Chapter: Eighty SixJordan’s POV — The Calm Before the StormThe rest of the morning passes in a quiet haze of warmth and laughter.By the time I leave Miley’s house, the sky’s already shifting into that soft blue that means it’s going to be a perfect afternoon. There’s a light breeze carrying the smell of rain that never came, and my chest feels a little too full — the kind of full you get when life suddenly feels okay again.I walk home with my hands in my pockets, smiling like an idiot.Scott’s going to make fun of me again. I can already hear it.But I don’t care.Not today.When I get back, I find my phone buzzing on the table. A text from Miley.Miley: You didn’t tell me my mom liked you that much Miley: She said, and I quote, “He’s the kind of boy that looks you in the eye when he talks.”Miley: She’s already rooting for you. I can’t believe this.I grin as I type back.Jordan: What can I say? I have a mom-charm superpower.Miley: Don’t push your luck.Miley: …But hey. You doing anything later?J
Last Updated: 2025-10-21
Chapter: Eighty FiveJordan’s POV — Morning LightI can’t remember the last time I woke up feeling… calm.The light spilling through my window is soft, gold around the edges, like the world decided to go easy on me for once.No hangover. No bad dreams. Just the faint ache of last night still sitting somewhere between my chest and my ribs.Miley.Her name alone feels like an exhale.The way she looked at me when I told her about my dad—it wasn’t pity. It wasn’t fear.It was… understanding.Like she’d seen the ugliest part of me and decided to stay anyway.That thought alone could ruin me in the best way.I toss on a hoodie and head downstairs. Scott’s already there, sprawled on the couch with a bowl of cereal balanced on his knee. He glances up when I walk in, eyes still glued to his phone.“Morning, lover boy,” he says without missing a beat.I groan. “Please don’t start.”“Oh, I’m starting.” He smirks. “Liv texted Miley last night. Said you showed up, had your little heart-to-heart moment. Cute. Very Nic
Last Updated: 2025-10-20
Chapter: Eighty FourMiley’s POV — After the StormWhen Jordan texted that he’d seen his dad, my stomach twisted so hard it almost hurt.He hadn’t talked about that man much—just enough for me to know the name alone left scars.So when I saw the message “Like I can finally breathe again,” I didn’t hesitate.I told him to come over.Now, sitting on the porch steps, the night hums around me.Crickets. The faint hiss of streetlights. The air smells of rain and salt from the coast.I tug my sweater tighter, heart tripping when headlights sweep across the driveway.His car slows to a stop.When he climbs out, the shadows hide most of his face, but I can still see the wear—the tired slope of his shoulders, the quiet in his eyes.He doesn’t say anything at first. Just walks toward me and drops down beside me on the step.For a moment, all we do is sit there, our knees brushing, both pretending the silence isn’t full of things we don’t know how to say.Then I whisper, “So… you did it.”He nods slowly. “Yeah. I sa
Last Updated: 2025-10-20
Chapter: Eighty ThreeJordan’s POV — The Man Who LeftThe diner looked exactly the same.Same flickering neon sign, same squeaky door hinges, same red leather booths that had seen better days. I used to come here with my dad on Sundays when I was a kid. He’d order pancakes and call me “champ,” and I’d pretend not to notice the smell of whiskey hiding under his breath.Now, sitting here, waiting for him to show up after all these years, all I could taste was metal, the sharp, bitter edge of old memories.I kept tapping my thumb against the table, trying to drown out the noise in my head. I told myself I didn’t care. That I was just doing this to end it.To prove to myself that I wasn’t twelve anymore.That he didn’t get to haunt me.But when the bell above the diner door chimed and he walked in , the world stopped anyway.He looked… smaller.Not the giant I remembered yelling in the kitchen, breaking things, breaking us. His hair had gone gray, and his clothes hung looser than I remembered. His eyes, God, h
Last Updated: 2025-10-19
