"Come on, Luck, they've probably already marked us absent.""Yes, of course. Let's go."
After the sound of the office door faded, I stayed still for a few seconds, trying to process everything I had just heard. I called Will, and he answered quickly.
"Mia, are you okay?""I am… just trying to understand," I replied, still stunned.
We talked for a few minutes. Will was just as confused as I was. We decided to keep that recording a secret, at least for now. When I hung up, I realized my racing heart wouldn't let me sleep. I stayed awake all night, staring at the pink ceiling of my room, completely lost in thought.
When the clock hit seven, I got up, got ready, and went downstairs for breakfast. My mind was a whirlwind. My dad greeted me with a kiss and asked if I had woken up early.
"Yes, Dad," I answered, trying to smile.
Abigail came in and greeted me with a "Hi, Mia." I barely managed to give her a faint smile back.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" my dad asked.
"Yes, Dad… I just had a bad dream," I replied.
He nodded and reminded me, "You have your psychologist on Friday."
I nodded.
We had breakfast in silence. Adam was deep in thought because of everything happening with Emma, and I… because of everything that had happened the night before. We headed to school. I needed to stay calm. I couldn't tell Adam anything, because he would tell Chad, and I didn't want to put anyone into conflict.
At school, we avoided Emma. She seemed sad, but I knew it was better this way. It was safer not to talk to her than to risk anything… her parents had made up their minds. Before classes started, I thought about everything: if my dad and Hanna found out that Chad and I were together, they would definitely make us break up, and I didn't want to lose him at all.
When the bell rang, I hurried inside.
I saw Chad in the hallway. His expression was serious. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into an empty room.
"Chad, forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you," I said before he could speak.
Without thinking, I kissed him. I needed that kiss, without guilt, without fear, without thinking of the consequences. He didn't pull away. I kissed his neck, and he murmured:
"Mia… stop. We can't."
"Sorry, Chad, but I want to give myself to you," I said, determined.
"Mia, we've talked about this," he said firmly. "And don't try to run from it. I don't want you anywhere near Brandon. If you can't forget me…"
I nodded and kissed him again.
"Mia, if someone catches us here…" he whispered.
"Then let's leave together right now," I suggested.
"Mia, are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes," I answered.
"Then let's get out of here now. Call Mrs. Welsh and make up an excuse. She won't notice I was here." He took a deep breath and added, "Okay, let's go."
I told Adam I was leaving. He didn't understand, but he just asked me to be careful and slip out without being seen.
I waited for Chad outside. When he arrived, I got on his motorcycle and we left. My mind was spinning, but one thing was certain: I loved him and didn't want to lose him for anything.
We arrived at his house. He helped me take off my helmet.
"You're crazy… you brought me here," I said, smiling.
"Mia, we don't have many options, you're underage," he replied, holding my hand. "And no one's home."
I smiled. We went inside and headed to his room. Chad closed the door, and I kissed him wildly. He kissed me back. I took off his shirt, and he laid me on the bed. We kissed as if the world had stopped. He was out of breath until he paused and looked at me.
"Mia, are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes," I said confidently.
He stood up."Mia, I won't be able to control myself. I want this as much as you do… but I didn't want it to happen like this."
I approached and kissed him again. He took off my shirt, and we lay down once more. I whispered:
"Chad, for me, this moment is perfect."
He smiled. We were completely lost in each other, as if nothing else existed.
Until something made me stop. I remembered we still needed to be careful, that our passion couldn't blind us. Chad noticed my hesitation and pulled away.
"Mia… I'm sorry," he said, worried.
I started crying, but he hugged me, not judging, just holding my hand.
"We're not going to lose each other," Chad murmured, and I knew things would be okay, at least for now. Everything was so intense… but we held back. We were only in our underwear. I started getting dressed, and Chad watched me, frozen. Then he got dressed too.
Once we snapped out of that trance, I remembered something: one day I asked my mom why my dad had left. She said he had a secret, and when you love someone, you don't keep secrets from them.
I blurted out, without hesitation:
"Chad, I have to tell you something."
He looked startled and sat on the bed. I sat beside him, told him everything, and played the recording. He stayed silent.
"Chad, I don't know what they're hiding from you… from us. But if they find out we're together, we're going to have to break up."
He looked at me, caressed my face, and said:
"We'll figure out what it is, Mia. And yes, we need to avoid these situations. I won't be able to hold back for much longer, and if we give in, it'll only make everything worse."
I smiled and kissed him. The atmosphere heated up again quickly. Chad was right: I didn't know how much longer we could resist. And if my dad found out, he'd be furious, and then the chances of him accepting my relationship with Chad would be basically zero.
We kept kissing, intense but restrained. We couldn't cross the line. We were so distracted that we jumped when we heard the sound of the door.