CHAPTER 22Lila's POVThe last bell sounded like a starter's pistol, announcing the daily race to exit Willow Creek High School. Lila quickly packed her possessions, her actions crisp and efficient due to tight habit. She refused to stay any longer than necessary in these soul-crushing passageways.Clutching her bags tightly, she made her way to the acknowledged meeting location near the eastern exit, where Mia always waited. Sure enough, her best friend was already stationed there, passively looking through some irrelevant feed on her phone.As Lila arrived, Mia looked up, her eyes crinkling warmly as she pocketed the device. "Here you are! I was beginning to suspect you were held up trying to debate the finer points of The Odyssey with another teacher."Lila's lips jerked upward, forming a momentary smile. She enjoyed Mia's playful attempts to lift her permanently down spirits, even if the humour frequently fell flat these days. With a tiny shake of her head, she flung her bag from

CHAPTER 24"Your sister, Julia, will be starting at Willow Creek High on Monday."Caleb was taken aback by his father's statements. This was the last thing he expected out of all the scenarios he was thinking about. "You're joking, right?" His laugh was harsh. "Julia attends my public school?" Why the devil would she transfer from Brookfield Academy?His father gave him a serious look. "Because it's time she experienced the real world instead of that privileged bubble she's been coddled in."Caleb's stomach hollowed out as the implication set in. Julia is at his school. Suddenly, his safe refuge of anonymity, his escape from the weight of familial expectations, was about to be destroyed."This is ridiculous," he exclaimed, his frustration palpable. "You can't just upend her entire life like this two weeks before the Championships!" "We can and we are." His father's tone accepted no debate. "Your sister needs a reality check, and you're going to help provide it whether you like it or

CHAPTER 26The sunlight had given way to dusk by the time Caleb and Miranda emerged from Sally's Restaurant, hands clasped and matching grins on their cheeks. Despite the emotional turmoil that lingered beneath the surface, Caleb felt significantly lighter after dumping his troubles on Miranda's sympathetic presence."So," she lilted, gently bumping his shoulder, "now that you've successfully reunited with your smile, what's next on the agenda for us?"Caleb's spine tingled with fire as a husky undertone ran through her tone. He angled his body towards her, their hands resting on the strong plane of his abdomen."Well, if my incredibly wise, insightful girlfriend will recall..." He mimicked her sly tone, telegraphing his intentions with the smolder of his stare. "It's been over one week since we last had any, ah...quality time together.""One week, and..." Miranda's smokey giggle cut right through his core. "Approximately eleven hours, if my calculations are correct."God, the sound o

CHAPTER 28JULIA POV:Julia wiped her hands over her sundress, hoping to get rid of the damp sweat. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to enter Caleb's classroom after the lunch break.Her first day at Willow Creek High was already unsettling, a stark contrast to the elegant decorum of Brookfield Academy. The raucous energy, graffitied lockers, and shameless honesty created a raw, unrefined image that was utterly unlike her privileged upbringing. But Julia was determined to have an open mind and immerse herself in this new atmosphere, no matter how chaotic. She simply hoped that speaking with her brother would help her stay grounded in the face of an overwhelming tide.Julia squared her shoulders and pushed through the classroom door, her gaze immediately drawn to Caleb's recognizable presence among the rows of full desks. He sat with Miranda draped over him in a proprietary manner, both of them accompanied by boys she recognized as Trent and Maddie from earlier encounters.

Chapter 30The rusty groan of her locker door signalled the beginning of another torturous day at Willow Creek High. Lila took a deep breath and began transferring textbooks with mechanical efficiency, the familiar ritual grounding her in the cacophonous cacophony ringing through the crowded hallway.Halfway through the transfer, her fingers remained motionless against the cool metal as her sight fell on an unexpected object nestled near the top shelf. A folded sheet of paper appeared benign enough, yet its presence made the hairs at Lila's nape bristle with innate uneasiness.Lila carefully withdrew the paper and twisted it over in her grasp, as if it would catch fire. No taunting scribbling or wicked emblem disfigured the outside surface, heightening her sense of doom tenfold. Dark curiosity gnawed at her resolve, and she eventually pried open the crumpled folds to expose a neat wall of letters written in looping script.Lila's breath stuttered in her chest when she heard the top sal