"I wasn’t myself."“Oh, come on, Astor, hold yourself accountable! You did it out of spite. Admit it!”“If you mean I was pissed, then yes! Anyone would be pissed if you gave their position away, darn it.”Silence. Then, “That’s the confession we needed. We’ll call you back after we’ve made a decision. You’re dismissed, Astor.”It was the next day, and I was still waiting for my name to be called as I sat in the cafeteria, skipping three classes in a row. My phone was switched off, unable to stand the endless ringing. The news had spread like wildfire. It was on everyone’s lips, and in no time, various versions of what had happened began to make rounds.“Yeah, the scholarship kid, the one with the shaved head? He was paid to steal the list, you know.”“He was always jealous of George. That must be why.”“I hate that I once pitied him when he was kicked off the team, but now it all makes sense.”Or the most popular one: “Being on a scholarship and such a vile human is insane.”They th
"...I don't really need you anymore." My eyes flew open, meeting the stark white ceiling above. Cold air chilled my bare upper body, bandaged and covered in medical stickers. I turned to my side, finding it empty except for a nurse asleep at the far end of the room. I swallowed hard. It was all in my head. He was all in my head. It stung that he wasn’t at school, yet he still ruled a corner of my mind, a part that wanted to crawl back to him and beg for the deal. But it was pointless now, with expulsion looming over me. I sighed, listening to the quiet—a fragile comfort keeping me together. But I felt someone nearby, this time real. I opened my eyes to see a second nurse. "You're awake." She pointed to the door. "Your friends want to see you. Feeling up to visitors?" My chest clenched, a different kind of pain than the one in my bones. How long had it been? They were still waiting outside? "I don't want to see them," I said. The nurse blinked, her brows furrowing. "Are you sur
JADEI slam the door shut, only to see him standing right in front of me. Eros takes a step closer, his expression stern. "I demand an apology."I blinked, glancing around for witnesses. Since that night I’d seen him at El Refugio, I understood he was no ordinary person. So I’d made it my goal to stay clear of him.But it was obvious we didn’t share the same goal.“Sorry,” I muttered. His eyes widened in surprise—probably at how easily he got it. I just wasn’t in the mood for anything. I wished I’d stayed home, anything to avoid hearing that Myles had been expelled. I felt hollow, like something essential had been ripped away. And breathing hurt. I didn’t even know you could hurt this much over someone who drove you up the wall as much as Myles did. But he was my best friend, the one who made me smile even when I wanted to strangle him. Being without him felt wrong, like a part of me had gone missing.“Jade,” Eros stopped me again, his hazel eyes softening. “I’m sorry about your fri
"...My sincerest apologies for how my actions might have hurt everyone." Tristan muttered into the mic, then turned to me. "Especially Myles..."The next day found us in the school hall, standing before a sea of students, their eyes sympathetic as they looked at him. They didn’t show this kind of pity for me. I’d gotten used to that.And Tristan played along, charisma oozing from him, hypnotizing. But I wasn’t fooled. I saw the glint in his eyes when he looked at me, the way he tilted his head, making it seem like he was adjusting his collar, or how he added a purr to his voice, his tone sending a shiver up my spine."We love you, Tristan!" someone screamed from the crowd."Thank you. Really, all of you," he replied, pausing for effect. Then he turned to me again. "Myles, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I promise..." His voice was smug, almost taunting. "Never to make you my plaything again."Applause broke out, the sound swinging in waves, echoing the confusion poundi
"..." "..." "Listen, I'd take all of your kinks..." "I don't have kinks..." "Let you sniff crack off my ass..." "Hmm, why haven't I thought of that?" "But I won't let you fuck me whenever or however you want." "How about wherever?" "..." He raised a brow. Bloody son of a bitch. We were on his seventh rule, a bunch of words he had strung together to piss me off and some that seemed valid but weird. Like... "Close the door without making a sound, you're enough of a migraine; I can't add noise to it." Or, "This is not a relationship. I'd rather this remain a secret." His voice was stern, no longer the playful tug, so I understood this rule was crucial. Besides, it wasn't like I was so proud of being his latest conquest that I'd whisper it to anyone. Rolling my eyes, I shrugged, "I wish the same." Then his sixth rule: resting his face in his palm, he read out, "You're not allowed to fall in love with me. If that happens, you keep it to yourself. This arrangement shouldn't g
MYLESHe takes my lips like his life depends on it, and I, unable to hold back, moan into his mouth. With him pressed against me, I can feel his heart thudding, quickening.I catch my breath as his fingers slip lower, finding that little spot, the one that makes me go… "Argh... Ha… Ha... wait..." My fingers dig into his sides, unsure if I want to pull him closer or push him away.He chuckles, and soon I feel his wet lips against my ear. "Keep making that sound, and we'll be here till morning."But those fingers are relentless, like they know exactly how to touch every place that sends waves of pleasure through me. Our breaths mingle, caught in a wordless struggle, each daring the other to be the first to let go, until he finally pulls his fingers away.The tension drains from me, but crashes back when he grips my thigh, raising my leg as he presses the tip of his length against me, pushing into that loosened spot."Wait!" I gasp, wrapping my arms around his shoulders to keep steady. "
