The stars scattered across the night sky like diamond dust, their light competing with the warm glow spilling from the lake house windows. Lisa stretched out on one of the plush outdoor beds of the elevated deck, watching her breath form delicate clouds in the cool evening air. Music and laughter drifted up from inside, where Jake's insistence on "one last epic night" had everyone gathered for a final celebration. After six days of non-stop partying at Lake Chickawaka, Lisa could feel exhaustion settling into her bones, but it was a pleasant kind of tired.

Matthias sat at the foot of the bed, his hands warming her feet with gentle pressure. The gesture was so thoughtful, so perfectly him, that Lisa felt her heart swell.

"This is nice," she murmured, wiggling her toes against his palms. "Just being here, away from everything."

"Even with the chaos downstairs?" Matthias grinned, nodding toward the sound of breaking glass followed by Jake's booming laughter. "I think someone just sacrificed another crystal tumbler to the party gods."

A few feet away, Susan and Justin had claimed another outdoor bed, their silhouettes merging in the darkness. Lisa tried not to stare, but her mind wandered to how seamlessly the week had unfolded. Everyone had survived - more than survived, really. She studied Matthias's profile in the dim light, marveling at how naturally he'd handled the pressure cooker of Riverside's elite social circle.

"You did great," she whispered, unable to keep the pride from her voice.

"Hmm?" Matthias looked up from his self-appointed foot-warming duties.

"This week," Lisa clarified. "With everyone. I know it couldn't have been easy, being thrown into the deep end with all of... this." She gestured vaguely at the multimillion-dollar lake house behind them.

Matthias shrugged, but she could see the pleased smile playing at his lips. "Your friends are actually pretty cool, once you get past the whole 'we summer in the Hamptons' vibe. Though I have to say, watching Jeff try to explain cryptocurrency to Jake was a highlight." He flexed one arm jokingly. "But I'm definitely not winning any bodybuilding competitions against the football crew anytime soon."

"I like you exactly as you are," Lisa said firmly, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair. "Smart, funny, and actually capable of having a conversation that doesn't revolve around protein shakes."

"My extensive knowledge of Star Wars memes and ability to code in five languages clearly won you over," Matthias teased, but his eyes held something deeper as he leaned down to kiss her softly.

Lisa melted into the kiss, savoring the moment. When they broke apart, Matthias rested his head on her shoulder, and she found herself thinking how perfectly they fit together. Her sweet, brilliant boy who could make her laugh even on her darkest days.

A rather enthusiastic sound from Susan's direction made Lisa and Matthias both jump.

"Um, hello?" Lisa called out, trying not to laugh. "Still present and accounted for over here!"

Susan bolted upright, her designer top slightly askew. "Oh my god," she gasped, looking genuinely mortified. "I completely forgot you guys were... I mean, we were just..."

"Getting carried away?" Lisa supplied helpfully, enjoying the rare sight of Susan Lawrence actually blushing.

"Come on," Susan grabbed Justin's shirt collar with surprising authority. "Let's go find somewhere more... private."

"Yes ma'am," Justin grinned, allowing himself to be led toward the stairs like an eager puppy following its owner.

As their footsteps faded, Lisa nestled closer to Matthias, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the crisp lake air. Below them, the party continued in full swing, but up here, in their own private bubble of starlight and contentment, Lisa felt like the luckiest girl alive.

Lisa and Matthias lay back on the outdoor bed, their eyes fixed on the vast canvas of stars above them. The night was unusually clear, each constellation crisp against the dark sky.

"See that bright one there?" Matthias pointed upward, his voice taking on that endearing enthusiasm he got when sharing knowledge. "That's Vega. It's part of the Summer Triangle - one of the easiest patterns to spot. The whole thing tells this amazing story about a princess and a cowherd who fell in love."

"Of course you know the astronomical love stories," Lisa teased, snuggling closer. "Next you'll tell me you can calculate their exact distance in light years."

"Actually..." Matthias grinned. "Vega's about 18 light years away. Which means the light we're seeing right now started its journey when we were still in diapers."

"That's..." Lisa searched for the right word. "Both fascinating and slightly terrifying? Like, that light traveled through space for our entire lives just to end up here, on this random night at Lake Chickawaka."

"Maybe not so random," Matthias mused. "Maybe those photons knew exactly where they were going. Like a cosmic long game just to illuminate this moment."

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Now you're just trying to sound romantic," Lisa laughed, but her heart fluttered at his words.

"Is it working?"

"Maybe a little."

They fell into comfortable silence, watching shooting stars trace ephemeral paths across the sky. After a while, Matthias propped himself up on one elbow. "Want something to drink? I'm pretty sure I saw some of that fancy sparkling water you like in the kitchen."

"The watermelon mint one?" Lisa perked up. "Yes, please."

Matthias leaned down to kiss her, soft and sweet. "Your wish is my command, m'lady."

Lisa watched him disappear down the stairs, his footsteps fading into the bass-heavy music still pulsing from inside. She turned her attention to the lake, mesmerized by how the moonlight transformed the water into liquid silver. The moment felt almost surreal - peaceful in a way that made her want to hold onto it forever.

Movement caught her eye - a solitary figure seated at the edge of the pier. At first, she thought it might be Morris, but the build was wrong. Jake maybe? But no... as her eyes adjusted, she recognized the broad shoulders and athletic frame of Nate Brooks.