Chapter: Eighty TwoMiley’s POV Confessions Over CoffeeThe sunlight the next morning felt like it was mocking me, too bright, too cheerful for what last night had been.I hadn’t slept much. My mind kept circling back to the image of Jordan standing at the boardwalk, rain dripping off his jacket, his voice rough and unsteady as he said “He showed up.”His father.The way he said it had carved something into my chest, pain that wasn’t mine but somehow still hurt.So here I was now, sitting in Liv’s kitchen, nursing a cup of overly sweet coffee she’d made while humming to some song playing off her phone. She was always like that in the morning, effortlessly light, even when the world tilted.“Okay,” she said, leaning against the counter with a spoon dangling between her fingers. “You texted me last night about Jordan showing up at the beach and then ghosted me. You better spill.”I blinked, taking a long sip. “He didn’t show up at the beach. We… kind of ran into each other.”Liv raised a brow. “You ran in
Last Updated: 2025-10-17
Chapter: Eighty OneJordan’s POV — The Knock at the DoorThe storm had rolled in without warning.Thunder cracked in the distance, the kind that made the whole house hum — or maybe that was just the way my chest felt when I opened the door and saw the ghost standing on the porch.My father.He wasn’t supposed to exist anymore — at least not in my world. I’d buried him years ago, the same day he packed his bags, slammed the door, and left behind a broken wife, a crying daughter, and a boy who had to grow up too fast.But there he was. Soaked, older, his once-broad shoulders sagging under a coat that looked a size too big. His hair had thinned, grey threading through the black, and his eyes — the same eyes I saw in the mirror every morning — were dull, rimmed red, and searching for something he didn’t deserve.“Jordan,” he said softly, like saying my name could undo the last ten years.My throat dried up. The storm didn’t help. The air was thick with rain and something else — anger, disbelief, a kind of gr
Last Updated: 2025-10-16
The Daleton Boys
When 17-year-old Juniper Torres transfers from Barcelona to the elite halls of Daleton Prep, she hopes for a fresh start and a chance to blend in quietly. But from the moment she steps into the historic, high-status school, she realizes she’s anything but invisible.
As the only child of a cancer-researcher parents who relocate to New York for a high-stakes medical fellowship, Juniper is immediately overwhelmed by the posh crowd, designer accessories, and the mysterious hierarchy of the school’s students—especially the notorious Daleton Boys, a trio of dangerously charming and powerful guys who seem to rule the campus like kings.
Things shift when she befriends Jasmine, a quirky, kind scholarship student who helps her navigate the minefield of social circles, secrets, and silent wars. But Juniper’s curiosity is piqued—especially when she locks eyes with Grayson Barrington, the icy and magnetic leader of the Daleton Boys, rumored to have a dark past and a murder charge lurking in his history.
As Juniper gets pulled deeper into their world—balancing friendship, fear, and fascination—she must decide whether to play it safe or risk everything to uncover the truth behind Grayson’s secrets… and maybe her own.
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Chapter: Chapter Sixty Juniper The hallway was nearly empty, the echo of slamming lockers and rushed footsteps fading as most students headed home. My own locker door creaked as I shoved my books inside, hands trembling too much to fit them neatly. My chest still felt raw, like my heart had been scraped open, and no amount of Jasmine’s soft words seemed to ease the sting. “Juni…” Jasmine said gently, her hand brushing my shoulder. “Grayson’s just… angry. He’ll come around, you know that.” I shook my head, biting my lip until it hurt. “You didn’t see his face, Jas. He looked at me like I betrayed him. Like I wasn’t—” My voice cracked, and I slammed my locker shut before I could completely fall apart. “Like I wasn’t his anymore.” Before Jasmine could respond, a sharp, cruel laugh cut through the hall. “Well, well,” Ciara’s voice drawled, every syllable dripping with venom. “Look who’s been knocked off her pedestal.” I froze, my spine stiffening as she sauntered up, arms folded, her perfect hair swaying
Last Updated: 2025-09-01
Chapter: Chapter Fifty Nine Grayson The water was the only thing that made sense right now. Stroke after stroke, I cut through it like I could outswim the image of Juniper with Archer’s mouth on hers. But no matter how deep I dove, no matter how long I held my breath until my lungs burned, it was still there— branded in my skull, taunting me. Her lips. His hands. Her silence. I slammed into the pool wall harder than I meant to, the sting shooting up my arm, but I welcomed the pain. It kept me from drowning in the storm inside my head. “Jesus, Gray,” Ivan’s voice echoed across the empty pool hall. “Trying to kill yourself or what?” I ignored him, pushing off again, my body cutting through the water in another furious lap. The chlorine stung my eyes, but I didn’t care. By the time I finally surfaced, Ivan was crouched at the edge of the pool, his elbows on his knees, watching me with that calm, steady look he always had. The look that made you feel like he saw too much. “You’re gonna tear yourself apart
