The music was too loud. The kind that rattled your ribs and made your heart feel like it was beating out of sync. Sweat clung to my skin as I pushed through the crowded house, past red plastic cups and the thick stench of alcohol.
Sens looped her arm through mine, grinning. "Tell me why we always end up at the worst parties?"
"Because we have terrible judgment," I said, stealing the beer from her hand and taking a sip.
I wasn't supposed to be here.
I was supposed to be home, grounded, under my dad's watchful eye. But when my boyfriend, Jide, texted come through, I didn't think twice. Maybe it was reckless. Maybe I just didn't care.
I found him in the corner of the room, talking to some girl. She had the kind of laugh that made my skin itch. Light, flirty, like she was testing boundaries she shouldn't be testing.
I shoved my way towards them."Kairo", i said trying to get his attention.
He turned, eyes flashing with something unreadable before he plastered on a lazy smile. " Babe"
i hated when he called me that, it always felt like a coverup. Like he was saying it just so i wouldn't notice whatever bullshit he was on.
" Who's this?" i asked, nodding towards the girl fuming with jealousy and anger
She raised a perfectly arched brow, then turned to Kairo. "I'll see you later"
No she wouldn't
"Relax", he muttered, wrapping an arm around my waist. "she's nobody"
Nobody.
Right.
The words burned, but i swallowed them down. i wasn't about to start a fight in front of everyone. Not when we'd barely recovered from the last one. instead i pulled away, grabbing Sena's hand.
"Let's go"
We barely made it to the door before we heard it- Sirens. Loud. Close
Panic swept through the party in a ripple effect. Someone yelled "cops!" and suddenly everyone was pushing, shoving, scrambling to get out.
Sena and I didn't need to be told twice.
We ran.
My heart slammed against my ribs as we tore through the back door, tumbling into the night. The streetlights buzzed overhead, casting a dull glow against the dark sky.
"Shit!" Sena panted. "I think they saw us."
I didn't look back. I just grabbed her hand and ran faster. Behind us, footsteps pounded against the pavement. Right there! someone shouted.
Yeah. Not happening.
I veered into an alley, cutting through a shortcut we'd used a thousand times before. But tonight, my legs felt heavier. My body slower. Like the weight of everything was finally catching up to me.
When we finally lost them, panting and breathless, we leaned against a wall, trying to steady our breaths.
"Think Kairo got caught?" Sena asked.
I scoffed. "Like I care."
But I did.
And that was the problem.
I made it home sometime after three. The house was dark, except for the faint glow seeping under my dad's office door.
I tiptoed past, slipping into my room, but I barely had a second to breathe before—
Click.
The hallway light flicked on.
Shit.
I turned slowly, my heart sinking as I met my dad's tired, disappointed stare. He stood in the doorway of his office, arms crossed, a deep frown settling between his brows.
I let out a slow breath, bracing myself. "Go ahead. Yell at me."
He didn't yell. He didn't even look angry. Just... exhausted. "Your school called."
The pit in my stomach deepened.
"You've been suspended," he continued. "Again."
I forced a laugh, even though my throat was tight. "For what? Fighting? Yelling at a teacher? Or both this time?"
He just shook his head, rubbing a hand down his face. "You can't keep doing this, Sena. I've tried. I've given you chances, rules, warnings. But nothing works."
I folded my arms, jaw clenching. "So what? You're kicking me out now?"
He hesitated. And in that second, I already knew.
"You're leaving tomorrow," he said. "You're going to stay with your mom."
The words hit harder than I expected. Not because I cared about the punishment. But because, for the first time, it felt like he was giving up on me.
? You're kicking me out now?"
Dad exhaled sharply, his gaze heavy with something that made my chest tighten. Regret. Disappointment. Maybe both.
"You're leaving tomorrow," he said. "You're going to stay with your mom."
The words hit harder than I expected. Not because I cared about the punishment. But because, for the first time, it felt like he was giving up on me.
I forced out a laugh, but it came out hollow. "That's your solution? Ship me off like a problem you don't want to deal with?"
His expression didn't change. "Maybe she can give you the discipline I can't."
That stung.
I looked away, blinking fast. "I don't want to go."
"Well, you don't have a choice."
Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.
I wanted to argue. To tell him he was wrong. That I wasn't as much of a screw-up as he thought. But what was the point?
Instead, I scoffed and turned toward my room, voice bitter as I muttered, "Like I care."
But i did.
I slammed my bedroom door shut, leaning against it as I let out a shaky breath.
Leaving. Tomorrow.
My fingers curled into fists at my sides. He couldn't be serious. He was really sending me away—shipping me off to my mother like I was some problem he couldn't deal with anymore.
Like she'd even care.
The thought of seeing her again made my stomach twist. She left. She walked away, started over with some rich man like I was never part of the plan. And now, just because Dad was done putting up with me, I was supposed to waltz into her perfect little life and pretend we were some happy family?
No. Screw that.
I shoved my face into my pillow, frustration burning under my skin. I wasn't going. I didn't care what Dad said—he could threaten me, ground me, lock me in this damn room. I wasn't about to play house with a woman who abandoned me.
But as much as I wanted to fight it, a small voice in the back of my head whispered what I already knew.
It wasn't up to me.