INICIAR SESIÓNZoey’s POV:Mrs. Dawson had called us into her office, but the look on Olivia’s face told me this was not about the festival schedule.Ryan’s hand was still wrapped around mine when Mrs. Dawson stepped aside, Olivia immediately looked down at our joined hands before meeting my eyes again.Then Mrs. Dawson lifted a folder from her desk, the first page inside carried our names.“Come in and close the door,” Mrs. Dawson said, moving back toward her desk while Olivia took the chair nearest the window.Ryan released my hand only when we reached the desk, and the loss of contact bothered me enough that I shoved both hands into the pockets of my cardigan before anyone could notice. Mrs. Dawson placed the folder in front of her and looked from Ryan to me.“Olivia came to me with a concern about the Winter Festival committee,” she said, tapping the folder once. “She believes your relationship is creating a problem for the project.”Olivia sat straighter in her chair. “I said there could be a p
Zoey's POV:I knew that keychain the second I saw it hanging from that stranger's hand in the photograph. Olivia carried it on her bag every single day, a small silver treble clef her older sister gave her before leaving for college. My stomach dropped before I could stop myself from staring at it."That's Olivia's," I said.Ryan's eyes snapped up from the phone. "You're sure?""I've seen it every day since freshman year. She never takes it off her bag." I pressed my palm flat against the cool locker beside me, needing something solid to hold onto while my thoughts scattered in ten directions at once. "Why would her keychain be in a creepy photo with Madison?"Ryan shoved the phone into his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know. But Olivia's been everywhere we are since the rumor started. Cafeteria. Dawson's office. Now this.""You think she sent those texts?""Maybe.""Maybe isn't an answer, Ryan.""It's the only one I've got right now." He leaned back against the loc
Zoey’s POV:The message on Ryan’s phone was not meant for me, but whoever sent it knew exactly which words would make me question everything about him. Ryan locked his screen so quickly that I barely had time to read the rest of the notification before his face closed off again. For once, I did not care that the hallway was filling with students because I needed an answer before he found another way to avoid giving me one.“Who sent that?” I asked, keeping my hand around his wrist as his phone disappeared into his pocket.Ryan looked at my hand before meeting my eyes, and the tension in his jaw told me he was already deciding how much of the truth he could give me. “I don't know.”“That was fast,” Ava said from beside us, and she shifte
Zoey’s POV:Ryan's ex was standing in the middle of my school like she had every right to be there, and the look on her face told me she had not come to wish him well.I kept staring at her while Ryan stood beside me, suddenly looking nothing like the boy who had walked into the cafeteria and kissed my cheek without a second thought.Then she smiled at me again, and I realized she already knew who I was.“Ryan,” she said, letting his name linger as she slowly walked toward us, while the girl who had been standing beside her stepped aside and folded her arms. “You really didn't tell her?”Ryan's jaw tightened as he moved slightly in front of me, and the small movement made my stomach twist because I could not
Zoey’s POV:I stared at Ryan with my hand still trapped in his, while the cafeteria around us erupted into whispers and the heat from his kiss seemed to spread across my entire face.“What the hell was that?” I asked, pulling my hand free as I finally found my voice, and Ryan straightened beside my chair with an expression that was far too calm for someone who had just caused half the cafeteria to lose its mind.He glanced around at the students watching us before looking back at me with a small smile that made my irritation grow.“What?” he asked, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jacket as though kissing my cheek in front of everyone had been the most normal thing in the world.“You know exactly what,” I said, lowering my voice as I stood from my chair and stared up at him, while Ava covered her mouth with one hand to hide the laugh threatening to escape.Ryan tilted his head toward me, his eyes moving briefly over my face before settling on mine.“I was saying hello to my g
“Gosh, who the hell is that?” I mumbled from my sleep, the noise jerking me out of my dreamland. “Cuss you!” I said, struggling to pick my phone from my bedside table.“Hello,” I answered immediately after picking the call, still half asleep as I nipped the phone to my ear without checking who was calling. I wasn't expecting that voice at all.“Where did you get my number?” I asked, finally sitting up in bed as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “I don't remember sharing that with you yet.”“I just got it from wherever, girlfriend,” he replied, and I could practically hear the smile in his voice. “Why wouldn't your boyfriend have your number? That should be forbidden.”My mouth opened to say something, but I couldn't find the words as I stared blankly at the wall. I had forgotten that I agreed to be his fake girl for the meantime. If I looked back, I seriously didn't know why I agreed. We could have just winged things around even if the rumor was draining.“Are your tongues tied, girlfr







