Echoes of the Aftermath

Leon's POV

"She just left," I muttered, jaw tight. "Never finishes a damn conversation—just runs, like she always does."

I made a move to follow her, already halfway to the door, but Roman grabbed my arm.

"Don't," he said, voice low but firm. "It'll just make things worse. Stay here and calm down, okay? Julian's gone after her—he'll bring her back."

But Julian came back alone.

"She just left," he said with a sigh, avoiding my eyes. "Maybe we should leave her alone. Give her time."

Roman exploded. "Are you kidding me? It's the middle of the night, where the hell is she going to go? This is getting ridiculous—she shouldn't have come back at all if she was going to pull this crap."

"That's enough," JJ snapped at him. "She'll be fine. And if you didn't want her back, maybe you should've told your dad not to drag her back here. And what about the promise she made you? To attend college together? Or does that not matter anymore? You all need to be nicer to her—you, Roman, need to be a better brother."

"She left us," Roman muttered bitterly.

"She came back," Camille said firmly. "I don't think we should keep dragging this out. She apologized. What's done is done. Isn't that what we all wanted? For her to come back?"

While they argued, JJ kept trying to call her. So did I. And somewhere between everyone yelling and pointing fingers, I started to panic.

Maybe I went too far this time.

"I think she had her reasons," Liv said quietly, voice steady. "Come on, guys, we were harsh. No one even asked what really happened—we just blamed her. I'm sorry, Leon, but this time... I'm with her."

Cass crossed his arms. "She could've told us what was wrong. We always told each other everything."

"Oh, so now you're suddenly her biggest critic?" Liv shot back. "That's rich coming from someone who ignored her messages for months."

Mason added, "Liv, just because you two are fine now doesn't mean you get to switch sides like that. That's kind of... hypocritical, don't you think?"

"Shut up, Mason."

"Says the one who didn't even have the guts to talk to her when she first walked in."

Camille cut in before it could escalate. "Let's be honest. If we didn't know everything we know about her—what she's been through—half of you wouldn't be standing by her at all. And I'm not picking sides. I think you're all wrong... and right... in your own way. But this isn't a war. This is someone's heart we're talking about."

She looked straight at Roman and Cass. "What exactly is a girl supposed to tell her brothers? That things aren't okay in her love life—especially when it involves their best friend? Mason, you remember all the times you went crying to her when you were going through it? Well, guess what? She was hurting too. Maybe we all owe her an apology. She already gave us hers."

JJ sighed, rubbing his temples. "She's not going to talk to us. You heard what she said. It might already be too late—"

Phone rings.

Everyone fell silent.

JJ picked it up, eyes wide. "It's her. Quiet."

Roman snapped, "Put it on speaker."

"I will if you promise to shut up," Olivia hissed.

"Hi, JJ," Daphne's voice came through, soft but steady. "I'm fine. Just needed to blow off some steam. Don't worry, okay?"

Hearing her voice made my chest ache—but for a second, just hearing her speak made it easier to breathe.

"Daphne, please," JJ pleaded, "come home. We're all worried. Please, baby, just come back."

"I'm staying at a friend's. I'll call you tomorrow. Don't worry."

Then the line went dead.

Roman yelled, "Call her again! Ask her which friend—don't tell me it's those bad influences she used to hang with—"

He snatched his phone and called her himself. Once. Twice. Then stared at it when it said blocked.

"She blocked me?! Are you serious?!"

I stepped in. "She'll be fine. Let her cool off. We all need to get some sleep."

Liv and Cami quietly pulled Julian aside. "We need to talk to you," I heard Liv whisper.

I went upstairs, picked a bedroom, and locked the door behind me. I sat on the edge of the bed, hands in my hair.

I couldn't stop the tears.

Because deep down... I knew.

Whatever happened tonight—it was my fault.

If only I hadn't kissed that girl.

Julian's POV

Liv and Cami pulled me aside, away from the noise. Somewhere nobody would listen in.

