LOGIN“Tristan?” Sam repeats under his breath. “That’s fucking hot.” Delilah frowns immediately. “How does Nick know that?” “Well…” I say, wiggling my eyebrows slightly. “Because… they’re brothers.” “What?!” all three of them blurt out at the same time. Several heads turn in our direction. I immediately lift a finger to my lips and shush them with wide eyes, leaning closer over the table. “Yeah,” I whisper quickly. “Apparently their whole family situation is… insane. Something about them all trying to steal each other’s girlfriends and—” I stop mid-sentence when I catch Delilah’s eyes. Shit. Sam leans closer, curiosity lighting up his face. “And?” “Nothing,” I say quickly. “Nothing?” Tessa repeats, raising an eyebrow. Delilah keeps staring at me. “What did he say?” she asks quietly. I shake my head. “It’s nothing.” “Tell me,” Delilah says, her voice tightening. I shake my head again, a little more firmly this time. I can see it in her face—the moment she realizes I know someth
Katie glares at us the second she sees us, her expression sharp enough to cut. My friends don’t even try to hide it—shock, confusion, something close to betrayal flickers across their faces as they take in the sight of me standing next to Nick. The rest of the class just looks lost, like they’ve walked into the middle of a scene they don’t understand. They all know about our relationship. They all took Nick's side. At the front of the room, Mr. Madden looks furious. Not irritated. Not mildly annoyed. Furious. He smooths his face the second some attention lands back on him. But his eyes stay locked in, like dark pools of horror. Nick, of course, couldn’t care less. “Morning,” he says lightly as he steps inside, holding the door open behind him like we’ve just arrived together for coffee instead of interrupting a lecture. I slip in behind him. The air in the classroom feels frozen. I should’ve just stayed in bed this morning. “Nice of you to join us,” Mr. Madden says slowly, eac
He turns instantly, like he’s been waiting for a reason to snap at someone. His face is already thunder—jaw tight, eyes dark—but the storm shifts the second he sees me. Surprise cracks through it. He lowers his cigarette slowly, smoke curling between us like something alive. “Raven.” “Nick,” I reply, slightly out of breath. Cold air burns my lungs from adrenaline. Snow crunches beneath my sneakers as I try to step past him toward the building. I’m already late. Every second counts. But Nick’s hand shoots out and grabs my wrist before I can take another step. My defenses snap up instantly. The warmth of his fingers feels like shackles. “Why hasn’t Delilah returned any of my calls?” he asks sharply. I stare at him. “Because you’re a dick?” I answer dryly. His mouth tightens. For a moment he studies me with an expression that’s difficult to read. Something almost thoughtful passes through his eyes. “I always liked you, Raven,” he says finally, voice lower now. “You’re prote
“What can I do?” I ask, rubbing my forehead as I stare at the row of wine bottles still sitting on the counter like silent witnesses.“Call the police!” Delilah shouts immediately.“And then what?” Sam counters with heavy sarcasm. “Yes officer, someone left six expensive bottles of wine at my house. Clearly the work of a dangerous criminal and not, you know, a secret admirer.”“But it could be a stalker,” Delilah fires back.“Are there no cameras in the hallway at school?” Tessa cuts in sharply.I pause mid-step as I carry my plate toward the living room. The question hits something in my brain, and I stop moving entirely.Cameras.Slowly, I turn back toward the kitchen counter where the box still sits open.“Yes,” I say quietly. “There are.”“Well there you go,” Delilah says with firm certainty. I can practically picture her crossing her arms. “Tomorrow we go to security and ask if we can see the footage.”“So exciting!” Sam squeals dramatically.I can’t help it, I giggle too, a smal
I step out of the university building into the sudden, icy air. The snow is still falling, thick and glistening, settling in my hair and on my army boots, cold and wet against my skin. It’s still strange—end of summer, warm hours just this morning—and yet here I am, brushing snow off my shoulders as if it’s a warning. My breath fogs in front of me. I keep my eyes forward, trying not to glance up at the office above me. He could be watching right now. He is watching me. My pulse quickens at the thought. The flashy car next to mine is capped with a layer of snow, and I carefully avoid brushing against it as I climb into my own. The door shuts with a soft click, but I half expect the sound to echo through the empty lot like a trap snapping shut. What the fuck just happened? Did he seriously just offer extra credit? Was there double meaning behind his words? Does he seriously think I would stoop that low? A man of that calibre would never be interested in a girl like me. He wouldn't
My lips part as I tilt my head back, watching the sky. Snow. Thousands of delicate white flakes drift lazily through the air, swirling down from the grey clouds above the city. For a moment I simply stare, trying to understand what I’m seeing. It’s the end of summer. It shouldn’t be snowing. This morning the sun was warm enough that I left the house in a light dress and boots, expecting nothing more dramatic than a cool evening breeze. Now the sky spills winter onto the streets like some strange trick of nature. But it’s beautiful. The flakes float slowly past the window, only a few centimetres from my face. They glide downward toward the small parking lot below, landing gently on the pavement and the roofs of the cars. And the moment they touch the ground, they disappear. Melted. Gone. It should ruin the moment, but somehow it doesn’t. If anything, it makes it more magical. Fleeting. Fragile. A quiet little miracle that only exists for a few seconds before dissolving into n
“I heard they hired some new teachers,” Delilah says as she opens her locker and tosses her books inside. “They did,” Tessa replies immediately. She leans back against the row of lockers with a knowing look. “And not just any teachers. I heard the new criminology professor is… a real treat for the
Someone is watching me.Again.I sigh quietly at my own paranoia.This is what happens when you watch too many horror TikToks before bed. Suddenly every creaking floorboard becomes a ghost and every shadow turns into a lurking spirit waiting to drag you into the darkness.Still…The feeling won’t g
“Hey, pretty,” my sister says with an appraising smile as she tugs a strand of my long brown hair.“Hey,” I reply, stifling a yawn.The long nights are finally starting to catch up with me. It’s only a diner, but this place is known for staying open deep into the night. We get the late crowd. The a
I can’t prove that he’s watching me.But I can feel it.The sensation crawls along the back of my neck like a whisper I can’t quite hear, like a pair of eyes lingering just a second too long.The dark stranger in the corner of the diner has become a strangely permanent figure in my life. At first,







