LOGINJasper’s POVThe silence on the other end of the line stretched so long that I started to think the call had disconnected. I pulled my phone away from my ear to check the screen, still connected, still showing the call timer ticking upward.“Sarah?” I said, bringing the phone back to my ear. “Are you still there?”I was about to hang up and try calling again when her voice came through, quiet and shaky.“Yeah,” she said. “I’m here.”I waited, giving her space to collect her thoughts. My heart was still pounding, and I realized I was gripping my phone so tightly my knuckles had gone white.“The truth is…” Sarah started, then paused. I could hear her take a deep breath. “The truth is, yes. I like you, Jasper. I have since the first time I saw you.”My breath caught in my throat. Even though part of me had suspected it, hearing her actually say the words out loud made everything feel suddenly very real.“It was stupid, I know,” Sarah continued, her words coming faster now like she needed
Jasper’s POVI sat on my bed staring at Sarah’s contact information on my phone. My thumb hovered over the call button as I replayed the scene in my mind.“At least I’m not a pornstar!”Jane’s voice rang in my ears, venomous and cutting. The way Sarah had frozen, the flash of pain in her eyes before the anger took over, it had all happened so fast. But what really stuck with me was what Jane had said right before that, almost like she was trying to justify her cruelty: “At least I’m not desperate for Jasper’s attention.”The implication was clear. Jane thought Sarah liked me. Was trying to get close to me. And honestly? Part of me had wondered the same thing, especially after we’d spent that afternoon shopping together, laughing and talking like old friends.I was still processing everything when I heard footsteps approaching my door. A moment later, Xavier pushed it open without knocking, leaning against the doorframe with a tissue pressed to his nose. He looked terrible, red-rimmed
Tara’s POVI watched in horror as the situation spiraled completely out of control. Sarah’s words had clearly struck a nerve with Jane, whose face had turned bright red with fury. But Sarah wasn’t backing down. If anything, she seemed to be gaining momentum.“You think you’re so special, Jane?” Sarah continued, her voice loud enough for the entire classroom to hear. “You think you can treat people however you want and there won’t be consequences? Well, I’m done being quiet. I’m done letting you walk all over me.”“Sarah, please,” I tried to interject, holding up my hands. “This isn’t the way to handle this.”But there was no stopping Sarah now. Jane had pushed her too far, said things that cut too deep, and now all of Sarah’s pent-up anger was pouring out.“You want to talk about desperate?” Sarah said, taking another step toward Jane. “Let’s talk about how desperate you are for Jasper’s attention. How you lied about him buying you that bracelet. How you ditched your friends to hang o
Jasper’s POVI watched from my seat as Tara placed her hands gently on Tony’s shoulders, leaning in close to say something I couldn’t hear. Whatever advice she was giving him, he seemed to be listening intently, nodding along with a serious expression on his face.I hated it.I absolutely hated watching them stand there together like that, so comfortable with each other, so at ease. My jaw clenched involuntarily, and I could feel my hands curling into fists on top of my desk. The sight of Tara touching him so casually made something dark and uncomfortable twist in my chest.I needed to do something. I needed to break this up before I lost my mind completely.Just then, I sensed movement in my peripheral vision. Sarah was walking in our direction, carrying what looked like a hair tie or scrunchie in her hand. She was scanning the room, probably looking for someone specific.An idea formed in my mind instantly. I could use Sarah to interrupt whatever was happening between Tara and Tony.
Tara’s POVThe next morning, I woke up feeling like I hadn’t slept at all. My eyes felt heavy and swollen, my head ached, and my body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. I’d tossed and turned all night, replaying the argument with Jane over and over in my mind.I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for school mechanically. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and pulled on my uniform without really thinking about what I was doing. My mind was still foggy with exhaustion and anxiety.As I was putting on my shoes, my phone buzzed. I picked it up and saw a text from Tony.Hey! Ready for the first day back? Hope you’re doing okay.I managed a small smile despite everything. Tony always had a way of checking in at the right time.I’m okay. Just tired. See you at school.I was about to put my phone away when another notification popped up. This time, it was from Jake.I’ll call you later today. We need to talk.I stared at the message for a long moment, my emotions swirling. Part of
Tara’s POVI stood frozen on the sidewalk, my phone pressed tightly against my ear, trying to process what Zoey had just told me. Jane had been with Jasper? Holding hands? My mind was spinning with confusion and hurt.“Zoey,” I said carefully, trying to keep my voice steady. “You need to calm down and explain exactly why you’re so angry at Jane.”I could hear Zoey taking a deep breath on the other end, trying to control her emotions. “Okay. Listen. Jane saw the selfie we posted. The one with you, me, and Sarah.”“Okay,” I said slowly. “And?”“And she completely lost it,” Zoey said, her voice rising again with frustration. “She called me screaming about how we went behind her back to hang out with Sarah. She said we were being terrible friends and that we should have told her Sarah was going to be there.”My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “But we didn’t even plan for Sarah to be there. It was a coincidence. She just happened to run into us.”“I told her that!” Zoey exclaimed. “I tried







