LOGINDRE’S P.O.V “Hey, are you okay?” Ian asks, staring at my tear-stained face. I don’t say a word, getting into the back seat. I’m fucking tired of whatever game he and Luke have been playing. Ian hurries into the car and pulls out of the parking lot, taking me to wherever Luke may be. Where is he? And why does Ian have to take me to where he is? Why isn’t he in school? I’m too overwhelmed to even think much about whatever Luke's going through at the moment because I have a ton on my plate too. I sigh, cracking the window slightly to let in fresh air, taking my phone out again to call Ruth. I’ve called her twice since Luke texted, and she hasn’t answered once. It keeps saying her phone is switched off. I told Silver about her, and Silver confirmed she wasn’t at school; she promised we’d drive to her place to check. I’m so mad at Luke, and the only reason I’m in the car with Ian is so I can ask him about Ruth and what he said to her.... okay that's a lie, I really want to
DRE’S P.O.V My next period is free, and I’m determined to find Luke. “I can help if you like,” Silver offers while we gather our things. “Thanks, Silver, but I’d hate to keep your student waiting. Go tutor, I’ll definitely find him,” I say gratefully. “Are you sure?” I nod. “Seriously. I’ll text you.” Silver leaves, and I bring out my phone to check the timetable for Luke’s subjects. Like me, he has a free period too, so finding him should be easy. I head quickly to his first class, hoping to stop him the moment he came out. The bell rings, and I stand by the lockers, eyes fixed on the door, waiting to run up to him. The door swings open, and the first set of people to file out are Maddie, Cyan and Jasmine. I try to look away, but Maddie spots me immediately and walks straight up to me with the other two just behind her. Has Ruth told her former best friends about what happened? Is Ruth friends with them again, united by their hatred for me? Nate is in trouble becaus
LUKE’S P.O.V The bell for first period rings just as I finish changing. I head straight to regular English class, the non-AP one. Fortunately, Dre doesn’t take the regular classes, and it saves me from seeing her very upset face. It's been a full day since I last saw her and I'm sure she's mad. I knock on the door, poke my head in, and put on my best serious face. “Excuse me, Mr Harlan? Coach Adams needs Ian for a minute. It’s urgent.” Ian’s sitting in the middle, watching with an eyebrow raised at first, then quickly gets my message. The teacher waves him out without much fuss. Ian grabs his bag and follows me into the hallway, looking confused. I pull Ian around the corner into an empty stretch of hallway near the vending machines. “What happened?” Ian whispers. I keep my voice low and try to speak as fast as possible. “I talked to TJ after practice. Cornered him on the court when everyone else left.” I pull out my phone, swipe to the recording, and hit play. Ian li
LUKE’S P.O.V Practice finally ends with Coach Adams blowing his whistle and yelling one last round of reminders about the final game. Everyone’s drenched in sweat and breathing hard as they start heading toward the locker room for quick showers before first period. I hang back, pretending to fix my shoelace. My eyes stay on TJ, who doesn’t follow the others right away. Instead, he lingers near the sideline, bouncing a ball slowly. This is my shot. I grab a ball and walk over casually, dribbling once or twice as I approach. “Hey, man,” I say, keeping my voice easy. “Got a second?” TJ looks up, surprised but not suspicious. “Yeah, what’s up?” I stop a few feet away and spin the ball in my hands. My heart is pounding harder than it did during the scrimmage. I have to play this carefully. “I’ve been thinking about Dre lately,” I start, not bothering being discreet about my feelings. He was there at the party when Vincent asked what my deal was with Ruth and Dre. He has to kn
LUKE’S P.O.V We hit the locker room, change quickly, and head straight to the court. The squeak of shoes and the constant bounce of balls already fill the gym. Coach is in full form, barking orders like always, with Vincent right by his side. “Move your asses! This is the final game of your high school careers! I will not let you embarrass me out there!” We’re playing against the Red Devils, Chrashaw Prep again. All my years playing against them they won every game. They never failed to serve our asses on a platter, whether it was a home or an away game—they're that good. They have a winning streak, and they sure as hell didn’t want to break it now. But the Eagles are just as determined. Vincent claps his hands sharply, rounding everyone up. “Let’s go! Focus! Warm-ups first, then we run sets. Final game means no excuses!” I start my stretches, but Coach’s eyes lock on me almost immediately. “Ford!” he yells, storming over. “You pull that meltdown shit from last game again
LUKE’S P.O.V It killed me when I let Dre’s phone call go straight to voicemail this morning. It killed me to ignore her, but according to Ian, it needs to be this way. Ian suggested I ride with him to school; that way I wouldn’t have to give Dre a ride back home, leaving the chances of the sender catching us together down to zero. According to the pictures, the sender unfortunately has eyes everywhere, the school parking lot too. The list I wrote last night is currently folded and tucked safely in my back pocket. Ian only skimmed through it. His parents came home very late, so he had to attend to them. After his mum made us have dinner/ breakfast, we were both exhausted and slept immediately. As soon as we arrive at school, I give Ian the list to look at properly. The page is filled with my handwriting. Names, motives, question marks, and crossed-out lines. I lean back in the seat, rubbing my still tired eyes while Ian starts reading. He scans the list slowly, eyebrows raise
DRE'S P.O.V I sit outside the school's guidance counsellor's office, waiting for my turn to see Mrs Hampshire. I don't see her often, only when necessary. This time she called to meet with me. A girl is seated beside me, also waiting to see Hampshire. I know her from class, advanced physics to
LUKE' S P.O.V Dre's phone rings, cutting me off. She reads the caller ID. "Sorry, it's Nate." She's about accepting the call, but doesn't. "You were saying?" She asks, urging me to continue. I start to talk, but her phone rings again. "Just answer," I say, the edge in my voice sharper th
DRE'S P.O.VNate's lips finally leave mine, and I'm blushing so hard."You know it doesn't have to end here, we can go in, finish what we started," he says with a wink.I unbuckle my seat belt. Nate has taken me home, and, as always, he tries to convince me to let him stay over. Like I do all the t
LUKE'S P.O.V Footsteps follow behind me. "Luke," she calls. I'm angry, but never at Dre. I turn. My face softens instantly, just at the sight of her. "Are you okay?" she asks me. I don't answer. Dre sighs. "We've talked about this. I'd really like you both to get along. Nate is my boyfriend,







