FIFTY- TWO
FIFTY- TWO
EVE
The lake house looks almost exactly as I remember it. Dad let it go a few years back, selling it to an older couple after deciding it cost too much to maintain. Since then, they’ve redone the inside and turned it into an Airbnb.
Because I booked it for a longer stretch, I got a discount, which made it doable. It’s not technically across state lines, but it’s far enough that Los Angeles feels like another world. Out here, people don’t recognize me so quickly.
Unpacking is easy. The quiet feels thick and steady, the lake stretching wide and endless, framed by woods that seem to wall me off from everything else.
Pine needles, dirt, and bark form their own barrier, like nature built me a fence. I only brought a carry-on suitcase with enough clothes for a couple of weeks, but it feels like all I need.
Top of my list? Change my hair.
Taylor came with me to the drugstore and helped me pick out a dye kit. She’s got plenty of experience with this kind of thing—her hair changes whenever she feels like it.
I’ve watched her go blonde, bright red, even candy-colored pink. She’s tried short bobs, long waves, and once, a mullet during her rebellious punk stage.
Me? I grabbed a box of bleach and toner, aiming for an icy blonde look. At least this way, I won’t stand out so much.
My natural black hair and mismatched eyes are too distinct—anyone who’s seen those leaked photos knows it’s me right away. Just the memory makes me shiver.
I still get chills remembering how close that stalker came while we were messing around in Ryder’s pool.
I’m no stylist, but I think I pulled it off. My reflection feels strange though—the girl staring back looks like a stranger. I chopped my long hair to just above my shoulders and even gave myself bangs.
They’re uneven, kind of jagged, but I figure they’ll grow out. Honestly, I don’t care. Looks are the least of my worries.
The only thing that matters is the baby.
I’ve got enough saved to get by for a few months. That should give me space to figure out what’s next.
Maybe I’ll head clear across the country, find some tiny town where people don’t waste time on gossip or online scandals.
Once my MCAT results come in, maybe I’ll try applying to a smaller med school, after the baby’s born, once I can set up solid childcare.
I know it won’t be easy. Life rarely is. But for the moment, I’m just glad to be away from all the noise. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, I finally feel like I can breathe again.
I stopped in the next town over for groceries, keeping my sunglasses on the whole time to avoid unwanted attention. Later, while fixing myself something to eat, I called Taylor like I promised.
“So, how’s it going out there?” she asked, smiling, though I caught the edge of worry in her voice.
“It’s good. Honestly? Great. The only real change is the furniture.”
She tilted her head. “Did you hear about Juliet After Romeo?”
“You know I deleted all my accounts and news apps,” I said, then hesitated. Curiosity always wins. “What happened?”
“Investors pulled their money because of the scandal. The movie’s release got pushed back.”
“For how long?”
“They didn’t say. Just… indefinitely.”
My chest tightened. I know how much Ryder has poured into that project. I’ve seen how hard he’s worked, how much of himself he gave to make it real.
I can’t even wrap my head around how crushing it must feel to watch all that effort just slip away.
Taylor is playing with her lighter again, flipping the top open and shut, open and shut. That metallic click used to drive me insane, but now it’s almost comforting, like a weird little soundbite of home.
“The vultures are still hanging around,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “But it looks like they’re finally thinning out. I think they’re starting to catch on that you actually bailed.”
“I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this mess because of me.”
She shrugs. “Please. I get treated like some B-list celebrity every time I step out for coffee. Honestly? I should start charging them for photos. Maybe I’ll fund my retirement just off their creepy little lenses.”
I laugh. “I thought you loved camming?”
“Duh. I do. But forever? Hell no. I’ve got other dreams. Who knows where I’ll end up? Maybe when those bloodsuckers finally pack their cameras and leave, I’ll hop out and crash at your lake place for a while.”
That thought warms me. “I’d like that. We could go for swims when it heats up.”
Her whole face lights. “Deal. I’m holding you to it.”
“I should probably let you go,” I say gently. “Dinner’s halfway done.”
“Say less, babe. Just promise me you’ll look after yourself. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Dinner ends up being simple but cozy, a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup with some sourdough toasted on the side. I’m slowly figuring out what my stomach can handle these days.
The baby isn’t a fan of anything too fishy, and the slimy crunch of cucumbers?
Total no-go.
Okay, maybe that last one’s just me being picky.
From the corner of my vision, something shifts past the window. The light outside is fading, the sky smudged with the last stretch of sunset, so I’m not sure if I really saw anything.
Could’ve been a leaf fluttering down or just a weird trick of shadow.