LOGINEVA.My heart was going so fast that I could barely hear the announcement telling everyone that the second tournament would begin in an hour and to go rest and prepare.None of what was being said was registering properly, because Logan Stone was standing forty feet away from me with his arms raised and his face looking exactly the way I remembered it from a life that felt very far away right now.What was he even doing here?He was the part of my past that came with secrets I had never told a single person, things I was nowhere near ready to dust off and put on display.It was not like we had ended badly, which almost made it worse.Ninety-nine percent of the reason we ended our relationship was because he got expelled, and the feelings that never got a proper goodbye had just been sitting somewhere quietly collecting dust ever since.And now here he was.And I was not prepared for any version of this conversation.I also could not let Graham find out there was a history between us,
EVA.I stopped walking the moment I heard my name come out of his mouth, because it didn't sound the way I expected it to.It wasn't sharp or demanding or loaded with his usual attitude, it was just quiet, almost soft, like the word had slipped out before he could catch it.Something about that made me stay right where I was before I turned around.I knew he would call me back.I had walked away half expecting it, but actually hearing it happen did something to my chest that I wasn't ready for.I stood there for one second before I finally turned and looked at him.Graham was walking toward me with his jaw tight and his eyes doing something unfamiliar. Something that looked almost unsettled, like watching me leave was bothering him more than he wanted to admit.When he stopped in front of me and reached up to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear, slow and quiet, I had to remind myself to breathe at a normal pace because this version of him was way more dangerous than the arrogant on
GRAHAM.Maddie, stop."I shoved her back, not roughly but firmly enough that she stumbled slightly, catching herself against the library wall with wide eyes.She was going for it again, that same tired good-luck kiss she tried to plant on me before every single match, like it was some contract I had signed.Every game day, without fail, she found me in some hidden corner and pressed her lips on mine, calling it luck.For the longest time I let her because when she was still the IT girls' captain she carried the power I needed on my side.But she wasn't the captain anymore, and standing here in the narrow space behind the library hall with her made my skin crawl.She rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Graham? At this point I genuinely feel like you are just using me."I laughed out loud, the irony of that sentence coming from her mouth hitting too hard. "Using you? Tell me exactly what you think you are offering that I should be working this hard to
EVA."You are that bitch, remember that. Mwah."I pointed at my own reflection, pressed my lips together one final time and let the red gloss settle exactly where it needed to.I stepped back and looked at myself properly, my purple hair was stretched out and falling past my shoulders in soft waves.Fitted outfit with a cowgirl boots laced all the way up and ready to carry me into whatever today had planned.Last night had been a lot, and Graham had said things that cut in places I didn't even know were still open.My aunt's voice was still sitting somewhere at the back of my head where I hadn't fully dealt with it yet, but this morning I had woken up and made a decision before my feet even touched the floor.I was not going to let a man who didn't know my name a week ago write my story for me, and I was not going to let my past follow me.Not today."Is that fucking Beyoncé standing in my room?"I spun around grinning as Jody sat up in her bed with her bonnet half hanging off her hea
EVA.I stared at the women sitting across from me, then looked at Graham, and my heart was going so fast I could feel it in my throat."I don't understand," I said, my voice coming out smaller than I intended. "Sexually abuse?? I didn't write this and I don't know what's going on."One of the women reached over and placed her hand on mine. "Eva, we are here to help you, but if you keep holding back, how are we supposed to do that? I understand you're panicking right now, but take a deep breath and know that you are safe in this room."I looked at her and genuinely didn't know what to say because my mind was running in ten directions at once.Was this why Graham had been so cold and bitter from the moment I walked in?Because he thought I had reported him for something this serious?His anger suddenly made complete sense, and as much as I wanted to be angry back at him, I couldn't even argue that his reaction was wrong.This was a serious accusation sitting under both our names, but I
EVA.My breathing wouldn't slow down.I followed Miss Khalifa down the hallway with my heart slamming against my ribs, my mind spinning through every possible reason I could be summoned to the head of staff's office at this hour.Had Graham reported that I was at the party? Had my aunt already been called?Was this the part where they sent me home in disgrace before my cousin even had a chance to recover?"Excuse me, ma'am," I said, glancing at her. "Is there a problem?"She didn't answer.She didn't even look at me.Her face stayed locked in that same permanent scowl she probably wore in her sleep, and honestly, I wasn't surprised.Everyone at Brentford already knew Miss Khalifa didn't do small talk.I rolled my eyes quietly and kept walking.We reached the office and she pushed the door open, stepping aside without a word and leaving me to walk in alone.The room felt heavier than I expected the moment I stepped inside.Three women sat behind a long desk, and standing off to one sid
EVA.I arranged my hair in the mirror and kept my eyes to myself, which was not difficult given that Graham was doing the same thing from his side of the room.Except his version of keeping his eyes to himself meant keeping them everywhere except on me, like I had already ceased to exist the moment
GRAHAM.I clicked the hotel room door shut with a firm snap, the sound sealing my domain for the night.I dropped onto the massive king-sized bed, the mattress sinking perfectly under my weight.I grabbed the bottle of wine from the nightstand, poured a generous glass, and took a slow sip.The rich
EVA.I walked up to Graham slowly, and sat down in the empty space beside him.He did not look up.He did not even flinch.He just sat there, completely absorbed in whatever was in that glass, swirling it gently, tipping it back, like the rest of the world did not exist.My heart was beating so fas
EVA."Truth or dare?"Those three words landed on me like a bucket of cold water, and I felt every single one of them.Every eye in the room swung toward me at once, and the disco lights that were purple and gold, flooded directly onto my face like a spotlight I never auditioned for.I looked down.







