The Halo Effect | ✓

24 | friends

E P I G R A P H

❝Sometimes feelings stay, even when we beg them to leave.❞

☾ twenty four | friends ☽

I WOKE UP to the sound of my phone buzzing repeatedly. It was a rude awakening, especially because once I checked it, I realised it was just my sister complaining about Justice again.

I really don't understand why she keeps going back to him, I know I can't talk considering I stayed with Moonvale's biggest douche for longer than necessary, but I didn't have two kids with him at least. I love Jax and Nova more than life itself, just not their sperm donor.

It's the weekend before the big game, and I'm exhausted from the extra cheer practice I've been attending all week, all my bones hurt and my feet have blisters on them from wearing my air forces for long periods of time. I feel that's all I've done this week, just cheer cheer cheer.

But the hours of work I've put into that routine have paid off, it's perfect and all the girls—me included—have it down from start to end, the only way it won't be perfect on the actual day of the game, is if one of the girls bail for some reason or break something.

It's actually my favorite routines I've ever created, usually they're more dance orientated because, though we are a cheer team, not many of the girls can actually do any flips or anything close to it, except for Esme, she's literally the most flexible person I know. But this year we've upped our game, we've got new girls on our team and our routine is the best it's been.

Things have been good lately. Life in general, has been quite good (not amazing, but bearable) and not so dreadful. Esme and I are closer than ever, we sit at our own secluded table now with a few other girls from the team that aren't scared of Alix and prefer to not be controlled, Malia and Winter. They're sweet girls, both of them are sophomores unfortunately, so other than lunch we don't see each other.

Dad's been keeping in contact more and Max has actually been getting out of the house, for what he's actually doing, I don't need to know, I'll just look at the good side of it.

It wasn't until one in the afternoon that I was able to finally pull myself out of bed. I spent the day catching up on homework, I actually read the first two chapters of Sense and Sensibility, it wasn't half-bad but the use of language is extremely formal and vocabulary isn't that broad.

I also tidied the house and had a bath for the first-time months, I washed my hair and straightened it, so that it's straight for school tomorrow, I shaved and I actually made my bed for once, then I called my dad and unexpectedly, he answered.

Now I'm sitting downstairs with Max, watching Thirteen Reasons Why on Netflix.

A knock sounded at the door, startling me.

I furrowed my eyebrows, who could be here at six at night? My dad already said he's going to Miami with a few other colleagues to talk with some company over a possible sponsorship for their magazine company, so it couldn't be him.

It must be Kristel coming over for a visit, or to ask if I could babysit them sometime, but then again, its six and she should be getting them ready for bed.

"I'm not getting it." Max retorted.

I rolled my eyes, throwing the remote at him before lifting myself off the couch and sauntering over to the front door, my bare feet padding against the wooden flooring.

I opened the door, expecting to see anyone other than the person that was standing there. Holt Stone.

He was standing there in his black ripped jeans and black hoodie with his scruffy converse, I could smell his cologne from here too, and it took everything within me not to sniff the heavenly scent up.