Mag-log inCLARA'S POV
I wiped my face fast and opened the door to find Becca standing there, already dressed for the day."Lily is downstairs in her pajamas," she said, stepping inside. "You should come down quickly before Maria sees she's still in sleeping clothes.""Yeah, I'll be down soon," I said calmly, walking back to sit on my bed. My voice carried the weight of my thoughts.Becca paused halfway through turning to leave, her eyes narrowing as she studied my faCLARA'S POVMy phone slipped out of my hand and hit the floor."What?" My voice cracked. "What do you mean, accident?""They brought him home from school a few minutes ago. He can't walk. Please come.""Jaxson?" Lily jumped off her chair, her face going white. "Where is he? Where's my brother?""Lily, wait!" I grabbed her hand and picked up my phone with the other. My fingers were shaking so badly I almost dropped it again.We ran down the hallway and down the stairs. Voices were coming from the living room. Maria was standing near the door, and Mrs. King was kneeling beside the couch. She was fully dressed, with shopping bags on the floor. Jaxson was lying on it with his left leg propped on pillows. A big brace covered his knee, and an ice pack sat on top of it. His jersey was still on, and his hair was a mess.Lily froze at the bottom of the stairs."Jaxson?" she whispered.He turned his head and saw her. "Hey, Lily. I'm okay.""No, you
Jaxsons pov Before I could turn or pass the puck away, Charles launched his entire body straight into my side. He tackled me with full force, slamming into me from behind.The heavy hit threw me off my feet. I flew through the air and crashed down hard onto the frozen surface. My bad left knee hit the hard ice first, taking the full weight of the violent crash.A loud popping sound echoed in my ears, followed instantly by a sharp, unbearable wave of pain.I screamed out in pure agony, rolling onto my side on the ice and clutching my left knee tightly with both hands."Jaxson!" Miller yelled, dropping his stick and sprinting toward me.Coach Stan blew his whistle wildly, yelling at the top of his lungs, while Charles just stood over me on his skates, looking down."Charles!" Coach Stan roared, running across the ice. "What was that?""It was an accident, Coach," Charles said, raising both hands. "He turned into me.""From behind? With yo
CLARA'S POV"Ignore them," Maya muttered, pulling me by the arm toward the main administration hallway.I didn't give Sloane and her friends the satisfaction of looking back. I kept my head up and walked right past them until we reached the art department. We walked up to Mrs. Prudence's office. Just as I raised my hand to knock, the door opened. Mrs. Prudence's assistant stepped out, holding a stack of papers."Good morning," I said, stepping forward and holding out my black presentation binder. "I am here to submit my collection for the design competition."The assistant took the binder straight from my hands."Got it," she said quickly. "Just remember to email the digital copies to Mrs. Prudence. We need those today.""I already did," I answered. "I sent all thirty digital files to her school email address late last night.""Perfect," the assistant said.She turned around and pushed the door open wi
CLARA'S POV"What did you hear?" I asked, looking at his serious face."My dad was on the phone in the living room," Jaxson said, sitting down heavily in the chair next to mine. "He is planning another business trip. He said he might be in London soon.""That's all?" I asked, a little surprised.He looked at me. "Isn't that something? He always leaves. He's always got some business to do."I looked at him and offered a small smile. "Is that why you look so sad? Jaxson, you should be grateful. At least your father tries and works hard for your family. I never had that privilege growing up."He frowned a little and tilted his head. "How do you mean? That's true. You never talk about your dad. What happened?”I looked down at my hands resting on the table. He was right. I rarely talked about my father, but sitting here with Jaxson, it felt okay to share."I love my dad so much, you know," I said softly. "I was such
CLARA'S POVI dragged my pen across the screen of my iPad. I was just finishing the final shading on a new jacket design when a knock sounded at my door."Come in," I called out.The door opened, and Jaxson stood there."My parents want to see you in my dad's office," he said quietly.I put my iPad down on the desk. "Did something happen?""We talked about the tutoring," Jaxson told me. "Just come up and agree with whatever they say."I followed him to his parents' quarters. It was up the stairs on the other floor, where their rooms were. We walked into the large home office. Mr. and Mrs. King were sitting behind the heavy desk, looking very serious."Clara," Mr. King said, looking at me over his glasses. "So about the tutorial. Jaxson tells me you have been helping him with his calculation subjects, and he has done better in his tests as a result.""Yes, sir," I answered politely."Now that's not part of your duties here,” he continued. "With
JAXSON'S POV“What is it?" She asked, looking straight into my eyes.“I made some mistakes,” I began, my chest already tight as I came close to admitting the truth. "Things I did before you really knew me, and I need you to—"Clara's phone rang loudly between us, cutting me off. Maya's name lit up the screen.Clara glanced at me, apologetic, and answered it, putting it on speaker. "Hey, Maya.""Clara! What's going on? Where are you guys?" Maya's voice blasted through the car speakers. "Are you guys coming to get me, or should I take the bus?"Clara looked at the digital clock on the dashboard and gasped. "Oh no. Maya, we're so sorry. We are coming right now!"Clara turned off her screen and looked over at me, her eyes wide. "Jaxson, we have to go right now. We cannot be late."I swallowed hard, shifted the car into drive, and pressed the accelerator.The moment was gone just like that, swallowed up by the rush of getting to sch
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
Clara’s POVSterling Heights Academy – CafeteriaThe warm milk dripped down my hoodie, soaking into the thick fabric.I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.“Oops,” Sloane smirked. She held the empty milk carton like a trophy. “I thought that was the trash can. My bad, scholarship girl. You’r
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