Something about his posture made her pause. The way he sat there, alone in the darkness while everyone else celebrated inside, felt fundamentally wrong. This was Nate Brooks - life of the party, golden boy, one half of Riverside's perfect power couple. He shouldn't look so... small.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Lisa slipped on her shoes and made her way down to the pier. Her footsteps were quiet on the wooden planks, but she cleared her throat gently as she approached, not wanting to startle him.

Nate turned, moonlight catching his profile. He wore shorts and his old Riverside High hoodie - the one from junior year that Amber always complained about but he refused to throw away. His bare feet dangled in the dark water, creating gentle ripples that distorted the moon's reflection.

"Oh. Hey, Lisa." His voice carried an unfamiliar edge, something raw and vulnerable that made her chest tighten.

"You okay?" The question came out softer than she intended.

"Yeah, of course." The response was automatic, practiced. Pure Nate Brooks autopilot.

"Then why are you out here by yourself instead of inside with everyone else?"

Nate's throat worked visibly as he swallowed. When he spoke again, his voice cracked slightly, the perfect façade finally showing cracks. "Just... needed a break, you know?"

"What is it, Nate?" Lisa asked gently.

The question hung in the night air, met only by the soft lapping of water against the pier. Lisa glanced over her shoulder at the house, making sure they were truly alone. The bass from inside provided a distant heartbeat, but out here, they might as well have been on another planet.

Making a decision, Lisa slipped off her shoes and lowered herself to sit beside him, feet dangling in the cool water. The proximity felt strange, loaded with history. She remembered being fifteen, writing his name in her diary, dreaming up scenarios where he'd finally notice her. The desperate crush that led to that infamous photo - the one Amber intercepted, using it as ammunition to exile Lisa from their social circle. Even now, the memory made her cheeks burn.

"You know," Lisa began carefully, "a few months ago, I never would have imagined being here. After everything that happened..." She let the words trail off meaningfully.

"Yeah." Nate's response was barely more than a breath.

"Is it Amber?" she ventured, watching his profile for any reaction.

Silence stretched between them, broken only by the gentle splash of their feet in the water. The moonlight carved shadows under his cheekbones, making him look older, more haunted.

"Come on, Brooks," Lisa tried again, nudging his shoulder gently. "Let me help. Whatever it is-"

"No one can help me!" The words exploded from him with such force that Lisa physically recoiled. There was something raw in his voice, something desperate that made her blood run cold.

"Nate?" Her voice shook slightly. "You're scaring me. Are you okay?"

More silence. Lisa started to push herself up, ready to retreat, when Nate finally spoke.

"Do you ever look in the mirror," his voice was low, almost hypnotic, "and not recognize the person staring back at you? Like, when did we get so old? When did everything get so complicated?" He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture almost violent. "One day you're trading Pokemon cards at recess, and the next you're making decisions that could destroy people's lives. And everyone keeps talking about the future - Stanford, graduation, becoming who we're meant to be - but what if who we're meant to be is someone we hate?"

His words hit Lisa like physical blows, each one carrying the weight of something darker lurking beneath the surface. The golden boy of Riverside High suddenly looked very young and very scared in the moonlight.

"Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night," he continued, the words spilling out like he couldn't stop them, "and I can't breathe. Because everything we've built, everything we're supposed to be - it's all so fragile. One wrong move and it all comes crashing down. And the worst part?" He finally turned to look at her, his eyes haunted. "The worst part is, maybe it should come crashing down. Maybe we deserve it."

The words triggered something in Lisa's memory - that conversation she'd overheard between Nate and Mr. Rosenberg, their voices carrying dark promises about making problems disappear. Hannah Marshall's name echoing through the halls of power like a death sentence.

"What have you gotten yourself mixed up in this time, Brooks?" Lisa asked softly, her heart pounding against her ribs.

Nate fell silent for a moment, his fingers tracing patterns in the water. "You know what the scariest part is?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "Sometimes I look back at photos from freshman year, and that kid... he knew exactly who he was, where he was going. Everything was so simple then." He swallowed hard. "Now it's like I'm watching myself become someone else, day by day, choice by choice. And I don't know how to stop it."

"You're not a bad person, Nate," Lisa said softly, but her mind flickered back to that conversation she'd overheard, the quiet menace in Mr. Rosenberg's study.

"Thanks, Lise." The childhood nickname hit her like a punch to the gut. "But you always did try to see the best in everyone. Even when they didn't deserve it."

The music from the house suddenly surged - someone must have opened the patio doors. They both turned to look, and Lisa caught sight of Matthias returning with drinks, his silhouette backlit by the warm glow from inside.

"I should..." Lisa gestured vaguely toward the house.

"Yeah, go." Nate's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Your boy's waiting. He's good for you, you know that? Different from the rest of us. Kinda... pure."

Lisa stood, brushing off her shorts. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do? Nobody you want me to get for you?"

"No." His voice hardened slightly. "Just... let me be for a while."

Lisa nodded, understanding the dismissal. As she walked away, the sound of her bare feet on the wooden planks felt impossibly loud. She glanced back once to see Nate's silhouette against the moon-silvered lake - the perfect athlete, the golden boy, looking somehow both invincible and incredibly fragile in the darkness.

She wondered if this was the last time she'd see him like this - alone and honest, before whatever storm was coming finally broke over their heads.