The Heart Ring

Chapter 5 – The Secret Shared

Kimi didn’t waste time the next morning. She caught Abby by the elbow before first period, steering her into an alcove by the trophy case. The glass gleamed under fluorescent lights, showing off rows of silver cups, all of them dusty.

“Enough,” Kimi said. “Whatever this is—you’re telling me. Now.”

Abby’s pulse jumped. “Kimi—”

“No excuses. No ‘I’m fine.’ You’ve been acting haunted all week, and yesterday you practically zapped me in the hallway. Either I’m losing my mind, or you’re lying to me. And I don’t think I’m losing my mind.”

The words cracked something inside Abby. The weight she’d been carrying—Randy’s smoke-dark glow, Marcy’s heavy blue, the constant throb of the ring—pressed so hard it felt like her ribs would split.

“Okay,” she whispered. “Not here. Please.”

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They walked to the far edge of the soccer field during free period. The bleachers creaked in the wind, paint peeling. The November sky was brittle blue, clouds dragging shadows across the grass. The air smelled faintly of cut weeds and asphalt from the lot beyond.

Abby turned the ring on her finger. The stone caught the light, red and sharp.

“It shows me things,” Abby said finally. “People’s feelings. Their hearts. In colors.”

Kimi tilted her head. “Colors.”

“I can see them.” Abby swallowed. “And sometimes more. If I get too close.”

Kimi folded her arms. “Prove it.”

Abby’s hand shook as she slipped the ring off and pressed it into Kimi’s palm. “You’ll see.”

Kimi hesitated, then slid it on. For a heartbeat nothing happened. Then her breath caught.

“Oh my God.” She turned wide eyes to Abby. “You’re glowing.”

Abby’s chest tightened. “What color?”

“Red. But not like Randy red. Warm. There’s gold too, bright. Like—like you’re lit up from the inside.” She spun, eyes locking on the building. “And Mrs. Dalton—she’s…” Her voice dropped. “She’s gray. All gray.”

Abby nodded, relief rushing so fast she almost cried. “I know. I’ve seen it.”

Kimi tore the ring off like it was hot and shoved it back into Abby’s hand. Her face was pale. “This is real.”

“Yes.” Abby curled her fingers around the silver band, clutching it like an anchor.

Kimi studied her, voice low. “And you’ve been walking around like this all the time?”

Abby nodded, tears pricking. “I thought maybe I was going crazy.”

“You’re not.” Kimi touched her arm. “But Abs… this scares me.”

Abby laughed once, shaky, desperate. “It scares me too.”

For a long moment the wind was the only sound, tugging at their jackets, carrying the faint shouts of kids near the gym.

“Promise me something,” Kimi said. “Whatever happens—you don’t shut me out again.”

Abby’s throat ached. “I promise.”

The relief of saying it, of finally being seen, washed over her like air after drowning. For the first time since Grandpa’s funeral, she didn’t feel completely alone.