"We know some things, Julian," Liv said gently. "We read something… a diary, maybe. Or just pages. She wrote about Leon. About how she felt. And we know what happened."

Cami added, "And we also know that you know where she is."

I sighed.

"The first thing tomorrow," Cami continued, "we're going to meet her. I get why she didn't tell us, but not why she didn't tell you, JJ."

"She didn't want to ruin anything," I replied quietly. "Back then, things were good. Everyone was happy. And how do you ruin that by saying one of your closest friends hurt you so deeply, you couldn't even pull yourself back up?"

They were silent. I took a shaky breath.

"For a long time, she didn't even tell me. I had to push. I had to follow her around until she finally broke down and said it out loud. Even then… I failed to help her. I was caught up in my own mess."

Cami glanced at Liv, then asked, "The mess with Roman?"

I hesitated. "She wrote about that too… sort of."

"Oh, don't worry," Liv said quickly, "she didn't write about that clearly. It's not really a diary. More like scattered pages—thoughts. But it's mostly about Leon. And we overheard you guys at the bar that day, remember? We connected the dots."

"It's okay, JJ," Cami said, voice softer now. "We won't tell anyone. But you could've told us."

"I know," I said. "It's not that I didn't want to… it's just… Roman didn't want anyone to know. And we've been over for a long time now."

They were quiet for a moment, eyes glancing between each other like they were both trying to find the right words.

Then, without warning, Liv and Cami stepped forward and wrapped their arms around me.

I froze for a second—caught off guard by the warmth, the safety. Then I hugged them back.

"Promise us," Cami whispered against my shoulder. "No more hiding. At least not from us. Especially when it's about her."

"Please, JJ," Liv added softly. "We're in this together. We've always been."

I nodded, my throat tight. "I promise."

It wasn't loud or dramatic. But in that small, quiet moment, something shifted. We weren't just friends who drifted apart and came back together—we were starting to really show up for each other again.

And maybe… just maybe… we'd find a way to show up for her too.

Daphne – POV

I woke up early—earlier than anyone else—because I wanted to leave without a word. Just for a week or two. With Mom and Dad out of town, it wasn't like anyone would notice anyway.

The bar was still a mess from last night's party. Cups on the counter. Pillows on the floor. The usual. Another reminder that while one person falls apart, someone else is always out there laughing. Life.

Our bar. Mine and Julian's. Funny how something we built together has now turned into my hiding place. I called him, but he didn't pick up—probably still asleep. It was six in the morning, after all.

I decided to go quickly, grab what I needed, and get out before anyone noticed.

The drive took fifteen minutes, but the whole time, my heart thudded like I was doing something wrong. Like I didn't belong there anymore.

I ran up to my closet, grabbed a duffel and a backpack, and started packing—clothes, shoes, skincare, makeup. The essentials. As I tiptoed into the hallway, careful not to make a sound, I heard a voice.

"Are you leaving again?"A pause."Please don't leave."

It was Leon.

I ignored him. Kept walking. My steps quickened down the staircase, but of course, he followed.

"Don't," I snapped. "Just leave me alone. I'm not running away. I'm staying at a friend's, that's all."

He caught my hand, stopping me mid-step. "Stay. If this is about me—I'll leave. Just… you stay. This is your house too."

"It doesn't matter," I said, yanking my hand free. "You're not the only one I don't want to see."

He looked tired. Not just tired—wrecked. Like he hadn't slept. Like he'd cried. But why should I care?

I pushed past him and ran out the door.

Why are you running? I thought bitterly. This is your house. You're not a criminal.

But I kept running anyway. Running from him. From all of them.

I got back to the bar—our bar—and collapsed into bed. My head was spinning, my limbs heavy. Maybe I was just tired. Maybe it was something more.

I slept until noon, waking up drenched in warmth, my body heavy and hot. Fever, maybe. I dragged myself to the cabinet, popped a tablet, slapped on a warm patch, and crawled back under the covers.

Everything felt blurry.Fuzzy.Distant.Like maybe sleep was the only place where none of this could touch me.

