Burning Lines

> The second you run from the world, it starts chasing you.

Simon realized this the moment they saw the flashing red and blue lights two blocks from their motel.

Elena froze beside him, her fingers tightening around the motel room key in her hand. "They found us."

"No," Simon muttered, already backing them up into the alley. "They found the car. Not us. Yet."

They didn't wait.

They ran.

Sneakers slamming against wet pavement. Breath sharp. Heartbeats louder than footsteps.

The city wasn't theirs anymore—it was a maze of corners, watchers, and consequences.

Five hours earlier, things were different.

They were lying on a sun-warmed mattress, half-wrapped in motel sheets and laughter. Elena had never looked more relaxed—bare legs tangled with his, messy hair, her voice still hoarse from whispered confessions the night before.

"I never want to leave this room," she murmured, tracing his collarbone with her finger.

Simon smiled. "Then don't."

She gave him a playful glare. "You're forgetting that we left the world behind."

"Correction," he said. "We left the bullshit behind."

"But the world doesn't like being left."

She was right.

By noon, their faces were on every missing teen alert in the tri-state area. News outlets hadn't picked it up yet—but social media had.

> #Runaways

#StepSiblings

#WhatEvenIsThisLoveStory

They didn't trend, but they weren't invisible anymore.

Especially not to the cops.

In the alley, Simon pulled Elena behind a dumpster, chest heaving.

"We need to disappear," he whispered.

"Into what?" she hissed. "We've got no cash, no IDs, no backup."

He grabbed her face. "We have each other. We'll find a way."

Her voice cracked. "How long can we survive on 'just each other,' Simon?"

The silence that followed was louder than the sirens in the distance.

Back in Midtown, their story was turning nuclear.

A screenshot from Elena's blog had made it to a popular teen drama account with 2.1 million followers. The comments section exploded.

> "I thought this was fiction??"

"They're real people?!"

"This is messed up but... kinda hot?"

"Why do I ship this?"

Even worse: one of Simon's classmates—Jules—posted a TikTok showing a video clip from the school hallway.

It was Simon, slamming his locker shut, fury in his jaw, seconds before storming into the principal's office weeks ago.

Caption:

> "Bro said f**k the rules, I want my step-sis."

It hit 75k likes in two hours.

In the alley, Simon's phone buzzed.

> Mom: "Police came. You're listed as endangered. Come home before this gets worse."

Then another:

> Eddie: "If she gets arrested, that's on you."

Simon's hands shook. He shoved the phone in his pocket.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

He hesitated.

"Simon."

"It's Eddie. And my mom. Everyone's flipping out."

She pulled away. "Of course they are! We ran from everything and now we're fugitives. This isn't romantic, Simon—this is real."

He stared at her. "Are you saying we made a mistake?"

Elena hesitated. Then whispered, "I'm saying we didn't think this through."

It hit him like a slap. But he nodded. "Okay. So we think it through now."

They walked for two hours, ducking cameras, avoiding train stations, blending into crowds.

Finally, they found an old diner on the edge of town. Elena's makeup was smeared. Simon's hoodie was soaked in sweat. They looked less like lovers and more like war survivors.

But the booth was warm. The coffee was hot. The waitress didn't ask questions.

For a moment—it almost felt okay.

Then Simon said the words neither of them wanted to hear:

"We need to go back."

Elena stiffened. "You mean give up?"

"I mean reset. Regroup. We can't stay ghosts forever. They'll find us—and if we're hiding, they'll treat us like criminals."

"I'd rather be hunted than humiliated," she snapped.

He reached for her hand. "We won't be either. But we have to take back control our way."

She didn't respond.

He pressed, "We go back on our terms. Together. Strong. No more hiding. No more shame."

Finally, she whispered, "If we go back... we go loud."

Simon smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I want the truth in front of the camera, not behind a blog post."

The next day, they returned.

Not quietly.

Not secretly.

But in front of a camera.

Simon reached out to the only person crazy enough to film them without flinching—Jules, the same classmate who'd gone viral.

"Film us," Simon said. "We'll give you the story. The real one."

Jules raised a brow. "You two are insane."

"No," Elena said. "We're just done being ashamed."

They recorded a 5-minute video in front of the school gate.

They explained it all.

How they weren't blood-related.

How they grew up under one roof, yes—but love didn't follow rules.

How they didn't ask to fall for each other.

But they weren't sorry.

Simon stared into the lens.

> "This isn't a scandal.

This is love. And if that bothers you—scroll away."