Mag-log inThe weekend sun streamed lazily through my bedroom blinds, cutting across the floorboards where my scattered shoes still sat from graduation night. My phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand, vibrating against the wooden surface until I finally groggily reached over and swiped it to my ear."Hello?" I groaned, my voice thick with sleep."Jess! Oh, my god, are you still in bed?!" Isabella’s voice shrieked through the speaker, bursting with an energetic buzz that felt entirely illegal for a Saturday morning.I winced, pulling the phone an inch away from my ear. "Izzy? What time is it? And why are you shouting?""It's noon, sleepyhead! And I'm allowed to shout because I am officially reporting live from enemy territory," Isabella giggled, sounding delightfully breathless. "I'm just coming from Roonie's family house."I instantly sat up against my pillows, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Wait, you went over there after the disaster of a graduation ball? Are you alive? Did his mother try to
Nate.Before I could even process my catastrophic dialing error, soft footsteps crunched against the gravel behind me. I spun around, my dress twisting around my legs, and nearly tripped backward down the stone steps.Strong hands shot out, grabbing my elbows and steadying me before I could face-plant into the pavement."Whoa. Careful there, our near future mogul," a familiar voice chuckled quietly.I looked up, blinking through my dizzy haze. Standing right in front of me, holding his car keys between his fingers, was Nate."Nate?" I squeaked, my eyes widening in sheer horror. "What are you doing here? Did I just call you?!"Nate offered a soft, slightly rueful smile, letting go of my arms once he was sure I wasn't going to collapse. "Yeah. You did. You yelled at me to pull the car around and rescue you from the circus."I slapped my palm hard against my forehead, groaning out loud. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. I was trying to call my driver, Casper! My fingers completely betray
The silence left in the wake of Aaron and Reed’s departure hung thick in the air for a second before I blinked against the spinning room and turned back toward the bar."Roonie? Izzy?" I mumbled, squinting through the flashing multi-colored lights.The two high-top bar stools were entirely empty. Roonie and Isabella had vanished completely, likely slipping away to elope in a supply closet or finally find a quiet corner to digest their sudden, chaotic engagement.I looked over at Nate, who was watching me with a mix of exhaustion and quiet concern."Don't look at me like that, pussy boy," I hiccuped, waving a dismissive hand. "Go report to your masters. Graduation night is officially done. Time to say bye-bye to everybody."Before Nate could protest or offer to walk me home, I spun on my heel, swaying unsteadily on my designer heels, and marched straight toward the raised stage where the DJ booth was set up.Tonight was the last time I was ever going to step foot on this campus. The fi
"Bold of you to think I have your time, you worthless little slut."Aaron’s voice brushed against my ear like a razor-sharp whisper as he swept past us, not even breaking his long, commanding stride as he headed toward the main entrance.My heart seized in my chest, a violent, crushing pinch that left me momentarily breathless.If he really didn't care, I thought, my fingernails digging into my palms, why throw an insult that cut so deep it resonated straight down to my soul?Nate pulled back slightly, his expression shifting from surprise to concern as he watched Aaron disappear into the crowd by the grand foyer.A moment later, Aaron returned, flanked by a towering, broad-shouldered figure who radiated the dark, unmistakable energy of an underground lord. It was Reed Norman,the quiet, lethal member of their inner circle who usually operated entirely outside the standard student squads.On their way back toward the VVIP section, Aaron aggressively bumped his shoulder hard against Nat
"Don't act like we're friends!" I yelled the second we rounded the corner, out of sight from the glaring lights of the ballroom and the sea of gossiping students.I whipped my arm out of his grasp, stepping back and glaring down at him. "Don't touch me, Nate! You ass-licking traitor! Are you done kissing your master's smelly boots? Is that why you're even here right now? Did I ask you to cover me with your stupid jacket?"I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, glaring daggers at him, though I didn't actually take the jacket off. The cold air conditioner in the hall was biting against my wine-soaked gown, and I wasn't stupid enough to freeze just to prove a point.Nate didn't yell back. He didn't scoff or roll his eyes. He only watched me in heavy, painful silence for a long moment before slowly sliding down and going down on his knees right there on the marble hallway floor."I'm sorry," Nate murmured, his voice cracking slightly as he looked up at me from the ground. "I'm sorry ab
And then, right beside him, stepping through the double doors with a toxic, victorious swagger, was Emilian.She was wearing the exact same royal-blue dress as me.My breath caught in my throat. Not a similar dress,the exact same couture piece, shimmering under the crystal chandeliers, clinging to her like a second skin as she locked her arm through Aaron's, clinging to him like her life depended on it.A collective wave of murmurs rippled through the packed ballroom. Heads snapped from Emilian to me, then back to Aaron, whose custom blue tuxedo matched us both with terrifying precision."Wait... are they all wearing the same designer?" someone whispered loudly in the front row."Is that a matching trio thing? What is going on?"Aaron didn't even glance my way. He kept his jaw locked, walking past me with his squad of fraternity brothers without sparing a single second of eye contact, heading straight for the cordoned-off VVIP section at the center of the hall,the exclusive zone reser







