𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮

hiii 💕💕 !

This is an unpredictable slow-burn. Deja and Daijon are far from perfect, and their bond is going to be tested in every way possible. Their story develops through forced proximity, late-night decisions, shared rides, undeniable chemistry, explosive arguments, and hard lessons learned the hard way.

There IS cheating, secret-keeping, and major plot twists in this book. I love the element of surprise, so do NOT assume anyone is completely loyal or innocent. Loyalty will be tested, promises will be broken, and the drama is going to hit when you least expect it

. heres our cast !

Deja Lysia Sinclair || 17

Daijon Kymour Montclair || 17

Nevaeh Nari Johnson || 17

Cashmir Emoni Davis || 17

Lysia Sinclair || 37

Adrienne Montclair || 37

Kymour Montclair || 40

PROLOGUE: THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT

Now playing Marvins Room by Drake

DEJA LYSIA SINCLAIR

MARCH 12th, 2005

SUNDAY 11:42 pm

The slushy March rain was sloshing hard against the windshield, melting into muddy streaks on the cold glass.

I sat in the passenger seat of Daijon’s brother's beat-up silver Honda with my knees pulled straight up to my chest, my teeth chattering inside my oversized hoodie. The green numbers on the dashboard clock flickered every time the engine let out a low, shaky rattle—11:42 PM.

We were fourteen years old. Just two freshmen who were supposed to be worrying about high school midterms and spring break coming up. Instead, we were sitting on a pitch-black backroad on the east side of Indy, surrounded by nothing but bare March trees, patches of dirty snow, and dense fog.

"Dai, please... slow down," I choked out, my small fingers gripping the edge of the seat so hard my knuckles turned white.

Daijon didn't answer. He had his dark locs sticking to his forehead from the cold rain, and his breathing was fast and uneven. His hands were shaking on the steering wheel, blood smeared across his knuckles. He kept glaring into the rearview mirror every two seconds, his eyes wide with a look I had never seen on him before.

He was terrified.

"We shouldn't have gone to that house," I sobbed, the tears burning hot against my freezing cheeks. Being an only child, my parents spent my whole life telling me to keep my head straight, stay out of trouble, and protect my future. And in less than twenty minutes, my entire life had completely split at the seams. "What did you do, Daijon? What are we gonna do?!"

"Deja, look at me!" Daijon snapped, pulling the car onto the muddy shoulder and slamming it into park. The engine died, plunging us into total darkness.

He turned in his seat and grabbed my face with both of his trembling hands, forcing me to look him right in the eyes.

"You were never at that house tonight," he whispered, his voice cracking down the middle. "You were at home in your bed all night. You didn't see anything, and you don't know anything. You hear me?"

"Daijon, your hands... you're bleeding—"

"I don't care about the blood!" he choked out, his thumb quickly wiping a tear off my cheek. His voice dropped into a desperate, broken plea. "I'm fixing this, Dej. I'm taking the hit for this so it never touches your life. But after tonight... you can't be around me anymore."

I shook my head, my chest tightening up until I couldn't breathe. "No... Dai, don't do this—"

"I have to leave," he said, staring down at his stained hands before looking back up at me with pure agony. "If I stay here, they're gonna drag you down with me. And I'd rather take the fall alone than let anybody ruin your future."

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine in the dark, quiet car while the late-night storm poured down above us. We stayed like that for one long, silent minute—two fourteen-year-old kids trapped under a secret far too heavy for either of us to carry.

Forty-eight hours later, right in the middle of March, Daijon Montclair was gone. His house down the street was completely cleaned out, his phone line was cut, and he vanished from school without leaving a single trace behind.

Leaving me all alone in ninth grade to carry the secret by myself.

ᴄᴏᴘʏʀɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇ

© 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟼

ᴀ ʟ ʟ ʀ ɪ ɢ ʜ ᴛ s ʀ ᴇ s ᴇ ʀ ᴠ ᴇ ᴅ .ɴ ᴏ ᴛ ʜ ɪ ɴ ɢ ɪ ɴ ᴛ ʜ ɪ s ʙ ᴏ ᴏ ᴋ s ʜ ᴀ ʟ ʟ ʙ ᴇ ʀ ᴇ ᴘ ʀ ᴏ ᴅ ᴜ ᴄ ᴇ ᴅ ᴏ ʀ ᴜ s ᴇ ᴅ ɪ ɴ ᴀ ɴ ʏ ᴍ ᴀ ɴ ɴ ᴇ ʀ ᴡ ɪ ᴛ ʜ ᴏ ᴜ ᴛ ᴛ ʜ ᴇ ᴡ ʀ ɪ ᴛ ᴛ ᴇ ɴ ᴄ ᴏ ɴ s ᴇ ɴ ᴛ ᴏ ꜰ ᴛ ʜ ᴇ ᴘ ᴜ ʙ ʟ ɪ s ʜ ᴇ ʀ .

𝐈 𝐃 𝐎 𝐍 𝐎 𝐓 𝐎 𝐖 𝐍 𝐀 𝐍 𝐘 𝐑 𝐈 𝐆 𝐇 𝐓 𝐓 𝐎

𝐀 𝐍 𝐘 𝐏 𝐈 𝐂 𝐓 𝐔 𝐑 𝐄 𝐒 𝐒 𝐇 𝐎 𝐖 𝐍 . 𝐍 𝐎 𝐓 𝐇 𝐈 𝐍 𝐆 𝐈 𝐍 𝐒 𝐈 𝐃 𝐄 𝐓 𝐇 𝐄 𝐁 𝐎 𝐎 𝐊 𝐏 𝐄 𝐑 𝐓 𝐀 𝐈 𝐍 𝐒 𝐓 𝐎

𝐓 𝐇 𝐄 𝐏 𝐄 𝐎 𝐏 𝐋 𝐄 𝐒 𝐇 𝐎 𝐖 𝐍 , 𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐑 𝐀 𝐂 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐒 & 𝐈 𝐌 𝐀 𝐆 𝐈 𝐍 𝐀 𝐓 𝐈 𝐕 𝐄 𝐏 𝐇 𝐎 𝐓 𝐎 𝐒 𝐀 𝐑 𝐄

𝐏 𝐋 𝐀 𝐂 𝐄 𝐃 𝐅 𝐎 𝐑 𝐈 𝐌 𝐀 𝐆 𝐈 𝐍 𝐀 𝐓 𝐈 𝐎 𝐍 𝐀 𝐍 𝐃 𝐕 𝐈 𝐒 𝐔 𝐀 𝐋 𝐎 𝐍 𝐋 𝐘 . 𝐈 𝐅 𝐘 𝐎 𝐔 𝐃 𝐎 𝐍 ' 𝐓

𝐋 𝐈 𝐊 𝐄 𝐓 𝐇 𝐄 𝐌 𝐀 𝐈 𝐍 𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐑 𝐀 𝐂 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐒 ,

𝐒 𝐈 𝐌 𝐏 𝐋 𝐘 𝐈 𝐌 𝐀 𝐆 𝐈 𝐍 𝐄 𝐒 𝐎 𝐌 𝐄 𝐎 𝐍 𝐄 𝐄 𝐋 𝐒 𝐄 .

[ 𝐄 𝐍 𝐉 𝐎 𝐘 𝐓 𝐇 𝐄 𝐁 𝐎 𝐎 𝐊 ]

𝐀 @ 𝐒 𝐘 𝐃 𝐎 𝐋 𝐋 𝐈 𝐄 𝐏 𝐑 𝐎 𝐃 𝐔 𝐂 𝐓 𝐈 𝐎 𝐍