LOGINAARON'S POV“My date partner is really pretty.” The words kept replaying in my head as I walked back to class. Of course. I already knew the reason Jack rejected Vanessa's proposal was because he already had a date partner… a pretty one at that.She's probably as rich as him too. My fingers tightened around nothing. Kyle was right.Fuck… why is Kyle always right? Oh shit.I didn't even understand why I was feeling this way about Jack going with someone else. It wasn't supposed to bother me at all. So why the hell was it? It's not like I have feelings for him… right? I stopped walking abruptly.Right? Why would I ask myself that? My brows pulled together. What the fuck was wrong with me? I don't have feelings for Jack. Period.I took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. Then, I continued walking, forcing every single thought about Jack away.I had Mr. Harrison to deal with.Finally, I got to class and was lucky enough to slide into my seat before the professor arrived.I di
JACK'S POVI had noticed the way Aaron had gone pale after checking his phone. I had also noticed the way his shoulders tensed.It was like he'd stopped hearing whatever Kyle was saying to him because he was too busy staring at his screen like somebody had just texted him his death day.Then, he stood up and left.My brows creased as soon as he left.Did U.X. text him again? That bastard had suspiciously gone quiet for a while now which only meant he was probably planning something huge.But I knew how to play the game.He threatened to reveal my secrets… I'd threaten to reveal Alex's secret too. My jaw tightened.But for some reason, this didn't look like it was about U.X. Why did it feel like this was about something else entirely?Five minutes later, I found myself standing outside the classroom door staring down the hallway in the direction he'd disappeared.What the fuck was wrong with me?Seriously.I had assignments to do and a perfectly good seat at the back of the classroom
AARON'S POVAt first, I genuinely thought I had read it wrong.I read it again. Then one more time just to be absolutely sure my brain wasn't making things up.“We need to talk about Saturday night.”~ Mr Harrison.My stomach dropped.What the hell!?No, it can't be. It can't fucking be.Beside me, Kyle was talking to Chloe about one of our assignments, but his voice sounded distant.The text kept replaying itself in my head.Mr Harrison recognized me. Maybe he'd gone home and replayed the whole thing in his head until my face clicked."Aaron?" I heard Kyle call out.I looked up.Kyle was already staring at me."You okay?"I realized I'd been staring at my phone for an uncomfortable amount of time.I turned the screen away immediately. "Yeah."He raised an eyebrow.I immediately corrected myself. "No."Thankfully, Chloe wasn't paying attention to us. She was asking another classmate about an assignment.He leaned slightly closer. "Aaron."I swallowed, then I turned the phone around an
AARON'S POVBy Monday morning, the entire school looked like it had been swallowed by the masquerade gala.Posters covered almost every available wall space. Pictures of gold masks, and elegant lettering announcing the date and venue.One giant banner hung above the entrance to the main building.DON'T FORGET TO BRING ALONG A DATE PARTNER.I stared at it for a second longer than necessary before looking away.Great.Exactly what I needed to see first thing in the morning.Kyle noticed immediately."You good?”I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets as we walked to class. "I don't know what to do."Kyle's expression softened immediately.He didn't joke this time. Not after the fact that I'd shown up at his house at nearly midnight looking like my entire life had collapsed.He already knew everything.He knew about Mr. Harrison. He knew about what happened at the club with Jay.He knew that I'd finally gathered enough courage to ask Jay to the gala. He knew Jay had said he would come i
JACK'S POVThe choir had just started singing when I stood up quietly from the back row and headed for the exit.I shoved my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and walked down the church steps slowly while families passed me on their way inside.A little girl ran past holding her father's hand. A woman walked by carrying a tray of pastries for whatever church thing was happening after service.I kept walking. My bike was parked beneath one of the trees near the edge of the lot.For a second, I just stood beside it. Then I pulled my helmet off the handlebar and stared at it.What the fuck was I doing here?Seriously.The same Jack Pierce who had never willingly stepped into a church a day in his life had just sat through almost an entire service because of Aaron Smithy.Definitely not for salvation.It was because of Aaron.Just Aaron.I rubbed a hand over my face.I hadn't even planned on talking to him. Hell, I'd deliberately sat far enough away that he wouldn't notice me if he look
AARON'S POVWe got to church a little earlier today.My mum liked arriving early enough to greet half the congregation before service started while my dad liked arriving early because, according to him, "the closer you sit to the front, the less likely you are to fall asleep during the sermon."Personally, I would've preferred staying in bed. Unfortunately, nobody in my house cared about my preferences on Sunday mornings.By the time we found our seats, the choir was already warming up near the altar while people continued filing into the building.I just sat there watching everyone. Then, I noticed Mr. Harrison. He sat three rows behind us. His wife sat beside him while his two kids quietly argued over something on a tablet between them.He looked calm, responsible and respectable.I couldn't wrap my head around it.He looked nothing like the man from last night. Nothing like the man with bloodshot eyes and whiskey on his breath who had grabbed my shirt and called my mother a bitch i
AARON'S POVThe moment we stepped out of the principal’s office, the tension followed us into the hallway.No one spoke.Jack walked beside me for a few seconds before moving slightly ahead like he didn’t even notice I was there anymore. His hands were shoved inside his pockets and his expression l
JACK'S POVThe second the announcement ended, the entire hallway fell awkwardly silent.I kept walking without looking back. My grip around my phone tightened inside my pocket while my thoughts spiraled faster than I could control them.Did the principal already know?Has the picture gotten to the
AARON'S POVI tried focusing on the lecture but every five seconds, my brain kept replaying Vanessa kissing Jack right in front of the entire class like some dramatic scene from a teen movie nobody asked for.And annoyingly, the more I tried not to think about it, the more it kept bothering me.Whi
JACK’S POVMonday morning.I was halfway through stuffing books into my bag when my gaze landed on the small bunch of keys sitting on my drawer.Aaron’s keys.For a few seconds, I just stared at them silently.Then, annoyingly, my brain dragged me right back to Saturday night. The backyard behind V







