Arianna Carter died the summer after graduation.
Her secret diary–filled with years of unspoken love–wouldn’t find its way to him until a decade too late.
Vermont summers meant cicadas that never shut up.
The second Arianna walked into homeroom, a thick textbook slammed into her chest.
“Murderer! You backstabbing bitch! How the hell do you have the nerve to show your face here?”
“God, I can’t believe you’re actually here! You were the one hanging with those gang losers, and when Mr. Hiddleston rushed in thinking you were in trouble, they stabbed him like fifteen times and left him
bleeding out on the pavement!”
“And you couldn’t even show up to court for him–just ghosted everyone and ran!”
“That amazing man died trying to save your sorry ass, and you let his killers walk
a soul?”
Do you even have
The words hit her like punches. More voices joined in, a chorus of rage and disgust that made her chest tighten until she could barely breathe.
Arianna’s throat closed up. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t defend herself.
She stumbled to her desk in silence. Someone had carved “KILLER” and “WHORE” deep into the
wood–the letters jagged and angry.
That’s when he walked in.
Jayden Hiddleston.
Six–foot–two of lean muscle and sharp jawline, the kind of guy who could’ve been homecoming king if he’d wanted it. But right now, those green eyes that used to light up when they saw her were flat and cold
as winter.
The classroom went dead quiet
Arianna felt her heart hammering against her ribs as she took a shaky step toward him. “Jayden, please–I didn’t blow off the trial on purpose. I had a cardiac episode and they rushed me to the ER. I was in surgery for three straight days…”
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He stopped walking. For just a second, something flickered across his face.
Then his mouth twisted into something that might’ve been a smile if it weren’t so cruel.
“Yeah? Well, maybe you should’ve died on that table instead.”
The blood drained from her face. Her knees nearly buckled.
Because he was right, wasn’t he? She should have died instead of his father.
A week ago, she’d been cornered by those gang members after school. Trapped in that alley like a scared
rabbit.
Mr. Hiddleston had died saving her worthless life.
With no security cameras, those animals claimed self–defense–said the older man had attacked them first.
Arianna was the only witness. The only one who could’ve sent them away for murder instead of some bullshit manslaughter charge.
But when the trial came, her defective heart had landed her back in the ICU.
Without her testimony, those bastards got three years in juvie. Three years for ki
ever known.
the best man she’d
Everyone was right. She’d killed Mr. Hiddleston just as surely as if she’d held the knife herself.
Tears burned her eyes, but all she could choke out was: “I’m… I’m so sorry…”
The bell rang.
Jayden shouldered his backpack and walked around her like she was a piece of furniture. Took his seat in the back without another glance.
Nobody spoke to her all morning. She might as well have been invisible–or better yet, dead.
At lunch, she stood in the cafeteria line alone for the first time in her life.
Jayden used to do this for her. Every single day since middle school, he’d grab her tray and navigate the chaos while she waited safely to the side.
“Come on, Anna,” he’d always say with that crooked grin. “You’re like five feet tall and ninety pounds soaking wet. These animals would trample you for a slice of pizza. Stick with me, kid.”
He’d started calling her Anna after reading Little Women for English class sophomore year, said she reminded him of Beth March–quiet and gentle and too pure for this world.
caldan ana Queen
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God, how right he’d been. Beth March had died young too, hadn’t she? Jayden probably never imagined his nickname would be so prophetic.
A commotion outside snapped her back to reality.
“Holy shit, someone call the principal!”
“It’s Jayden from our class–he’s completely lost it! Cut sixth period to pick fights with those gang guys, and now he’s looking for more. Someone’s gonna die!”
Arianna’s blood turned to ice. She knew exactly where he’d go–the same spot where his father had died trying to save her.
She ran.
By the time she reached the alley, her chest was on fire and she could taste copper in her mouth. But she
kept going.
Jayden had seven guys on the ground, all of them groaning and bleeding. His knuckles were split open, blood running down his arms, a nasty cut above his left eye.
He was straddling the gang leader, pounding his face into pulp.
“Stop… please… don’t…”
The guy was barely conscious, but Jayden’s eyes had gone completely black. He was somewhere else entirely–somewhere violent and unreachable.
One more hit and that thug would never wake up.
Arianna threw herself forward and grabbed Jayden’s wrists with both hands.
“Stop! Jayden, please–just stop!”
His whole body went rigid. The punching stopped.
For one heartbeat, she thought she’d gotten through to him.
Then he shoved her so hard she crashed into the brick wall, stars exploding behind her eyes.
He pulled out a cigarette with shaking hands and lit it, leaning against the opposite wall like nothing had happened.
His voice was dead calm. “Where’s the rest of your crew?”
The gang leader spat blood. “What?”
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“Call them. I’m not done.”
Arianna struggled to her feet, her vision still swimming. She could see the blood on his hands, the wild look in his eyes that said he was ready to kill someone today.
Her heart was breaking all over again.
She stepped between him and the thugs on the ground, her voice cracking. “Jayden, please don’t do this to yourself. Your dad wouldn’t want this. He’d hate seeing you throw your life away.” She took a shaky breath. “If you need someone to hurt, hurt me instead.”
Those green eyes focused on her then, sharp and predatory.
He took a long drag and blew smoke right in her face–not even trying to aim it away from her.
His smile was pure poison. “You know what? You’re right.”
She braced herself, expecting him to hit her. Part of her almost wanted him to.
Instead, his voice dropped to a whisper that cut deeper than any punch.
“Go kill yourself, Anna. Do everyone a favor and just fucking die already.”
The words hit her like a physical blow. She actually staggered backward.
Jayden flicked his cigarette away and walked past her without another look, leaving her standing there with tears streaming down her face and her heart shattering into a million pieces.
She watched him disappear around the corner, then whispered to the empty alley: “Okay. I will.”
After her last surgery, the doctors had been brutally honest. Her heart was too damaged for any more procedures. At the rate it was failing, she had weeks left. Maybe a month if she was lucky.
But standing there in that alley where Mr. Hiddleston had died for her, watching the boy she loved walk away like she was already dead, Arianna wasn’t sure luck had anything to do with it anymore.