He wasn’t lying when he said he wouldn’t be at school the next day, or the next, or even the day after that. I wasn’t exactly looking for him—it just seemed weird that Eros was present and he wasn’t. The green organism moved, and I kept my eyes locked on it. Where had he even gone? What exactly does he do?“Boo!” came a voice from behind, and I scrambled away from the microscope, heart thudding in my chest. “Told you, Leo,” Jade snorted. “He’s here, but not with his senses.”Leo sighed, “Yeah. You’re right.”“Now pay up.”We were in the biology lab, lab coats over our regular clothes, and in front of us lay a dissected owl pellet—an experiment long forgotten as Leo counted dollar notes and handed them to a beaming Jade.“You guys are unbelievable,” I huffed, returning to the microscope.“You know what’s unbelievable?” Jade leaned across the table, looking at me dreamily. “That your phone’s been off all day.”With that feigned look, I knew I was in trouble. “Uh, yeah. I had issues wi
"I highlighted the main points from last week’s lectures. You missed quite a bit." She bit into an apple, talking through a full mouth. "But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered." I flipped through her notes and couldn’t help but smile. "Thanks, Nat. Really." She made it so easy to be around her, as if she were bent on proving me wrong about every incorrect assumption I had. Not once did she turn her gaze away from me, and unlike me, she wasn’t conscious of the whispers around us. Slowly, I was getting the hang of it. I carefully set her books aside. "I should be done with them by tomorrow—maybe even before your first class." She waved me off, swallowing. "No, take your time, Myles. I’m not exactly in a hurry to get them back. Besides..." She shrugged. "If I take them, they’ll just sit in my locker untouched." "Noted." I bit into my hamburger, savoring the flavor until it turned to ash in my mouth, noticing she was watching me. "More notes?" I asked through a full mouth. She smiled,
TRISTAN "I gave you two days off, and what do you use it for?" My uncle slammed the glass against the wall, and it shattered into a million pieces. "To find that fucking boy!" The dim orange light overhead hurt my eyes more than it should, and my surroundings were slowly becoming a kaleidoscope of colors. I raised my hand, staring at my fingers as they constantly changed in number and shape. My droopy lids weren’t helping matters. So numb... but not numb enough. The intoxication was wearing off, but I knew I wasn’t getting any more liquor if I stayed here—not when the Boss had angrily hurled my drink against the wall. Going to Jade didn’t yield any results either. She had looked at me with those same pitying eyes, the ones that made my skin crawl. "I hate it," the anger in her voice cut through me after we had called and it was busy. "I hate what he does to you." Her fist clenched. "Don’t get me wrong, I love that bastard, but... I hate seeing you this way." That was... war
The new room we were in was still thick with tense silence. The men who had once tried to kill me now kept a safe distance, their eyes darting between me and Gabriel as if I were suddenly radioactive. Except for the old man, who was now wrapping my pinky and index finger with a bandage. But even the way he looked at me had changed— more caution, like he was handling something fragile and dangerous. Victoria burst out in guffawing laughter, the sound bouncing off the walls. I winced, both from the noise and the throbbing pain in my hand. Now she was nursing a glass of wine, pointing at Luigi with a smirk. “You don’t know what Tristan would have done to you. You’d wish you were never born.” Luigi ignored her, his focus on Gabriel, who stood by the window, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “So what if he’s some Italian heir’s bitch? You’re the damn boss! You can’t let that control your decisions.” Subtract the undeserved insult, and I understood him. It was t
MYLES The neon sign buzzed overhead, *Elysium* bleeding crimson into the night. A club. Of course, it was a fucking club. Bouncers flanked the entrance, all bulk and cold eyes. One glanced at my hoodie, my bag, and smirked. “Lost, kid?” “Gabriel,” I said, voice flat. “I need to see him.” The smirk faded. The other bouncer stepped forward, his hand drifting toward his waistband. “Who’s asking?” “Myles Harold.” I held his gaze, pulse roaring. “Tell him I’m here to negotiate.” ** “Does Maria know you’re here?” The old man glared at me. “Of course, she doesn’t know. What are you doing here, boy? Leave before Gabriel sees you.” But I couldn’t leave. Not when he had the papers. Not when Mum was on that hospital bed, dying. The Elysium was a bar. It was quite easy to find, turned out it was a big spot at the center of the city. And in many ways, it reminded me of El Refugio... the loud thumping music, except when Tristan was in charge. Except this had strippers, and when
