Chapter 106 TYLER
The room felt strangely empty after Mark left.
A few minutes ago the doorway had been crowded with bodies and curious faces. Now most of the spectators had drifted away, satisfied that they had witnessed enough drama for the day. Their voices echoed faintly down the hallway, already carrying the story to the rest of the school.
Only a handful of people remained now.
Jax leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, Kane stood near the window rubbing the back of his neck, and Billy hovered beside him looking like he was still trying to piece together what had just happened.
Peter stood directly in front of me. Silence stretched between us until I finally spoke.
“How could you not warn me?” I demanded.
Peter frowned as if the question genuinely caught him off guard. “Warn you about what?”
“That they were coming back.”
Recognition flickered across his face, followed quickly by something closer to guilt.
“Oh. That.”
My hands curled into fists. “Yeah. That.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I didn’t think it would turn into… this.”
Billy leaned toward Jax and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “What chapter did I skip?”
Jax didn’t even glance at him. “Apparently a lot.”
I ignored them and kept my eyes on Peter. “You didn’t think it was worth mentioning?”
“I thought it would help,” he said, sounding almost apologetic. “You told me the last time we talked that you and Harper were trying to stay friends until she ended things with Mark. I figured if we came back from the cabin early, she’d finally get the chance to talk to him without waiting another week.”
My temper flared anyway.
“You still should’ve warned me.”
Peter sighed, like he had already expected that reaction. “Maybe. But I honestly thought it would make things easier for you.”
“Easier?” I repeated incredulously.
“Yeah,” he said. “You two have been dancing around this for weeks. I thought coming back early might push things forward instead of dragging it out.”
My jaw tightened. “It wasn’t your call to make.”
Peter’s patience thinned a little. “I wasn’t trying to make the call for you.”
“Well you did.”
He let out a breath through his nose. “Come on. Don’t pin this on me.”
“We wouldn’t even be in this mess if you had just told me.”
Something in Peter’s expression hardened at that.
“I warned you that this was going to blow up if you didn’t handle it properly.”
Billy let out a quiet whistle. “You probably should’ve told her earlier, man. Then she could’ve just broken up with Mark before any of this happened.”
Kane nodded. “Or you could’ve come to the cabin with her like everyone expected instead of staying back here and getting cozy.”
“That would’ve made things a lot less messy,” Jax added.
I stared at them, disbelief simmering in my chest. “You’re acting like I planned for this.”
“No,” Kane said calmly. “But you dragged it out. You told her late and ended up sneaking around—”
My jaw tightened.
“We weren’t sneaking around,” I cut in immediately.
Peter let out a humorless laugh. “You were standing inches away from Mark’s girlfriend when he walked in. What do you call that?”
Heat rushed up my neck.
“I told her the truth,” I said sharply. “You guys were the ones who kept telling me to be honest with her in the first place.”
“Yeah,” Jax admitted. “Because we thought you’d actually deal with it afterward.”
“I did deal with it.”
Peter shook his head slowly. “No. You told her how you felt and then tried to pretend you could just be friends while she figured things out with Mark.”
I dragged a hand through my hair, frustration burning in my chest.
“I tried to keep things platonic,” I said. “I swear, I tried.”
“And?” Peter asked.
I looked away.
“I just couldn’t do it.”
The admission tasted bitter.
“I didn’t want to put her in that position,” I continued. “She already felt guilty. I thought if I backed off and gave her space to end things properly, it would hurt him less. But being around her and acting like none of it mattered… I just couldn’t do it.”
Kane sighed.
“Man,” he said quietly, “that still doesn’t make it cool.”
I turned toward him.
His expression was sympathetic but serious.
“You knew they were together.”
“I know that.”
"You're also the captain,” he added. “You realize how awkward this is going to make things for the team, right?”
I stared at him in disbelief. “That’s what you’re worried about right now?”
“It matters,” Kane insisted. “Mark is on the team. Half the locker room is going to pick sides.”
Jax pushed himself off the wall. “He’s not wrong.”
My chest tightened as I looked around the room.
Every one of them wore the same conflicted expression. Disappointment.
“You’re all against me,” I said quietly.
“No,” Jax replied. “We’re just saying you handled it badly.”
Billy snorted. “This is exactly why you never get serious with girls.”
I shot him a warning look but he kept going.
“They’re all the same, man. One minute they’re loyal and the next they’re sneaking around behind someone’s back. That’s why it’s better to stay a player. No expectations, no drama—”
“Stop,” I snapped.
Billy blinked at me.
I stepped toward him and shoved a finger in his face, my words barely audible through gritted teeth.
