로그인Hazel’s POVI stared at my phone as my stepdad’s name flashed across the screen for the third time that hour. The sight of it dragged me straight back to that awful night just days earlier, him standing in the doorway with a cold, unyielding expression, pointing at my bag on the porch. “You’ve embarrassed this family enough with all your action and that pathetic livestream,” he had snapped, his voice cutting like ice. “Take your things and get out. Don’t come back until you’ve fixed the mess you made.”This was right after I went live to clear Jaxon's name. He called me to come home, I knew it was bad news already but with Jaxon not taking my calls and everything closing on me. I thought perhaps home would be a better option. But of course, as always that place has lost all it has to be called a home.I had stood there in the rain, bag slung over my shoulder, feeling utterly abandoned. Now here he was calling as if none of that had happened. I finally picked up the phone knowing he
Tiffany’s POVI got an official notice for school delivered in mail. When I got the pop-up notification, I set out my fingers to slide it away because I had developed the habit of skimming subject lines and moving on. But there was something about this particular one that made me pause.“Office of Legal Affairs — Student Conduct Review.”I opened it standing in the middle of my room and read it through twice.The language was different from anything I had seen before. It was precise and formal and listed specific terms I had never seen applied to a student situation, ‘coordinated unlawful entry, documented coercion, potential institutional liability.’“What the fuck is this.” I muttered to myself, reading the mail over again word to word.I walked to my desk and stood very still for a moment.Then I picked up my phone to call Amber.“Have you heard anything? About Hazel. About what she’s doing.”“What do you mean?” Amber’s voice was cautious.“Hold on, let me add Chloe to this call.”
Hazel's POVI opened my eyes and caught Jaxon staring at me from his couch. I was surprised that I'd gotten this much sleep after everything that happened last night. After breakfast, we sat together on his couch, watching the footage Brielle handed over to us four times before I wanted to look away.Each replay made my stomach twist harder. The first time, all I could see was myself. The second time, I noticed the pauses. The third time, I caught the way Tiffany kept stopping the recording and making me start again.By the fourth, I couldn't ignore it anymore.My eyes moved toward the left before every retake. My voice sounded flat whenever I repeated a line. Every hesitation, every restart, every correction was right there on the screen.Anyone paying attention would know I wasn't speaking freely. Jaxon set down his phone on the table, disrupting my thoughts."This is enough to stop her." He spoke upI wrapped both hands around my mug. "Stop her, how?""She's been sitting on her ve
Jaxon’s POVI knew Hazel’s stay in the dorm was out of the way. I looked at Hazel sitting in the passenger seat with her arms still wrapped around herself and decided without overthinking it.“I am taking you home with me.. You can't stay here tonight.,” I said.She looked at me. “Jaxon…”“Don’t.” I put the car in drive. “You can argue with me tomorrow.”She didn’t argue. She turned back to the window and watched the campus move past us and said nothing.When we got home, she sat on the couch and pulled her knees up the same way she had done in the car. I went to the kitchen and made tea because it was the most useful thing I could think of that wasn’t talking.I set the mug on the table in front of her.She looked at it, then at me. “Thank you.”“Don’t thank me yet,” I said. “I’m still figuring out what I’m doing.”Something moved at the corner of her mouth. Not quite a smile but close enough that it loosened something in my chest.We sat in silence. I wasn’t going to push it. Whatev
Jaxon’s POVThe cheerleader stood outside in the parking lot light, one hand still raised from where she had tapped the glass. She was standing alone but she looked almost as unsettled as Hazel did.Hazel’s breath came out sharp. “That’s Brielle.”“From the squad right?”“Yes.” Her voice flattened. “Don’t open the window.”But Brielle was already shaking her head, both hands up now, palms out, something urgent in her expression that didn’t read like a threat.I opened the window just a little in case she wanted to do anything stupid.“I’m not here to cause trouble,” Brielle said immediately. “I just… I need five minutes. Please.”Hazel’s jaw was tight. “You were there tonight.”Brielle closed her eyes for a second. “I know.” “Then you have nothing to say to me.”“Hazel.” Her voice cracked slightly. “I am here to help you. Please just… five minutes. That’s all.”I looked at Hazel. She was staring at Brielle through the glass with an expression that had many emotions. She gave me a s
Jaxon's POV I sit in my car outside Hazel’s dorm for a moment longer, engine still running, hands gripping the wheel. Sasha’s words keep replaying in my head… Hazel was alone and targeted, Tiffany and her group striking the moment she was alone. The campus felt too quiet, the streetlights casting long shadows that did nothing to calm the knot in my stomach. I had driven fast, but now that I was here, a wave of dread held me in place. What if I was too late again? I finally killed the engine and stepped out. The night air was cool and heavy. Inside the dorm, the hallway stretched quietly and unnaturally empty. My footsteps sounded too loud as I moved toward the entrance lounge. That was when I saw her.Hazel sat curled in a dim corner near the side entrance on the bench, knees drawn up, arms wrapped tightly around herself. The overhead light barely reached her, leaving half her face in shadow. Even from a distance, I could tell she wasn’t fully present. Her shoulders were slumped, h
Hazel's POV When we left Mr. Reed's office, I didn't believe I could move my legs. The day was as exhausting as I had predicted but I think it got worse after hearing that my fate now lies in my dad's hand. Jaxon didn’t say much in the car as we drove to his apartment, but he never let go of my h
Hazel's POV I slammed the office door behind me and pressed my spine to it, just to keep myself upright. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, no matter how hard I clenched them, trying too damn hard not to explode.Trey’s voice and my dad's cold stare like he’d already decided I was guilty clung to my
Hazel’s POVThe porch light had gone out completely now. Only the soft glow from the street lamp spilled across the driveway, painting my shadow long and crooked on the concrete in front of me.I rang the doorbell again, even though I already knew it was useless.Nothing.I leaned my forehead again
Hazel’s POVThe rest of the day dragged so slowly. Every sound in the house made me almost jump out of my skin —the clock ticking, the fridge humming, even my own heartbeat. I tried watching TV, listening to music, even folding laundry just to keep busy but none of it worked. My brain kept reflect







