ELLA'S POVI felt my cheeks flush as all eyes turned to me. Trent's arm tightened around my waist, nearly knocking the wind out of me. I struggled not to wince."Fellas, meet my smoking hot princess," Trent announced, his arrogant grin plastered across his face.I resisted the strong urge to stomp on his foot, his usual cockiness tires me out. I gave a little wave to his friends, suddenly feeling self-conscious as they stared at me.Liam, Connor, and the other players broke into loud whoops and clapping. I looked down, heat creeping up my neck."To the newest couple in town!" Liam declared, raising a bottle of water. The rest of the guys clinked their bottles in a messy toast. Ugh, jocks. I plastered a coy smile across my face. "Oh stop it, you guys!" I giggled, doing my best to play the part of infatuated girlfriend. I gently removed Trent's arm from my waist and slid onto the bench across from him, smoothing my skirt underneath me."I see you're treating her well. In the place Dami

TRENT'S POVDelete what? What did I just fucking see and hear. I decided to stay up late after school to get some extra practice in at the gym - hey, it beats having to go home and face the wrath of my dad, who just came home yesterday after another one of his "business trips."But why did I follow Ella when I spotted her ducking around corners like a wanna-be spy? Curiosity got the best of me I guess. Plus, it was kind of amusing seeing her attempt to sneak around all stealth-like. Girl needs some serious lessons in hiding though!Still, why didn't she immediately run over and help Susan after witnessing...whatever the hell that was with Mr. Blackmailer Dude? And what was with her filming the whole confrontation on her phone? Guess it's not really my business.Susan practically hates my guts ever and If given the chance I'm sure she would gladly feed me to a pack of hungry wolves without hesitation. Can't say I blame her after how I treated her best friend.Heading to my car in the p

ELLA'S POV"I'm afraid I didn't actually witness anything improper," I said evenly as all eyes turned to me. "Susan didn't seem to be doing anything concerning or strange from what I could see."Mrs comfort's mouth dropped wide open with shock, clearly she had been expecting something from me which I failed to say. But with all due respect ma, I can't spill what you want. Just forgive me."Well then Susan, what can you tell us about your appearance in the staff lounge that day."Principal Stevens turned his gaze to Susan who still couldn't meet anyone's eyes. "Why exactly were you present there?" he demanded sharply.Susan paled, clearly unsure how to respond. Thinking fast, I cut in."Actually sir, you didn't ask what I was doing in the staff lounge either. I was also present, remember?"Principal Stevens looked mildly surprised but nodded. "Very well, what was your purpose for being there, Miss Thompson?"I wracked my brain wildly. "Mrs. Lakin had asked me to drop off some stacks o

ELLA'S POVI was almost forced to go check what was taking so long. It had already been over an hour but Susan still hadn't arrived at our meeting spot. I tapped my foot repeatedly, pacing back and forth down the empty street. What if something went wrong?As I was about to pull out my phone and dial Susan, I caught sight of her blonde hair in the distance as she rushed towards me. Susan was breathing heavily when she reached me."Finally! What took you so long? Did you give Enzo the money?" I demanded.She paused, gulping down deep breaths, her chest rising and falling with each inhale and exhale."Yes? What did that scumbag say?" I pressed impatiently.Susan held up a hand to stall my avalanche of questions. "Calm down, Ella. Yes, I gave him the cash...but then he asked for even more," she sighed.My eyes narrowed dangerously. "Well too bad for him, because after tonight he's not getting another cent."Susan straightened up, looking more determined now. "I actually overheard his call

ELLA'S POV"Crap, it's already 6:40am!"I checked the time in panic, realizing I now had barely an hour left to get dressed, review some key topics, and mentally prepare before the pivotal math test.Of course my alarm chose today of all days to fail me. My head was pounding and eyes so heavy from the stress and adrenaline of last night's failed confrontation with Enzo, but I refused to let exhaustion stop me from studying.I quickly grabbed some medication from my drawer and took a couple pills, willing the medication to kick in and relieve my throbbing head. By 7:20am, I had powered through the remaining review material.Tossing the empty pill pack aside, I jumped out of bed now feeling clear headed. I threw the black mask and clothes I'd worn last night in a crumpled heap on the floor. As much as I wanted to dwell on how terrible it went, I had to focus all my mental energy on acing this test now.Each day brought a new battle, and for today, earning the class presidency title took