
They pulled apart, and Aura gave her sister a small, sad smile.
She watched her sister jog off, the red of Aura's windbreaker disappearing into the blur of bodies. Harper turned slowly, exhaling a shaky breath as she stood there in the quiet space behind the bleachers, the metal cold at her back. For a moment, she just stood still, her heart hammering in her chest, before finally making her way inside.
The hallway was a blur of chatter and squeaking sneakers as students scrambled to beat the morning bell. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, buzzing faintly. Harper weaved through the crowd, barely registering the jostling around her. Her locker door slammed shut with a clang as she stuffed her books inside, the cool metal biting her fingertips.
Turning sharply to head toward her first class, she collided hard with someone just rounding the corner.
"Shit!" Harper stumbled backward. A pair of strong hands caught her by the arms.
"Oh God — I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?"
The voice was smooth, low, with a genuine note of panic. Harper looked up, startled. The boy in front of her was tall, probably six feet, with tousled brown hair falling into his warm amber eyes. His shirt was half-tucked, belt still half-undone as if he'd been in a rush. He smelled faintly of mint and something woodsy — expensive cologne, maybe.
"No — no, I should've watched where I was going. I wasn't looking." she said quickly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
The boy exhaled, visibly relieved. He grinned sheepishly.
"I'm Blake." he said. "Tragically new here and completely lost. Do you happen to know where the science lab is? I've got first period there and, well... I missed the grand tour."
Harper gave a faint smile, surprised by his charm. "Left to your own devices on day one? Brutal. Come on, I'll walk you."
"You're an angel." Blake fell into step beside her, his tone light but his posture still a little tense. "We just moved here last week. I'm kind of in limbo. Everyone already has their friends and routines and I'm just... orbiting."
"It gets better." Harper said with a shrug. "This place is weirdly dull for a private school, but people find their cliques. You into sports?"
"Definitely." Blake nodded. Then, after a pause, his voice lowered a notch. "Actually... I have a kind of random question. And I know we just met, but... you seem like a safe person. Are people here, like... accepting? Of, uh, gay people?"
Harper blinked, taken aback for a moment. Then a slow, bright grin spread across her face.
"Oh my God!" she said, eyes lighting up. "You're gay?"
Blake laughed, a little embarrassed. "Yeah... was that too forward?"
"No! No, not at all. Sorry, I'm just — yes, this place is actually pretty accepting. No one's thrown slurs at me in the hallway or anything, if that's what you're asking."
Blake visibly relaxed, a shy but relieved smile tugging at his lips.
"That means a lot." he said. "Coming out at a new school isn't exactly easy, especially when you don't know who you can trust."
"Trust me, I get it." Harper said, pausing at the science lab door. "My family's a different story, though. But that's a conversation for another day."
Blake peered into the classroom, wincing. "Great. Already late."
"Better make a grand entrance." Harper teased. She turned to go.
"Wait — I didn't catch your name?"
She glanced over her shoulder, smirking.
"Nope, you didn't. What a shame."
Blake let out a soft laugh as she disappeared down the hallway.
Later that day, at lunch...
The café was a quiet one a few blocks from school, mostly filled with students and staff grabbing a late coffee or sandwich. Harper sat across from Josie in the back booth, where the lighting was dim and private. Josie looked beautiful as always — her brown eyes gentle, her curls tucked neatly into a silk scarf. But her gaze was heavy with concern.
Harper barely touched her grilled cheese. She stirred her soda with the straw, fingers trembling slightly as she stared down at the fizzing liquid.
"Harp.." Josie said softly, reaching across the table. "You okay? You've barely touched your lunch..."
Harper swallowed hard. Her throat felt like sandpaper. She set the straw down and looked up, meeting Josie's eyes.
"I have to tell you something... and you're not going to like it." Her voice cracked. "But I need you to understand why I'm doing this."
Josie's heart dropped. Her fingers tightened around Harper's.
"Okay." she whispered. "What is it?"
Harper took a shaky breath.
"I came home from school the other day... and Grandma was there. Sitting at the table with Mom. They wanted to talk to me. About... us."
Josie's brow furrowed. "What did they say?"
Harper looked away, ashamed. "Grandma thinks this is a phase. She said people are talking about me. About us. She gave me two choices: break up with you, or she'll send me to a conversion camp."
Josie stared at her, stunned into silence. Harper's eyes glistened. A tear slipped down her cheek and landed in her drink with a soft splash. Josie gently pushed the soda aside.
"I'm so sorry, Jose." Harper whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't want this. But I can't go to that place. You've heard the stories. You know what they do to people like us."
Josie's voice cracked. "So... what are you saying? That you want me to wait for you? Or are you saying goodbye?"
Harper bit her lip hard, trying to hold back more tears. "I'm not asking you to wait. That's not fair to you. You deserve someone with parents who love you the way you are. Mine... they never will. Not as long as Grandma's alive."
Josie looked away, blinking back her own tears. Slowly, she stood and walked around the booth. She crouched beside Harper and gently cupped her face, kissing her cheek... then her lips. It was soft and lingering and full of heartbreak.
"I'm just glad you didn't cheat. Or lie. I'll wait anyway." she said quietly. "Because I love you."
Harper broke. The sobs came fast, raw and aching. Josie pulled her close, holding her as if she could somehow keep the world from falling apart.
When they finally left the café, their hands stayed linked until the last possible second.
At the edge of the street, Josie turned to go. Harper hesitated... then ran after her, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around.
"I love you too." she said, breathless.
And then she kissed her — a kiss full of desperation, of everything they were about to lose and everything they still clung to.
A kiss that felt like goodbye and I'm not ready all at once.