His Voice in my Headphones

ough it like a thread she couldn't cut. Her phone lay beside her, Heart Lock's red-heart icon staring up, daring her to tap it. She hadn't slept much, not after Theo dragged her home from the schoo

iful last night," he said, his tone curling around her like a warm hand. "But we're not done. I want you to leave a mark. Go back to the arcade. Write 'Muse was here' on the wall by the jukebox. Make it bold." Mina's stomach flipped. The arcade again? She pictured its flickering neon, the sticky floor, the jukebox that had flashed her name. Her thumb hovered over the screen, tempted to close the app, but a notification popped up: Don't disappoint me, Muse. The words sent a cold down h

machines, the jukebox pulsing with a synth-heavy song. Mina clutched a marker she'd grabbed from her desk, her heart pounding as she edged toward the jukebox. The wall beside it was scuffed, covered in faded graffiti-perfect f

stuffed in his jacket pockets. His grin was gone, replaced by a frown that made her chest ache. "What are you doing?" he asked, his gaze flicking to the graffiti, the

hitched. She hadn't told him Ezra's name-not really, not beyond that slip in the courtyard. "How do you know about Ezra?" she asked, her voice sharp. The arcade's lights flickered, the jukebox skipping for a second, like it was listening. Theo hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck, his tell when he was nervous. "You said his nam

she could respond, Kai burst through the arcade doors, his drumsticks tucked into his back pocket, his grin wide and chaotic. "Yo, Mina, you ditched band practice!" he called, w

g in her head. But Kai's frown said otherwise, and Theo's look-half pity, half worry-made her feel like she was losing it. "You didn't show,"

ught-she didn't remember packing it. Theo noticed, his eyes narrowing. "What's that?" he asked, stepping closer. His voice was soft, but there was an edge to it, like he recognized the tape. "Nothing," she said quickly, shoving it back in her bag. Ezra's voice was back, a whisper in her headphones. "You left me behind, Muse,"

on, Theo was staring at her, his eyes unreadable, and the jukebox was playing a new song-one Mina knew, one she and Theo had hummed as kids, sprawled in the treehouse under a summer sky. He