Chapter 2

The next morning, I walked into school with my head down and my bag clutched tightly to my chest like a shield. My left cheek still felt tender from Mia’s slap, and every time I touched it, the memory rushed back the loud crack, the laughter, Lucian’s gentle fingers on my skin. I hadn’t slept much. My mind kept replaying his words, the way his voice dropped when he called me “curvy girl.”

I knew I shouldn’t think about him like that. Not when Mia wanted him too.

The hallway felt longer today. Whispers followed me like shadows. Someone had already started spreading the story of yesterday’s cafeteria incident, twisting it of course.

“Did you hear? The fat twin tried to sit with the popular girls again.”

“Embarrassing.”

I kept walking, eyes fixed on the floor tiles. My locker came into view and my stomach dropped. The ugly words from yesterday were still there, but someone had added more in fresh red marker: Whale. Desperate. Stay away from Lucian.

My hands shook as I opened the locker. My favorite notebook the one with little doodles and secret poems was missing. In its place was a note in Mia’s handwriting:

Stop dreaming about things you can’t have. He’ll never want someone like you. – M

Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them back. I couldn’t cry here again. Not so soon.

“Lily?”

I turned around slowly. Mia stood a few feet away, flanked by two of her friends, her slim figure looking perfect in the school uniform. Her lips curved into a sweet smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Good morning, sister,” she said loudly enough for nearby students to hear. “I hope you’re not still upset about yesterday. You know I was just playing around, right?”

Her friends giggled.

I swallowed hard. “Mia… why are you doing this? We’re twins. I’ve always loved you. I still do.”

For a second, something flickered in her eyes maybe guilt? But it disappeared fast. She stepped closer, lowering her voice so only I could hear. “Because every time I look at you, I see everything I’m not. Those disgusting curves. The way boys stare at you when they think I’m not looking. It makes me sick. So stay in your lane, Lily. Or I’ll make sure you regret being born my twin.”

She patted my shoulder like a loving sister and walked away, laughing with her friends.

My knees felt weak. I leaned against the locker, trying to breathe. Why does she hate me so much? What did I ever do to deserve this?

The rest of the morning classes dragged. In Literature, I sat at the back as usual. When the teacher asked us to pair up for a project, I kept my head down, hoping no one would choose me.

A chair scraped beside me.

“Mind if I join you?”

My heart jumped. Lucian slid into the seat next to mine, his green eyes locking onto my face. He looked even better up close in the morning light sharp jaw, messy dark hair, that effortless bad-boy charm.

“Uh… sure,” I whispered, my cheeks heating up. “But… won’t your friends wonder why you’re sitting with me?”

He shrugged, leaning closer. “Let them wonder. I like sitting with interesting people.” His gaze dropped for a second to my chest before snapping back up. “How’s your cheek today?”

“It’s fine,” I lied quickly. “Really. You don’t have to keep checking on me.”

“I want to.” His voice was low, almost intimate. “Yesterday… I meant what I said. Your sister doesn’t get to treat you like that.”

My stomach fluttered. Being this close to him made my skin tingle. I could smell his cologne again, and it did strange things to my body. I shifted in my seat, suddenly aware of how my thick thighs pressed together under the desk.

We started working on the project analyzing a poem about hidden desire. How fitting. Every few minutes, Lucian’s hand would brush mine “accidentally.” Each touch sent sparks up my arm.

“You have really soft hands,” he murmured at one point, his thumb lingering on my wrist.

I pulled back gently. “Lucian… people are staring.”

“Let them.” He smiled, that crooked, dangerous smile. “I don’t care what they think.”

But I did. Because across the room, Mia was watching us with pure venom in her eyes. She whispered something to her friend, and both of them looked at me like I was prey.

By lunch, the rumors had gotten worse.

I sat alone at the edge of the cafeteria, poking at my food. My appetite was gone. Someone had “accidentally” spilled juice on my seat earlier, and my skirt was still damp. I just wanted the day to end.

Footsteps approached. I looked up, expecting more bullying.

It was Lucian again. He set his tray down across from me and sat without asking.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I said quietly, glancing around. “Mia’s going to”

“Fuck Mia,” he said calmly, picking up a fry. “I sit where I want. And right now, I want to sit with you.”

My heart raced. Part of me wanted to run, but another part the lonely, aching part wanted him to stay. We talked about small things: favorite movies, how much we both secretly hated group projects. He made me laugh once, a real laugh, and for a moment the cafeteria noise faded.

Then Mia appeared at the end of our table.

“Wow,” she said loudly. “My sister is really trying hard today. Lucian, you know she’s only doing this because she’s jealous of me, right? She always copies whatever I like.”

Lucian raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t look like copying to me.”

Mia’s smile tightened. “You’ll see soon enough.” She gave me one last warning glare before walking off.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of anxiety. After the final bell, I went to my locker to grab my bag. Inside, I found my missing notebook torn pages scattered, and on the front cover, in big letters:

Stay away from Lucian or I will destroy you.

As I closed the locker, a warm hand touched my lower back.

“Lily,” Lucian said softly behind me. “Come with me for a bit. There’s something I want to show you.”

I turned. He was so close. His eyes were dark, intense, focused completely on me. My body reacted before my brain could a rush of heat low in my belly.

“I… I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I whispered.

But when he took my hand gently and pulled me toward the quiet back staircase, I didn’t resist.

My twin sister’s warning echoed in my head, but for the first time, I wanted to ignore it.

What was Lucian planning to show me?