RUMORS, RIVALRIES AND MIDNIGHT SCHEMES

The morning after her first day at Ravenwood, Lila woke to the sound of her phone buzzing incessantly. Groaning, she fumbled across the dorm room to pick it up. Harper’s name flashed across the screen.

“Morning, newbie,” Harper said brightly. “You survived day one… barely. Did you see him again?”

Lila rubbed her eyes. “Cade? Yes. And I got a warning note. Someone doesn’t want me near him.”

Harper’s lips pursed. “Oh, honey… that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll learn soon enough: Ravenwood isn’t just a college. It’s a battlefield. Friends are temporary, enemies are everywhere, and secrets… well, some secrets are deadly.”

Lila shivered at the words but forced a smile. “I can handle it.”

Harper snorted. “We’ll see. Let’s get ready—class doesn’t start until 11, but we need strategy.”

By strategy, Harper meant the endless social navigation of Ravenwood. They moved through crowded halls, weaving between groups of chattering students who looked like they stepped out of a magazine. Some whispered, some laughed, and some—most notably Cade Mercer—loomed over the chaos with effortless dominance.

As Lila approached her next class, she noticed a small group gathered near the quad. Whispers floated through the air like smoke:

“Did you hear about the party tonight?”

“They say Cade’s involved…”

“Watch out for the Harper twins—they’re trouble.”

Cade wasn’t there—at least not yet—but Lila’s stomach twisted. He had a way of appearing when you least expected it, always leaving a trail of curiosity, jealousy, and tension in his wake.

Class passed in a blur, but the notes and warnings lingered in her mind. By the time the final lecture ended, the campus was alive with chatter about the upcoming social event—a welcome party that doubled as the unofficial start of Ravenwood’s reputation for wild nights and scandalous stories.

Harper practically dragged Lila toward the dorm lounge. “Sleepover tonight. You need to meet the rest of the girls. Ravenwood survival 101: you either have allies or you don’t. There’s no in-between.”

Lila hesitated. “Tonight?”

Harper waved her off. “Trust me. It’s mandatory. Well… socially mandatory.”

By evening, Lila found herself in a suite filled with laughter, gossip, and whispered threats. The girls—most of them seasoned Ravenwood veterans—eyed her with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

“You’re the newbie who sat next to Cade Mercer,” one of them said sharply. “Bold. Or stupid.”

“Depends who you ask,” Lila replied, keeping her tone light, but inside, her pulse raced. Cade’s reputation preceded him—bad boy, charming, dangerous, with a long list of both admirers and enemies.

“Just… watch yourself,” another girl warned. “People here play dirty. Very dirty.”

Hours passed in whispered conversations, makeup tips, and stolen snacks. But as midnight approached, Lila’s mind kept drifting back to the note and Cade. Who had sent it? Why? And how far were they willing to go?

The night ended with a collective decision: a small group of girls would sneak into the campus rooftop for a view of the city skyline, a forbidden thrill they all secretly craved. Lila joined, trying to keep her nerves under control. The wind whipped at their hair as they leaned against the railing, the city lights stretching endlessly below.

Then, a sharp gasp cut through the laughter. Lila turned to see Harper pointing. Across the quad, Cade Mercer stood in the shadows, his gaze fixed on them.

He wasn’t smiling. Not entirely. His eyes were hard, calculating, almost like he was measuring the chaos around him—and the chaos he intended to create.

Before Lila could react, her phone buzzed again. Another message.

“You’re in over your head. Leave now, or someone pays.”

The chill in her spine turned into icy dread. Lila scanned the rooftop. The girls whispered nervously. No one else seemed to have received a warning. No one else, she realized with sudden clarity, was being watched like prey.

She was alone in this—even surrounded by people.

The next day, rumors began circulating like wildfire. Cade’s name was on every lip, paired with half-truths and full-blown lies. Lila tried to ignore it, but someone slid a folded note into her locker:

“Don’t trust anyone. Not even your roommate.”

Panic clawed at her chest. Harper noticed her pale face. “What is it?”

Lila handed her the note. Harper read it, her brow furrowing. “Someone’s playing a game… and they’re using you as bait.”

Before Lila could ask what she meant, a voice from behind startled her:

“Well, well… looks like the newbie is catching everyone’s attention.”

Cade Mercer leaned against the locker beside hers, smirk in place, dark eyes glinting. He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face—not roughly, not tenderly, just enough to make her heart skip.

“You’ve got a lot of people watching you,” he said quietly, almost a murmur, but it carried weight. “Some for the wrong reasons… some for the right ones.”

Lila’s mind raced. Was he warning her—or taunting her?

Before she could answer, his attention shifted, and he strode away, leaving a trail of unease behind him.

That night, sleepovers and plans collided with betrayal and whispers. Lila’s dorm room felt smaller, tighter, more suffocating than before. She couldn’t stop thinking about the notes, the warnings, and the way Cade Mercer seemed to orbit around her life like some dark, magnetic force.

Then, just as she was about to drift off, the sound of a soft knock on her door made her heart jump.

A shadow slipped in. Not Harper. Not anyone she recognized.

A whisper came from the darkness:

“They’re closer than you think. Trust no one.”

And with that, the figure was gone—leaving Lila alone with a pounding heart and a fear she couldn’t name.

By morning, the campus was buzzing with yet another scandal. Someone had hacked into the social media boards and posted rumors about a secret party Cade had supposedly thrown in the middle of the night—one that no one had actually attended. Everyone was talking. Everyone was curious.

Lila realized with sinking dread that at Ravenwood, truth was optional—and lies could be deadly.

As she made her way to class, her phone buzzed again. This time, a video.

The grainy footage showed her dorm room. The camera had clearly been inside her room. The last frame lingered too long… on her backpack, the same backpack that held the first warning note.

Her stomach dropped. Someone was watching. Someone had been inside her room. And suddenly, she knew… the chaos at Ravenwood had only just begun.