I sat next to her, my head buried in my hands. It was the sterile white walls, the constant beep of the monitor, my mother lying on that bed—so pale it was as though every pint of blood had been drained from her. Slowly, I was losing my breath. Losing myself. "Your mother has a severe heart condition. Without a transplant, her chances of survival are slim." Slim. The word was a death sentence. My chest tightened, and I struggled to draw in a breath. My mum—my rock, my anchor—was slipping away, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It all made sense now. The first time she had slumped—this was what she had been hiding. All those times she had gone on her secret trips, it had been because of this. Leaving me out until the very end?! Even when I had succeeded in getting rid of Diego, I still couldn't reach her. It was like, with every step I took, she took three more away from me. "...I'm sorry." I froze, raising my head to see those dim eyes on me—the first time
**A MONTH LATER** **JADE** "Good evening, students, parents, teachers, and anyone who accidentally wandered in thinking this was a free event with snacks," the principal began his speech with a playful smirk. The audience roared with laughter. Everyone except the three of us—Natalie, Leo, and me. I gave Leo a reassuring smirk. He was going to come. But the more I did that, the more I knew I was lying to myself. It had been a month since we'd last seen him, since that final day at the hospital. I had no clue if he was coming today. When we spoke last night on his new number, his answers had been vague. It was graduation. I never imagined our graduation would feel like this—just plain. Others looked like they were having fun, but maybe, if we could just believe Myles when he said he was alright, then maybe—just maybe—we could have fun too. "Today, we gather to celebrate the Class of 2010—a class so brilliant, so resilient, and so determined that even senioritis couldn’t
TRISTAN"Myles is awake," my uncle announced as soon as I slid into the car, the words falling from his lips like a storm. "He's been awake for two days."I turned to him, disbelief clouding my thoughts. The weight of his words sank in slowly, dawning slowly across my mind. "Two days?" I echoed, my voice disbelieving. "Jade said...""Jade lied," my uncle cut me off, his voice cool, almost amused. "He told her to lie to you. Now, why would he do that?" His gaze flicked to me for a moment, his eyes narrowing, as if searching for something deeper. "Could it be... that Myles doesn’t want to see you, Tristan?"I froze, my heart stumbling in my chest. Nico was testing me, prodding at my wounds just to see how I'd react. He could be lying, weaving his own twisted version of the truth, just to make me squirm. But then again... what if he wasn't lying? My uncle was never a liar. He wouldn't do that to me. The way Jade had sounded when we spoke yesterday... something had been off. But Myles w
TRISTAN I hadn’t played in the next match. I stayed in the locker room, waiting for it all to be over. And when it finally was—Sharks winning with points—Coach Daniel walked in and sat beside me. “I’m sorry I made you do it,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. He wasn’t looking at me, just staring at the wall, his hands clasped between his knees. “I didn’t know you two were that close. I understand why you two had to keep it a secret.” “It wasn’t a secret,” I cut in, my voice sharper than I intended. “I’m not closeted.” “Sorry,” Coach sighed, running a hand over his face. “I thought… I thought it would help. Give you something to focus on. But I see now I was wrong.” I didn’t answer. What was there to say? That Myles wasn’t just a teammate? That he wasn’t just a friend? That he was everything? “The team won,” he said after a moment, his tone lighter, like he was trying to shift the mood. “They pulled through. Because of you and Myles.” I didn’t respond, just stared at
TRISTAN My lids fluttered open, coming face to face with gray ceilings and dim light. It felt like a million monkeys were playing the banjo in my skull. I winced at the pain, swallowing hard. This looked like a hospital. How long was I out? Hopefully just a few hours. How was Myles? Had Jade replied to my messages? I pushed myself up, ignoring the pain pounding in my skull as I searched the bed for my phone. It couldn’t be here—I’d left it in the locker room at the stadium. No issues, though. All I had to do was borrow one anyway. “So that’s the game you play. Hockey?” That familiar voice came from behind me. “You played lovely—that’s what I would’ve said if you actually did. It looked like you half wanted to fail.” Uncle Nico appeared before me. “Why?” he mused. “You look surprised to see me.” “Not really,” I said. It was the truth. “Can I… have your phone for a minute? There’s a call I have to make.” He stood next to me, the amusement gone from his face. He tilted my h
JADEThe next two days, without Tristan occupying that seat beside Myles, I felt strange. The ward itself felt like a graveyard, the silence between Leo and Natalie growing heavier with each day. Filling the silence was the soft noise flowing from the TV. On it was Tristan, a god on the ice, Myles’ gear wrapped around him like a vice. He played like a zombie, programmed to floor the rink. But I knew it was his shattered heart. His rage.How Natalie convinced him to go? No clue. But he texted constantly—demanded photos, updates, proof Myles hadn’t slipped away. Judging by the hollows under his eyes on camera, I doubted he’d slept since leaving.I scrolled through my phone, thumb hovering over Tristan’s last text—”Tell me if he wakes up.”—but Myles hadn’t so much as twitched.Natalie stood rigid by the window, her reflection warped in the rain-streaked glass. Leo slouched in the corner, jaw clenched, eyes bloodshot. The TV droned in the background, replaying clips of Tristan’s game.