Leo’s POVThe poolside was alive in a way that felt almost violent.Music thumped through the air like a second heartbeat, bass vibrating through glass bottles and bare feet. Lights strung around the mansion flickered gold and blue, casting shifting halos over bodies packed shoulder to shoulder. Students spilled across every surface of the place, laughing too loudly, shouting names too carelessly, drowning the night in noise that didn’t belong to me.Some were already in the pool, splashing like the water owed them something. Others leaned over the edge with drinks in hand, cheering whenever someone jumped in fully clothed. A few couples kissed like the world was watching, and others just screamed for attention because they could.It was my birthday.It felt like somebody else’s punishment.I stood near the far corner of the terrace, half-shadowed, a brandy glass warm in my hand. The bottle beside me was nearly empty. I didn’t remember finishing most of it, only the steady dulling of
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