เข้าสู่ระบบCLARA’S POVI fixed the strap of my bag and walked out the gates. Nobody stopped me. The crowd on the steps just split open to let me through.My eyes were burning, but I wasn’t crying. I think I've just run out of tears. I cried over Derek, I cried over the binder, and I cried on my bedroom floor with my face in a pillow. There just wasn’t any left.I made it all the way to the bus stop before my hands started shaking."Did I really just do that?" I said out loud, to nobody. An old man on the bench looked up from his newspaper."Sorry," I said.He shrugged and went back to reading.I had pushed Sloane onto the ground. In front of the whole school. I was going to be in so much trouble tomorrow, and the weirdest part was that I didn’t feel bad about it. I felt a little sick and a little proud and mostly just really, really tired.My phone buzzed.Maya: Where are you? Are you okay?I stared at it for a long time. Maya. Out of everybody. Maya, who couldn’t stand Jaxson at the start. May
JAXSON’S POVShe kept her eyes on the road. Her face was blank.I followed her all the way to the bus stop at the end of the street and kept begging the whole time. "Clara. One word. Please." She didn’t even blink. Maya walked next to her with a hand on Clara’s elbow and glared back at me once over her shoulder.The bus pulled up. Maya got on first. Clara stepped up after her and never looked back.I sat there with my hands tight on the wheel as the bus drove away. Her silence was worse than any yelling.…At school, I found her in the hallway outside the library. I stepped in front of her."Clara. Please."She stopped. She looked at me, and when I saw her eyes, I almost wished she hadn’t. There was nothing in them. No tears. No anger. Nothing."Move," she said. Her voice was firm."I just need five minutes. Please. Let me...""Move, Jaxson."I moved. She walked past me without even brushing my sleeve.I stood there with my bag hanging off my shoulder, and I understood something craz
JAXSON’S POVThe locker room was dead quiet. Guys stood around with towels on their shoulders, looking from Charles to me. A few of them had no idea what was going on. I could tell by their faces.Charles looked over at me with a cold, mocking grin. "You want that video file deleted now, Jaxson?""Delete it," I said. My voice came out hollow. "Or don’t. I don’t care."The boys murmured between themselves."Don’t care?" Charles teased. "Are you being serious, King? I’m not joking, you know.""I’m serious," I groaned."I mean, you did it! You fulfilled the whole thing. She fell for you, and hell, you fell for her as well. Shameful, I must admit."A couple of guys laughed, but it died down fast."Don’t talk about her," I said, charging towards him."Whoa." Charles put both hands up. "Relax. I’m just saying."Miller was still staring at the floor. He wouldn’t look at me."Well, you got your girl," Charles went on. "And I’m a man of my word. So, Carl," he waved a hand toward the end of th
Claras pov I slid to the floor, and tried to take off the bracelet, but my fingers wouldn’t work. I opened the locket instead and looked at the silly picture: his crossed eyes, my pencils in my mouth. I thought I finally found it. Finally found love. Something true and real. I thought I finally found someone who loved me for me. And I loved him right back. I really did. Oh my God, Clara, you are an idiot—a big fool. Maya was right all along. Wolves don't change. He never changed. I looked at my sewing machine and the mannequin standing in the corner. Some part of me wanted to believe him, that he really did fall for me, because this … all of this was just too good to be a lie. He went to my house and met my mom. He kissed me and bought all these expensive things. They must mean something, right? They had too. First it was Derek, I could say I was n
CLARA’S POV"A dare?" My voice sounded tiny in the quiet room. "What do you mean, a dare?"He wiped his face with his hand. "Last year at school, the day after you started working here. Charles showed me a crazy video of me from our last term party when we went to the club. He threatened to show it to my dad and release it on the internet. It was really bad, and I was so scared. Then he said he'd delete the video only if I agreed to the dare." “Okay. What was it? What did he make you do?" I asked.I noticed his withdrawal. He wanted to say it, but he didn't at the same time."Tell me!” I screamed before I could stop myself."He dared me to date you, Clara, and make you fall in love with me in front of everyone, in front of the whole school, before the end of term. But then, when I—"I froze.My head went silent, like the voices in my head died.I could see him talking. I could see his mouth move, but I didn
JAXSON’S POV"Happy Valentine's Day," she said again, her voice soft in the warm light.The words I had rehearsed for hours dissolved in my throat. I couldn't crush that smile. Not right at midnight. Not on our very first Valentine's Day."Happy Valentine's Day, Clara," I whispered, stepping closer to her bed. I sat beside her and took her hands. "Will you be my Valentine?"She covered her mouth to hold in her laugh because the whole house was asleep. "Jaxson, I’m already your girlfriend.""I know. I’m asking anyway. I want to ask the right way."Her eyes got wet again. "Yes. Yes, I’ll be your Valentine."I kissed her, and she kissed me back, once, twice, three times, little ones on my mouth and my cheek and my nose until I started laughing too.Then I made myself say it."Listen to me, Clara," I said, my tone going dead serious. "We need to talk. I have something really important to tell you. Tonight, after school and after ev
He stared at me. I stared right back. Our eyes fixed on each other. The world did not end, though it felt like it should have. His mouth opened. "What the hell?" he screamed. "Adene? Is this a joke? Are you stalking me now?" "Jaxson." Maria appeared behind him, but her eyes moved straigh
I stared at the screen until the light burned my eyes. Removed from the W******p group. Then from the squad. What for? What was my offense? My phone rang out. Maya was calling. I picked up. "Clara? Are you seeing this?" Maya’s voice was frantic. "I just saw the notification. I tried to message
The word hit me like a physical blow to the chest.Filled?This couldn't be true. I needed this job. It wasn't just a job; it was the medicine in my mother's veins. It was the roof over our heads."Maria, wait," Mrs. Gabe pleaded. "I spoke to Helena this afternoon. She said—""And I am speaking t
I couldn’t speak.“She’s fading, Clara,” he continued. "Every hour we wait is an hour we don’t get back. If we delay much longer, she might not make it.”The doctor walked away to check on another patient."I’ll get the money, sir. I’ll try," I whispered as he went.My phone buzzed in my hand. I lo