At some point, I heard whispers. Faint voices floating around me like a dream.

Then, one cuts through—familiar and soft.

"D… hey, wake up. Are you okay?"

My eyes fluttered open, slow and heavy. Everything ached. My head throbbed. My throat was dry.

"J?" My voice cracked. "Is that you?"

I tried to sit up, but my body protested. Julian gently helped me up, worry all over his face.

"You were burning when we got here," he said, brushing some hair off my forehead.

"We?" I mumbled. "Julian… who else did you bring?"

"Chill, it's just us," he said.

I turned my head—and there they were. Liv. Cami.

Sitting beside my bed like I hadn't disappeared for two years.

Liv smiled gently. "Oh honey, you look like you got hit by a truck."

Cami added, "But like… a cute truck. With glitter."

Despite everything, a weak laugh escaped me. "Everything okay, girls?"

Liv touched my hand. "We should be asking you that."

Julian handed me a glass of water. "You scared the hell out of us. Again."

I sipped slowly, taking them all in. Their presence. Their concern. Their quiet forgiveness.

Maybe I didn't deserve it. But right now, I needed it.

"I'm fine," I told them, even though the words felt thin. "Nothing one medicine can't fix. Probably just the weather acting up."

They all nodded like they believed me.But we knew. It wasn't the weather we were talking about.

The silence that followed wasn't awkward—it was loaded. Heavy in a way that meant they knew. That I knew they knew.

And then Liv looked me straight in the eye. "We read it, Daph. That book. The pages you wrote… about Roman. About everything."

Julian kept his gaze low.Cami squeezed my hand. "You should've told us, babe."

My heart sank—but somehow, it also felt lighter. Like finally, someone else was holding the weight with me.

"I didn't want to… dump all of that on you when everything seemed okay," I whispered. "I thought I could just come back and pretend like nothing happened."

"You don't have to pretend anymore," Liv said softly.

Julian added, "We're your people, D. Always were. Even when you thought we weren't."

Then they made me promise.No more hiding. No more disappearing.Never again.

I pulled them into a hug, one that said thank you and I'm sorry and I love you all at once.

"Never," I whispered. "I promise. And… thank you. I love you guys so much."

We stayed like that for a while. No drama. No yelling. No running.

Just us, talking like we used to. Like we should've, a long time ago. And for the first time in forever, it felt good. Very good.

I didn't feel broken. I felt grateful.

I told them to leave. They didn't want to.

Said they couldn't just leave me alone like that. But I had to force them to go—because even if my heart wanted them to stay, this room couldn't hold all of us. Not anymore.

"I'm not talking to the guys anymore," I said, as firmly as I could. "Not at school. Not anywhere. I just… I want to be by myself. I don't want to make things awkward. I don't want to make things right."

They nodded, reluctantly. And then they left.

Later, JJ texted me. Said everyone was worried. Said I should come home. I refused.

I didn't go to school on Monday. Didn't feel well. JJ and the girls dropped by again.We talked a little they tried to convince me this time it was me that was angry 

Almost two weeks passed. Eventually, I went back.

Slipped in through the side gate. Quietly. Smiled faintly at JJ and the girls. Then kept walking.Headphones in. Eyes low. No words.

They tried. I didn't and honestly i dint want to.

Surprisingly, the group chat was alive—more alive than ever.And this time, it wasn't the girls. It was the boys.

I blocked them all. Left the chat.

They added me back. So I stopped opening it. Muted it. Archived it.

And Leon?

He just kept looking at me with those sad, stupid eyes. Like he meant something.Like he still didn't understand. Like two years hadn't passed. Like his kiss hadn't shattered something in me that I still couldn't put back together.

It almost made me laugh. Almost.

I didn't need apologies anymore. Or explanations. Or promises. I needed space. Distance. Silence.

Maybe I wasn't okay. But for the first time in a long time, the chaos around me wasn't louder than the voice inside me.

And maybe, just maybe— that was enough.