– Blake West :
I was still sitting on my bed, legs crossed, robe wrinkling under me, staring at the tiny TV mounted on the wall like it was broadcasting something holy. And maybe it was. Because there he was—Zade Collins.
"Look at him," I whispered, clutching my half-melted chocolate bar like a lifeline. On the screen, Zade leaned forward, gripping the handlebars of his quad bike like his life depended on it. The camera followed him as he sped past the other racers, dirt flying up behind his tires like he was born to leave people behind.
My stomach did that weird flip again. I wasn't sure if it was the chocolate or him.
God, he looked good.
"You're seriously watching this again? This is like your tenth time rewatching this video." Noah's voice came from behind me.
Before I could answer, Leo practically dove across the room. "Is that your cousin?" His face was so close to mine, I nearly dropped the chocolate. "Wait, wait, let me see!"
"Yeah." My voice cracked. I cleared my throat. "That's him. Zade."
Leo flopped beside me like he owned my bed. "Huh. I get it now. I totally get why you have a crush on him. I would also ignore the fact that he's my cousin too."
I choked on air. "What? No! We're not even cousins, technically. You know that."
He raised both eyebrows, like, Sure, Blake.
"We're not!" I snapped, cheeks heating. "His dad and my dad were like… brothers or something. Not actual brothers. More like best friends who called each other brothers. So technically, Zade's not my cousin. His last name is Collins and mine is West. So don't make it weird."
Noah, from across the room, smirked. "Dude, it's already weird."
I flailed. "It's not!"
"Right," Leo drawled. "You just casually obsess over him because it's totally normal."
"I'm not obsessing!"
"Uh-huh."
"Sometimes when I see him—" My chest tightened. "Sometimes, I just—I can't—"
I gasped.
Noah's head snapped up. "Blake?"
Leo froze. "Oh, crap."
My chest felt like someone had shoved a boulder inside it. My lungs refused to work.
"Where's your inhaler? Where's his inhaler?" Noah scrambled across the room.
Leo already had it, tossing it like a grenade into my hands. "Breathe! Breathe, West!"
I shoved him back, managing a wheeze between gasps. "Oh my—god—you're—going to kill me."
Leo looked properly horrified. "I wasn't trying to kill you! Jeez, maybe your lungs are obsessed with Zade too."
And somehow, even as I sucked in the sweet relief of the inhaler, I laughed.
That just made them both start laughing too.
Noah patted my back gently. "Only you could almost die from thinking about your crush."
"Not a crush," I wheezed.
"Whatever you say."
-------
Later, we wandered the school grounds together, still in our graduation gowns, the fabric heavy and ridiculous but kind of perfect too. The sun was warm, the air felt like possibility, and the three of us kept bumping shoulders as we walked.
"You know," Leo said as we passed, "you really gotta get over that obsession you have with your cousin."
"He's not my—!" I groaned but didn't bother finishing.
Noah clapped me on the shoulder. "Unless you wanna end up single for life like your aunt."
That made me snort. "Hey. My aunt's awesome."
"Yeah, but she's, what, fifty? Still waiting for Prince Charming?"
Leo grinned. "Maybe he got lost."
I laughed quietly, thinking of her sweet smile, the way she always smelled like fresh lemons and soft cotton, the way she hugged me without asking. "I miss her."
"We know," Noah said gently.
By the time we reached the hall, my stomach was fluttering again—but not for Zade this time. We were about to graduate. Officially.
They called my name. My real name. Blake Anthony West.
I stood straighter as I crossed the stage, heart pounding. They handed me the plaque. Top Student Award.
I blinked down at it, dazed.
Noah whooped. Leo cheered like an idiot.
I felt loved, supported and like I belong.
Then, just as I was about to step down, I heard it.
The low, steady thump of blades slicing air.
Leo's face turned toward the sound.
Noah's mouth dropped open.
The helicopter was coming.
She's here.
Mom.
She really came.
I barely remembered running. My feet just moved, brain on autopilot, heart hammering louder than the helicopter blades above. I didn't care. She was here. She was finally here.
"Mom!"
The second the black and gold helicopter touched down on Hellcatcher Field, I bolted past my friends, past my teachers, past the entire graduation ceremony itself. Rules didn't matter. Not now. The world blurred around me as the door cracked open and sunlight caught on the edge of her blond curls.
And then she was there.
Ainsley West—my mom, not the icon—stepped down from the chopper in designer heels like she owned the sky itself. Her smile was real, wide and bright and just for me. I nearly collapsed when she opened her arms.
She held me immediately, like she'd been waiting her whole life to hug me again.
"My baby," she whispered into my curls, squeezing me like I'd vanish if she let go. "Look at you. Look at how much you've grown."
"Mom," I breathed. It wasn't enough. Nothing I could say was enough. "I missed you so much."
"I know, honey. I know. But I'm here now." She kissed my temple. "I'm here."
When she finally let go, I saw the tears in her eyes and didn't even pretend not to have my own.
My teachers stood awkwardly nearby, unsure whether to interrupt a pop legend's emotional reunion, but Mom handled it like she handled everything—with grace and just enough charm to win everyone over. She waved, laughed softly, thanked them for taking care of her "whole world" for the past four years. Leo and Noah gawked at her. I wasn't even mad. I know my mom is the most beautiful woman in the universe.
After all the greetings, after all the whispers from students who couldn't believe Ainsley West had come to our school, she took my hand and led me toward the edge of the field, away from the crowd.
"Come here. I've got something for you."
We sat down on the sun-warmed grass like no time had passed. Like I was still eight years old, listening to her tour stories and falling asleep in her lap.
She reached into her bag—sleek, silver, probably worth more than my tuition—and pulled out a small, black velvet box.
My heart hiccupped.
"Your father gave me this," she said softly, pressing the box into my palm. "And now… I'm giving it to you."
I swallowed, fingers trembling as I opened it.
Inside was a pin. Simple. Elegant. A clean silver "V" shaped like a sharp, perfect swoop of metal. It wasn't flashy, wasn't showy. But something about it felt… heavy. Important.
"This was Dad's?" My voice cracked.
She nodded. "He gave it to me before you were born. Said it was… from someone even older. A legend, actually."
I looked up at her, confused.
She smiled wistfully, brushing hair from my forehead. "Have you ever heard of The Thief V?"
I shook my head.
"He wasn't just a thief," she began, her voice dropping into that story-telling tone she always used when she wanted me to really listen. "He was a ghost in the night. A masked man who stole from the rich, the corrupt, the people who thought no one could touch them. He'd rob them blind… and then give everything to the poor. To orphans. To people in need."
My fingers curled tighter around the box.
"And every time he struck, every time he saved someone… he left this." She tapped the silver V. "A symbol. A reminder. So people knew who'd helped them."
"Like a calling card."
"Exactly."
I stared at the pin, heart thudding. A thief who helped people. Who fought back against the people no one else could. And this pin—this tiny, silver V—was what he left behind.
"Why… why did Dad give this to you? How did he even find such a thing?"
She smiled faintly. "He heard about the story of this thief while growing up. He believed in what he stood for. Justice. Loyalty. Protecting those who can't protect themselves. And because…" she hesitated, '' He said that this pin will protect as long as I keep it with me. Then he said one day, you'd need it more than me. And I think that day is today."
My throat tightened. I looked up at her.
"What does that mean?"
But she just smiled, leaned forward, and kissed my forehead.
"You'll understand one day."
I didn't understand anything. Except that, for the first time in forever, my mom was here. And she'd given me the last piece of my dad I'd probably ever have.
So I clutched the silver V in my hand like it mattered.
Because, somehow, I knew it did.