Prologue: When it all went wrong
The sound of the ambulance rings in Jake’s ears.
He stands frozen in the alley, eyes locked on Liam’s body. His arms are twisted under him, head at a weird angle. He’s not moving.
Mark and Henry, Jake’s best friends back away, their faces pale. They run before anyone shows up.
Jake doesn’t move.
He had watched it happen.
They pushed Liam around like they always did. Shoved him. Laughed. Called him names. It was normal. At least, that’s what Jake had told himself.
He never joined in. But he never stopped them either.
And now Liam isn’t getting up.
The sirens get louder. People shout. Someone’s calling for help. Jake just stands there, chest tight, hands cold.
Then he sees him.
Across the street, standing in the shadows near the corner store, is Marcus, Liam’s older cousin. Everyone at school knows him. Quiet. Tough.
Marcus doesn’t say a word.
He just stares at Jake.
Not scared. Not confused.
Just pure hate in his eyes.
Then he turns and walks away.
---
“Expelled.”
The word hits harder than anything.
The principal doesn’t want to hear excuses. The teachers barely look at him. Mark and Greg? Gone. Their parents sent them out of the country before things got worse.
But Jake?
He’s the one left behind to take the fall.
They say he bullied Liam. That he caused the injury that might leave him paralyzed.
Jake tries to explain, but it doesn’t matter. Nobody listens. Not even his parents.
Now they’re sending him to live with his godparents in Los Angeles.
“A fresh start,” they call it.
But Jake doesn’t feel new. He feels heavy.
---
The night before his flight, he lies awake in bed. His suitcase is packed. He stares at the ceiling, headphones in, trying not to think.
His phone buzzes.
A message pops up from an unknown number:
“You can't outrun me.”
Jake sits up. His heart pounds.
Another text follows:
“You will pay.”
Jake’s hands shake.
The screen stays lit in the dark room. No name. No face.
Just the words.
And that hate-filled stare he’ll never forget.
