Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE GOLDEN BOY'S TARGET: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 14

Ellie’s POVBy the time second period rolls around, my brain feels like someone left it on low batteryand my patience is at one percentMrs. Calloway’s voice hums in the background like a broken fanCarter’s sitting two rows over, pretending to read, but mostly just waiting for his next performanceBecause that’s what he does best—make a sceneand I, unfortunately, am his favorite stageI tell myself to focusto keep my head down, to just survive the day without being publicly humiliated for breathing wrongbut when the teacher asks for volunteers to read, I already know my luck’s expired“Ellie,” Mrs. Calloway says, like she’s tossing me into a pit for entertainment“Why don’t you take the next paragraph?”Of courseI open my mouth to start readingbut before I even finish the first line, Carter’s voice cuts inmocking, lazy, too loud“Could you speak up? We can’t all hear your mumbling.”Laughter ripples through the roomthin and sharpI freeze for half a second too long, and that’

Ellie’s POVIt started small like everything awful doesa whisper in the hallwaya laugh that lasted half a second too longsomeone pretending not to look while absolutely lookingBy second period it had mutatedby lunch it had grown teethApparently Carter and I had a moment in the libraryor so the universe decideda rumor that somehow turned into three versions before the day was even half overIn one version he kissed meIn another I kissed himand the third—my personal favorite—involved a love confession written on the back of my notebook which he supposedly read aloud in dramatic fashionOscar-worthy nonsenseBy the time I reached my locker, I could feel it—the air heavier than usual, like gossip had actual weightA pair of girls leaned near the drinking fountainnot even trying to be discreet“She literally fell on him,” one said,and the other giggled,“Sure, accidentally.”I slammed my locker harder than necessaryBooks rattled. So did my patience.---I told myself to ignore