“You can think whatever you want about me. You can call me an idiot, a terrible friend, whatever makes you feel better.” My jaw tightened. “But Harper isn’t like one of those girls you're describing.”
Billy raised his hands defensively. “Relax. I was just saying…”
“No,” I cut him off. “You weren’t just saying.”
The room went quiet again.
“If I hear anyone in the locker room talking about her like that,” I continued, “or if anyone decides to treat her like crap because of this, then they’ll be dealing with me.”
Kane lifted an eyebrow. “Even if they’re right?”
“They’re not!” I barked.
No one argued after that.
I grabbed my keys from the table and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Jax asked.
“To find her.”
The cold air hit my face like a slap.
Our garage was nearly empty now. Mark’s car was gone, and Harper was nowhere in sight.
A sick feeling settled in my stomach.
She could be anywhere.
I climbed into my car and started the engine, gripping the steering wheel as I tried to think.
Her house.
Mark’s house.
The coffee shop she liked near campus.
I drove to all three.
She wasn’t at any of them.
By the time I pulled away from the last place, the sky had begun to darken. Streetlights flickered on one by one, casting pale circles across the pavement.
Frustration built in my chest with every passing minute.
Then a memory surfaced—endless stretches of sand, waves crashing against the shore. The place I had taken her a month ago on her day off, when I needed to clear my head after finding out she was being bullied by Racquel because of me. I didn’t know why the beach popped into my mind. The chances of her being there were slim, yet I found myself turning the car around.
The drive felt longer than usual. Every red light tested my patience, and every slow driver in front of me made my grip tighten on the wheel.
When I finally reached the narrow road that led to the beach, a knot of anticipation tightened in my chest.
I got out and walked toward the water.
The sound of waves filled the air, rhythmic and endless. The wind carried the sharp scent of salt as it whipped across the sand.
She sat near the shoreline with her knees pulled to her chest.
Even from a distance I could see her shoulders shaking.
My chest twisted.
I’d never hated myself more.
I walked toward her slowly.
She didn’t look up until my shadow fell across the sand.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” I said softly. Her eyes were red and swollen. “I figured you might come here.”
I lowered myself beside her and wrapped my arms around her before she could pull away.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured into her hair. “I’m so sorry.”
For a moment she leaned into the embrace.
Then she pulled back slightly.
“It’s not your fault,” she said quietly. “You’re single. I’m the one who was in a relationship.”
“That doesn’t make it any less my fault.”
She stared out at the ocean. The wind lifted strands of her hair across her face.
“I ruined everything,” she whispered.
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
I cupped her face gently, forcing her to look at me.
“Listen to me,” I said. “We’re going to figure this out. Things are messy right now, but they won’t stay like this forever.”
Her eyes searched mine.
“You really think that?”
“I know it.”
The words felt certain when I said them.
For a moment hope flickered between us.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers.
It was barely a kiss. Just a soft brush before she pulled back almost immediately.
“We can’t.”
Confusion flooded my chest. “Why not?”
“Because I feel horrible,” she said, wiping her cheeks. “Mark just had his heart broken. I can’t turn around and start something with you like nothing happened.”
I swallowed.
The last thing I wanted was to make this harder for her.
“Okay,” I said after a moment. “Then we won’t.”
A tear slipped down her cheek in response. I knew it wasn’t what she really wanted, but maybe she was right. Starting something now might only make things messier.
“We’ll go back to being friends.”
Her expression softened with sadness.
“We tried that,” she reminded me gently. “And look where it got us.”
The truth of that hung heavily between us.
“I think it’s better if we don’t see each other for a while,” she continued.
The words landed like a punch to the gut. I opened my mouth to say something but she beat me to it.
“Not forever,” she added quickly. “Just until everything settles down.”
Before I could respond, headlights swept across the beach.
A car pulled into the parking area behind us.
She glanced over her shoulder.
“That’s my dad,” she said.
I stood with her as she brushed sand from her jeans.
“I’m going to stay with him for the rest of the holiday,” she explained. “Maybe when school starts again things will be calmer.” Her voice trembled slightly. “Maybe then we can figure things out then.”
I nodded even though my chest felt hollow.
Her phone rang in her hand.
She glanced at the screen. “He’s calling.”
She gave me one last look before turning toward the parking lot.
I watched her walk away until she reached the car.
Her father stepped out to greet her and pulled her into a hug.
She didn’t look back.
The ocean roared behind me as the car drove away, leaving me standing alone on the sand.
Regret settled heavily in my chest.
Never had I wished I could rewind things so badly.
But wishing didn’t change what had already happened.