Mag-log inNatalie's pov I hated not understanding people.Chemistry made more sense. If you mixed the wrong compounds together, something exploded. If you increased temperature, reactions accelerated.Simple.People weren't. People wake up one morning and decide to become entirely different people without bothering to submit an explanation.Why was Kian Lawley acting the way he was?I was halfway through Analytical Chemistry when I realized I'd spent ten straight minutes writing the same sentence.“Mechanism of…”Then nothing.My pen hovered over the page.I sighed.“You're thinking about him,” Allison's voice came to me, quiet, in the library.I looked sideways.Allison wasn't even pretending to take notes anymore.“I'm thinking about murdering him,” I corrected.She nodded thoughtfully.“Still thinking about him,” she said slowly.“You are incredibly unhelpful.” I shut my notebook with a thud, drawing offended glares to our table.**************************************** Professor Brooks s
Natalie's pov It had barely been twenty-four hours since Kian had invited himself into my bedroom, tried to bully me into deleting the video.Almost apologized, complimented my notes, told me to lock my door... and then decided he was driving me to school like some overbearing chauffeur with a superiority complex.I still hadn't decided which version of him was more irritating.The bully...Or whatever this new thing was.Unfortunately, our interactions were never limited.Wednesday mornings always meant Professor Brooks.Unfortunately, Wednesday mornings also meant Kian.I walked into the lecture theatre with Allison beside me…“Yo, are you still going to cover for Judy?” I asked Allison, as she kept on walking besides me.“This is my second time in chemistry all because of that girl and I still don't understand shit!” Allison said, looking around the theatre.“That's because your computer tech brain can't fathom the intricacies of atoms and their uses. Peak chemistry,” I laughed.Th
Natalie's pov I deliberately woke up an hour earlier than usual. Not because Kian had told me to. But because I wanted to leave before he could.There was absolutely no universe where I was willingly getting into a car with him.I finished dressing, shoved my laptop into my backpack, grabbed my phone, then quietly slipped out of my room.The mansion was unusually peaceful.The smell of coffee drifted from downstairs. One of the maids dusted a painting near the staircase while Butler Jeffrey arranged fresh flowers in the entrance hall.“Good morning, Miss,” He said, as polite as usual, the moment he saw me.“Morning, Jeff,” I responded.He scrunched his nose at my nickname “I trust you'll be travelling with Master Kian?” He asked, his attention back to the flowers.“No.” I answered.His brows lifted, and his eyes were back on me.“No?” He repeated, incredulously.“I enjoy public transportation,” I teased.He looked unconvinced.“...That is the strangest sentence I have ever heard,” H
Natalie's pov The click of the door locking sounded louder than it should have. Kian leaned on the shut door, not saying a word.I stared at him, incredulously. The room already felt hotter because of his invasion.“Kian...Did you just lock my door?” I asked, keeping my voice even.Kian didn't answer immediately. He rested one hand against the wood behind him, looking around my bedroom like he'd never been inside before.His gaze skimmed over my bookshelf.My desk, the stack of medicinal chemistry textbooks, the faded photographs pinned above my study table.Finally...His eyes settled on me again..“You have made this place your home sooner than I expected," he said, his voice taking on a matter of fact tone.I didn't say anything. I had nothing to say to that. I was still very uncomfortable in the house, but this room was quickly becoming my sanctuary.“You shouldn't leave your door open,” he started, finally stepping away from the door.My brows knitted together.“Get out, asshole
Natalie's pov As I fell, my hands grasped the air, trying to find something to hold on to. I could hear Allison's shout of concern, but my sight got blurry, unable to see anything aside from bright lights.I closed my eyes, bracing for impact with the ground.A hand grabbed mine, before I could hit the ground and I was pulled up abruptly.I hugged the person, my heart jumping abnormally. The person stiffened against me. I looked up and staring down at me, with a shocked expression was Kian.“You pushed me,” I muttered, slowly detangling myself from him.“I stopped you from making a fool out of yourself," he retorted, the shock on his face fading to his usual smug expression.“You literally pushed me, Kian,” I persisted, taking steps back till I was beside Allison who quickly held me by the shoulders.“I saved you. But then again, you've always been ungrateful,” he said and turned, his face tightening.“Whoa. Tension,” Allison said beside me, an odd smile on her face.I simply looke
Natalie's pov My fingers tightened around my phone, clammy, but resolute in how they gripped the phone.Kian didn't move. He stood at the other end of the library table, his eyes fixed on the phone, the frozen frame still glowing on the screen.The image was blurred but his face was unmistakable.“You recorded it?” He asked again quietly, leaning in a bit closer. I pressed the button, effectively locking my phone.“Looks like I did.” I responded with a false bravado.His jaw flexed, then stretched his hands at me.“Give it to me,” he said once, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.I almost laughed at the sheer ridiculousness.“Absolutely not.”“Natalie.” The warning was clear in his voice. I shook my head, not intimidated.“No.”Somewhere beyond the glass walls, students whispered and turned pages, blissfully unaware that my heart was trying to punch through my ribs.Kian took a slow step closer, completely pressing against the table.“Then delete it,” he said.“No way,” I answ
Natalie's pov “Did he say 'the' Kian Lawley set you up?” Allison said, her words coming out breathless. I didn't reply. I ground my teeth, repeatedly counting my right fingers. “At least you won't be expelled. It's just a harmless prank, Natt.” “A harmless prank?! Allison, I was framed!” I s
Natalie's povFINAL YEARThe beginning of the end. As I stepped into the hallway of Bennington college, I grinded my jaw, the sharp pain that rose soothed me strangely.Students gathered in clusters, talking over each other. The chaos felt new, even when it was the same as always, at the start of
Natalie's pov That was it.I knew I wasn't going to let it slide this time.“Excuse me?” I asked, unable to help myself. My mother kicked me lightly underneath the table.I ignored her, I could feel my ears get hot. I clenched the spoon in my hands, trying to keep the emotion at bay.“You are wel
Natalie's pov “Must I be there?” I muttered, my voice coming out small.True to her word, before the end of the day, I was roaming the halls of a building fit to be called a palace by the sheer ridiculousness of its size.My mother was also nowhere to be seen, and I was led into a room by a man wh







