Under the Neon Sky

She lets out a shaky breath, her eyes searching mine. “Your family,” she repeats, and there’s a weight to the word, like it means something different to her.

“Yeah.” I release her arm, shoving my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching for her again. “My brother… he’s all I’ve got left.”

Zoe is silent for a long moment, the only sound the distant hum of the diner’s neon sign. When she speaks again, her voice is barely a whisper. “There are things… things you don’t know about this town. About my family.”

My heart skips a beat. “What kind of things?”

She shakes her head, wrapping her arms around herself like she’s cold. “I can’t… I shouldn’t…”

“Zoe, please.” I’m begging now, my pride in tatters at my feet. “If you know where he is—”

“I don’t.” She cuts me off, her voice suddenly sharp. “I don’t know where he is. But I… I might know someone who does.”

My breath catches in my throat. “Who?”

She looks away, her jaw tight. “It doesn’t matter. She won’t talk to you. She won’t even talk to me.”

“Let me try.” I reach for her again, but she flinches back. “Zoe, I’m begging you. If there’s a chance—”

“There’s not.” She backs away, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I’m sorry, Kai. I can’t help you.”

She turns and runs then, her sneakers slapping against the pavement as she disappears into the night. I watch her go, my heart sinking like a stone in my chest.

But I don’t follow. Because even in the darkness, I can see the truth written all over her face.

Zoe knows something. And no matter what it takes, I’m going to find out what it is.

I watch Zoe go, her ponytail bouncing as she runs down the street. My heart aches for her, for the weight she’s been carrying all these years. She thinks she’s protecting her family, but the truth is so much more complicated than that.

“Marnie.” Kai’s voice is rough, raw with emotion. “Tell me what you know.”

I turn to face him, this broken boy who’s been chasing ghosts for two years. “It’s not my story to tell,” I say softly, my voice barely audible over the hum of the neon sign. “But Zoe… she’s been carrying this burden long enough. It’s time she knew the truth.”

He takes a step closer, his eyes pleading. “What truth?”

I sigh, rubbing a hand over my tired face. “The truth about her father. About what he did to your brother.”

Kai’s breath catches, his face going pale in the moonlight. “What are you talking about?”

“Your brother… he was in trouble. Big trouble. He came to Zoe’s dad for help, but instead…” I trail off, shaking my head. “Instead, he turned him away. Sent him packing with nothing but the clothes on his back.”

Kai’s hands clench into fists at his sides. “That son of a—”

“He thought he was protecting Zoe,” I say quickly, cutting him off. “Thought he was keeping her safe from the mess your brother was in. But he was wrong. So wrong.”

Kai is silent for a long moment, his jaw tight. When he speaks again, his voice is low and dangerous. “Where is he now? My brother.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know. No one does. But Zoe… she might. Her dad, he left her a letter. Told her everything. Told her where to find your brother if she ever needed him.”

Kai’s eyes widen. “She knows? She’s known this whole time?”

“Suspected, at least.” I lean against the diner’s wall, suddenly exhausted. “But she’s been too afraid to look. Too afraid of what she might find.”

Kai turns away, running a hand through his hair. “I have to talk to her. I have to make her understand.”

“Give her time,” I say gently. “This is a lot for her to process. She’s been living with this secret for years, protecting her father’s memory. It won’t be easy for her to let it go.”

He nods, but I can see the determination in his eyes. He won’t rest until he has the truth. Until he finds his brother.

I watch him walk away, his shoulders hunched against the weight of the world. And then I turn back to the diner, to the flickering neon sign that’s been my home for more years than I care to count.

The coffee’s always hot and the jukebox never stops playing, but sometimes… sometimes the truth is harder to swallow than a bitter brew. And sometimes, the only way to move forward is to confront the ghosts of the past, no matter how much it hurts.