Elowen and Riley fell into a routine over the next few weeks. They'd meet for breakfast every morning, either at the library or the campus café, then go their separate ways for classes—Elowen to her art studio, Riley to her kinesiology lectures and basketball practice. They'd text throughout the day, silly memes and sweet messages, updates on their classes, little reminders that they were thinking of each other. In the evenings, they'd go to the diner, or walk around the campus lake, or just hang out in Elowen's dorm, Elowen painting and Riley doing homework, comfortable in each other's silence. They kissed every chance they got—quick kisses between classes, slow, sweet kisses outside Elowen's dorm at night, stolen kisses in the library when no one was looking. It was perfect, like a dream come true, and Elowen found herself falling more and more in love with Riley every day—with her smile, her laugh, her kindness, her courage, the way she made Elowen feel brave, feel seen, feel like she could be herself.
But they were hiding—they hadn't told anyone at school about their relationship, not even Elowen's roommate, Mia, or Riley's best friend, Jake (who was also on the basketball team). It wasn't that they were ashamed—they were just scared. Scared of the whispers, the stares, the judgment. Scared of what would happen if Riley's basketball coach found out (he was old-fashioned, and Riley was worried he'd bench her, or worse, kick her off the team). Scared of what would happen if Elowen's parents found out, somehow, through a friend, a photo, or a careless comment. So they kept their relationship a secret, a sweet, hidden thing, just for the two of them. But secrets have a way of getting out, and Elowen should have known that—should have known that nothing stays hidden forever.
It started with small things. A photo of them holding hands, taken by a stranger at the lake, was posted on the campus gossip page with the caption: "Basketball star Riley Carter spotted with art kid Elowen Reed—are they more than friends?" Elowen saw it first while she was in the art studio, and her heart dropped. She showed Riley, who brushed it off, saying it was just a stupid photo, just gossip, no one would believe it. But Elowen was scared—scared that someone would show her parents, scared that the whispers would start, scared that everything they had would fall apart.
"It's fine, Elowen," Riley said, pulling her into a hug. "No one knows for sure. It's just a photo. We'll be careful, okay? We won't hold hands in public anymore, won't kiss where anyone can see us. It'll be okay."
Elowen nodded, even though she didn't believe her. She knew that once the gossip started, it wouldn't stop. And she was right.
A few days later, Elowen was in the campus café, getting coffee, when she heard two girls talking at the next table. "Did you see that photo of Riley Carter and Elowen Reed?" one of them said, her voice loud enough for Elowen to hear. "They're totally dating. I saw them kissing outside Elowen's dorm last night."
"No way," the other girl said. "Riley Carter? She's straight, right? She dated that guy from the football team last year."
"Nope. I heard she's gay. And Elowen? She's so quiet, I never would have guessed. Must be a rebound or something—Riley's way out of her league."
Elowen's cheeks burned, and she grabbed her coffee, hurrying out of the café, her eyes stinging with tears. She hated the way they talked about her, like she was nothing, like she wasn't good enough for Riley. She hated the way they talked about their relationship, like it was a joke, like it wasn't real. She went back to her dorm, locking the door behind her, and sat on her bed, crying. She wanted to tell Riley, but she didn't want to worry her—Riley already had enough on her plate, with basketball practice and midterms. So she kept it to herself, pretending like it didn't bother her, pretending like the whispers didn't hurt.
But Riley noticed. She noticed that Elowen was quieter than usual, that she flinched when people looked at them, that she didn't want to hold her hand anymore, even in private. She noticed that Elowen was spending more time in the art studio, staying late, avoiding her. She asked Elowen what was wrong, but Elowen just shook her head, saying she was fine, just stressed about midterms. Riley didn't believe her, but she didn't push—she knew Elowen was scared, knew she needed time. But the distance between them was growing, and it was starting to hurt—both of them.
Then, the biggest surprise came. Elowen's parents showed up on campus, unannounced, on a Saturday afternoon. Elowen was in her dorm, painting, when there was a knock on the door. She opened it, expecting Riley, but found her mom and dad standing there, smiling, holding suitcases.
"Surprise!" her mom said, pulling her into a hug. "We decided to come visit you—we haven't seen you since you moved in, and we missed you."
Elowen's heart dropped. She looked at her dad, who was smiling, but there was something in his eyes—something nervous, something off. "Mom, Dad—what are you doing here? You didn't call, you didn't text… I wasn't expecting you."
"We wanted it to be a surprise," her mom said, stepping inside the dorm, looking around. Her eyes landed on the daisies Riley had given her, now wilting a little, and then on the sketchbook on Elowen's desk, open to a page with a drawing of Riley. Her smile faded, just a little, but Elowen noticed.
"We thought we'd stay for the weekend," her dad said, setting down the suitcases. "We made reservations at a hotel downtown, but we wanted to come see you first. How's school going? How are your classes?"
"Good," Elowen said, her voice shaky. "Classes are good. I'm busy with midterms, but it's fine." She hurried to close her sketchbook, tucking it under her bed, but it was too late—her mom had already seen it.
"Who's that?" her mom said, nodding at the desk. "The girl in your sketchbook. She's very pretty."
Elowen's throat tightened. She didn't know what to say—should she lie? Should she tell the truth? She looked at her mom, who was smiling, but her eyes were sharp, like she already knew the answer. "Just… a friend," Elowen said, her voice quiet. "Her name's Riley. We're in the same art class."
"Riley," her mom repeated, nodding. "Riley Carter? I heard that name. Your aunt mentioned her—she's on the basketball team, right? She's… friends with you?"
Elowen's heart raced. Her aunt lived in Willow Creek, worked at the university, and was the biggest gossip in the family. She must have seen the photo on the campus gossip page and must have told her mom. "Yeah," Elowen said, forcing a smile. "We're friends. She's nice."
Her mom nodded, but she didn't smile. "Well, that's good. It's nice to have friends. But Elowen—you know how your dad and I feel about… certain friendships. About people who… aren't like us. We just want you to be careful, okay? We don't want you to get hurt, or to make mistakes you'll regret."
Elowen knew exactly what she meant. She knew her mom was talking about Riley, about their relationship, about being gay. Her eyes stung with tears, and she looked down at her hands. "I know, Mom. I'll be careful."
"Good." Her mom smiled, but it was fake, forced. "Well, we'll let you get back to your painting. We're going to check into the hotel, then we'll come back to take you to dinner tonight. Does that sound good?"
"Yeah," Elowen said, nodding. "That sounds good."
Her parents hugged her, then left, closing the door behind them. Elowen collapsed on her bed, crying. She was scared—scared that her mom knew, scared that she'd tell her dad, scared that they'd force her to break up with Riley. She pulled out her phone, texting Riley: My parents are here. Unannounced. They know about you. I'm scared. She hit send and waited, her hands shaking. Riley replied a minute later: I'm on my way. Don't worry, Elowen. I'll be there soon. Everything's going to be okay.
Elowen smiled through her tears. Riley was coming—Riley would be there for her, just like she promised. But as she waited, she couldn't help but think—what if everything wasn't okay? What if her parents made her choose between them and Riley? What if she wasn't brave enough to choose Riley? What if their secret, their sweet, hidden love, was about to be destroyed, and there was nothing she could do to stop it? The conflict was here, and it was bigger than she'd ever imagined, and she didn't know if she and Riley could survive it.