Last Updated: 2025-09-01
Chapter: Chapter Fifty Eight Grayson The lounge was quieter than usual, a low hum of voices blending with the faint crackle of the fireplace. I was halfway through answering a text from my father when her perfume hit me — sharp, sweet, and suffocating. “Gray.” My jaw tightened before I even looked up. Ciara. She stood there like she owned the place, hair perfect, lips painted that same shade of red she used to wear when she wanted me distracted. I hadn’t seen her in weeks, not since I caught her tangled up with some other guy in the back of her car. “What do you want?” I asked flatly, already irritated. She tilted her head, fake innocence dripping off her voice. “Just checking in. You’ve been… busy. With her.” Juniper. She didn’t even have to say her name. The venom in her tone was enough. I slipped my phone into my pocket and stood, towering over her. “If you came here to run your mouth, don’t. I don’t have the patience.” But Ciara only smirked, stepping closer. “Funny, you look like a man who’s about t
Last Updated: 2025-09-01
Chapter: Chapter Fifty Seven Juniper I slid into my seat in Literature, still trying to shake off the way Grayson had kissed me in the hallway like he was drowning. My lips still tingled, my chest still tight. I told myself to focus, to bury myself in the lesson. But fate, of course, had other plans. Because Archer sat two rows over — and right beside him, his twin sister Sophia. Sophia was effortlessly beautiful in that Daleton kind of way: sleek dark hair, piercing eyes, and a smirk that could slice through anyone. She was Archer in feminine form, which made her twice as dangerous. The moment I caught her glancing between me and her brother, my stomach sank. “Juniper,” Sophia sing-songed across the table once the teacher stepped out for a moment. “Tell me the truth. Are you and my dear brother secretly dating?” My pen froze mid-word. Heat rushed to my face as the class perked up, some heads turning. “What? No! Of course not,” I blurted, too quickly. Archer leaned back in his chair, that lazy grin stretch
Last Updated: 2025-09-01
Chapter: Chapter Fifty Six Juniper The library smelled of old paper and lemon polish, quiet except for the scratch of pens and the occasional shuffle of pages. Midterms had everyone buried in books, myself included. But no matter how hard I stared at the notes in front of me, the words blurred together. Because my mind wasn’t on history dates or formulas. It was on Archer. And Grayson. “Earth to Juniper,” Jasmine whispered, snapping her fingers in front of my face. Her braids swung as she tilted her head, giving me that look — the one that said she wasn’t fooled. “You’re not even here right now. Spill.” I groaned softly, dropping my pen. “I can’t, Jas. It’s… complicated.” Her brows lifted. “Complicated as in you’re caught between the two hottest Daleton boys and don’t know which one to choose? Yeah, sounds real complicated.” I shot her a look, but my cheeks burned anyway. “It’s not like that.” “Juniper,” she said firmly, leaning in. “They’re both circling you like wolves. Grayson with his dark, broodin
Last Updated: 2025-09-01
Chapter: Chapter Fifty Five Grayson The lounge was our spot. Leather couches, the faint hum of music from Ivan’s phone, and the lazy sprawl of bodies after practice. It was where we could be loud, stupid, and just… us. But not tonight. Not for me. Because every time I leaned back, closed my eyes, tried to unwind, her face was there. Juniper. Her soft voice at lunch, her trembling hand in mine, the way Archer couldn’t stop looking at her. “Man, you’re wound tight as hell,” Ivan said, tossing a football up in the air. “You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack before senior year’s even over.” I grunted, not in the mood. Archer smirked from his corner, stretched out like he owned the place. “Maybe he’s wound tight because of Juju.” My eyes snapped open. “What did you just call her?” He tilted his head, grin widening. “Juju. What? I’ve called her that since forever. She doesn’t mind.” My jaw clenched. “Her name’s Juniper.” “Yeah, your Juniper,” Archer said, sitting forward now, his tone dipping sharp. “But
Last Updated: 2025-09-01
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