Chapter: Chapter 6: The Court Doesn’t Welcome TraitorsNOAH’S POV Practice was something that always cleared my head so I looked forward to every one but this particular day’s own turned out to be worse. The ball slapped against my palm as I drove past Marcus, pivoted, and sank the shot without thinking. The echo of the ball hitting the floor bounced through and filled me with satisfaction. Coach was barking instructions somewhere behind me, Jax was laughing about something stupid on the other end of the court, and Ethan was running drills as usual. Then the doors opened and the ball slipped from my fingers for half a second. I didn’t need to look cause I already knew. Elena Voss stepped into the gym like she owned the court and wasn’t afraid of every single one there. She was dressed in an oversized hoodie and jeans with her hair pulled into a ponytail. That was her usual style of dressing. She clutched a notebook in her grip with that same guarded expression she always wore like armour, except it didn’t sit right here. Not in my s
Last Updated: 2026-04-22
Chapter: Chapter 5: The Project I Never Asked ForELENA’S POV The lecture hall smelled like damp notebooks which was not exactly inspiring. I slid into my seat halfway up the tiered rows, and pulling out my laptop while students filtered in around me. Someone behind me was arguing about word count requirements. Two girls in front whispered about a breakup that sounded way more dramatic than it probably was. I wrapped my fingers around my coffee, letting the heat seep into my palms as I stared at the blank document on my screen. My notes from last night were gone—completely wrecked by the rain—and I hadn’t had the energy to rewrite them in my laptop. Or maybe I just didn’t want to think about why I hadn’t because every time I tried, my brain went right back to that car. I shut my laptop halfway, exhaling softly. I needed to focus. This was why I came back. Not to relive old mistakes or get dragged into whatever unresolved mess was still hanging between us. Just school and journalism. “Alright, settle down.” Dr. Reyes walked i
Last Updated: 2026-04-22
Chapter: Chapter 4: Lines That Don’t Stay CrossedNOAH’S POVThe place smelled like sweat, takeout, and Jax’s socks. I crinkled my nose at the last one. Boys can be pigs most times. I stepped into the apartment, tossing my keys onto the counter without looking. The TV was on, its volume too loud and some late-night sports recap was playing while Jax sprawled across the couch like he paid rent—which he didn’t—and Marcus sat at the table scrolling through something on his phone like everyone around him didn’t exist.Ethan was in the kitchen and was still in his practice shorts, digging through the fridge like it had personally offended him. He finally grabbed a bottle of beer, twisted the cap off with his teeth, then looked up when he heard me come in.“You got her,” he said, straightening slightly, already reading the answer in my face.I shrugged, moving past him like it wasn’t a big deal. “She was where you said.”“That’s not what I asked.”I opened one of the cabinets, grabbed a glass, filled it with water and took a slow sip letti
Last Updated: 2026-04-17
Chapter: Chapter 3: Why The Hell Do I Have His Jacket?ELENA’S POVBy the time I pushed open the door to our apartment, I was soaked, exhausted, and one emotional breakdown away from making very questionable life decisions. I suddenly noticed that the hallway light was on. “Lora?” I called, kicking the door shut behind me with my foot and peeling my wet shoes off right there by the entrance. My socks squished against the floor and I gagged. Disgusting! “Kitchen!” I dragged myself in, leaving a faint trail of water behind me, and stopped in the doorway. Lora Patel was perched on the counter in a cropped top and tiny shorts scrolling through her phone with one hand and eating noodles out of a takeout box with the other. She looked up, took one look at me and burst out laughing. “Oh my God.” I didn’t even have the energy to glare properly. “If you say anything—” “You look like you lost a fight with the ocean.” “I basically did.” She hopped off the counter, still laughing as she circled me. “What happened to you? Make enemies already?
Last Updated: 2026-04-17
Chapter: Chapter 2: Still A ProblemNOAH’S POV I shouldn’t have come. That thought sat in my head the second she opened the door and slid into my car, dripping rainwater all over my seats like she hadn’t just walked straight out of my past and into my night. I didn’t look at her cause I didn’t trust myself to. The door shut, sealing us into a space that suddenly felt too small and full of everything I’d spent years not thinking about. I glanced down then exhaled slowly, already annoyed. “You’re getting water everywhere.” It came out colder than I meant. Beside me, she stilled for a second. “Sorry,” she muttered, brushing at the seat like that would somehow undo the damage. “Didn’t realize your car was allergic to rain.” That same fucking mouth and attitude. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel trying not to let her get to me. “It’s not. I just don’t make a habit of letting people flood it.” She ignored me. Good, that’s how exactly I wanted it to be. I reached forward, turning the dial without thinking
Last Updated: 2026-04-16
Chapter: Chapter 1: Worst Day EverELENA’S POV: The rain in Ridgewood was aggressive and not a cute little drizzle. No, this was the kind that slapped you in the face, soaked through your clothes in seconds, and made you question every decision that led you outside including my entire life. I dragged my hoodie tighter over my head, which did absolutely nothing except make me look like a wet, miserable ghost. My jeans were already clinging to my legs and my sneakers squelched with every step like they were personally offended. “Fantastic,” I muttered, kicking through a puddle I didn’t even try to avoid this time. “Love this for me.” My bag slipped off my shoulder, and I caught it just before it hit the ground. Too late. The damage was already done. Water had definitely gotten inside. My notes. Hours of sitting in that cramped, coffee-stained media office, trying to prove I actually deserved to be there were all gone. I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah, that tracks.” My phone buzzed in my hand, and I
Last Updated: 2026-04-16
LOGIN
