Two surprise...

~Adeline~

"We had to rush through all our preparation just to swing by and pick you up, and you already got into a fight with Camila?" Josie asked, hurrying to catch up as I kept walking.

I stopped short, and she bumped right into my back, then stepped around to face me with cheeks flushed and a flustered look in her eyes.

"I was on my own, like I have been trying to be the past week," I said, my lips trembling as I fought back the tears gathering hot behind my eyes.

"But she could not bear to miss a single chance to bully me. She offered me a ride. I politely declined, only for her to gun her car through the deepest puddle, just to splash muck all over me. Look at me, Josie. I have my placement test this morning. I left early to study a bit before anyone else gets here. Look at me now!" I gestured down at my ruined uniform.

"Come on, Adeline, don't break down right here," she said, glancing quickly around the school grounds.

I shook my head. "I should not have come here at all! I should have stayed back in my old town and endured the pity looks and my viral breakup no matter what!"

She grabbed my hands, rubbing her thumbs gently over my cold knuckles, just as the Jeep rounded the bend and stopped right in front of us.

The passenger door swung open at once.

"Get in, Adeline," Dylan growled from inside, his face twisted tight with anger. There was no arguing with the tone of his voice. I could not even refuse.

Josie pulled the door wider and guided me in. I settled into the seat, pulling my bag close, then dropped the umbrella on the floor.

The second the car door locked, my tears fell in a rush.

"You have to try and stop crying," Caleb said softly, holding out a clean handkerchief from the driver's seat.

I took it gratefully as he pulled away and drove the rest of the way into the school premises. No one spoke while I wiped my face. After a few moments, I recollected myself enough to think clearly again.

Dylan glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his jaw clenched.

"I really do not get why Jasper has been dating that bully for over a year now. Does he not see her for who she really is? She walks around stuck up and proud, acting like the future Luna position is already hers, like everyone else exists just to do her bidding."

I blinked.

"What Luna position?" I asked, confused by the word.

I was so curious what kind of title could make someone act so cruel. It was not just me either. I had noticed last week how she spoke to a quiet girl with long braids.

Since then, I had kept to myself as much as I could. Headphones on, lunch and free periods hidden in the library, even skipping P.E., just to avoid the glares and whispers of these strange students.

Caleb and Dylan exchanged a look.

"Addie, let's get you cleaned up first. Have you forgotten your test?" Josie said gently, squeezing my arm.

"Yeah, my test!" I grabbed my bag tight as we both stepped out the moment the car stopped at the corridor entrance.

I glanced up, spotting Jasper waiting by his car, talking urgently on his phone. His eyes met mine for a heartbeat, hard as always, before he looked away.

"Come on, hurry!" Josie tugged my arm.

I kept my head down as we walked past the few students already gathered, feeling their eyes follow me every step.

We went straight to the nurse's room. She was a bubbly older woman who looked at me with concern the moment we walked in.

Josie spoke with her privately for a minute, then led me over to the curtained corner.

We spent ten minutes scrubbing at the stains, but to my disappointment, the mud only spread and sank deeper instead of lifting away.

Tears blurred my eyes again.

"So I am supposed to take my test in a few minutes, looking exactly like this?" I asked Josie in frustration, watching her hands hover helplessly over my pleated skirt.

The black material hid most of the mess, my jacket was still fine, but my shirt was soaked through and it stuck uncomfortably to my skin.

"We do not have a choice right now, Addie. We cannot go back home. You just have to manage," Josie said softly.

Just then, we heard Lily's voice asking for us from the hallway. Seconds later, she pushed the door open, carrying a big paper bag.

"Oh my god, Adeline!" she gasped when she saw me. I hunched my shoulders, trying to hide, knowing how messy and embarrassing I must look.

"Here, take this. I brought another spare of my uniform for you," she said, pushing the bag toward me quickly.

I took it with a rush of relief.

"Umm, how did you know? Please do not tell me everyone already posted what happened online?"

Josie asked the very question running through my own head.

"Oh no, nothing like that," Lily said, rolling her eyes a little. "My brother called me. Told me to grab this and bring it over as fast as I could."

"What?" I stared, completely mystified. "Jasper?"

I had just snapped at him earlier when he offered me a ride, still angry at him for what his girlfriend did. My hands shook a little as I took the bag from her.

Maybe I had judged him wrongly. Or maybe he was the one being impossible to read.

How am I supposed to be anything but cold, when every time he looks at me it is with a scowl or a glare? I do not think I have ever seen his face look any other way.

I changed while they stepped outside to give me privacy.

When I stepped back out, the uniform felt soft and clean against my skin, smelling rich. I knew her family was wealthy, just from her things and the kind of car Jasper drove.

We thanked the nurse, then headed for the head teacher's office.

"Hey, you have got this," Josie said, tapping my shoulder.

"Thanks. I really need to hear that," I whispered, still feeling weak with stress, even though I wanted to believe her.

"And no more hiding alone in the library every single day this week, okay?" Lily said, with a little playful warning in her tone.

I grimaced, remembering how I had dodged her all last week. "Okay, fine," I said.

They left me at the door, so I stepped inside.

Behind the desk sat a man whose name tag read Oliver Ferguson. He looked up, sniffing as I came in. His expression turned cold the second I stood in front of him.

"Scholarship student," he muttered, glancing at his watch.

"You are late. You should have been here five minutes ago. We need to get this done quickly, so you do not miss your classes."

"I am so sorry," I said. "Something happened on the way because of the rain."

He nodded once, then gestured to a seat set apart by the corner. "Sit."

I sat down, pulled out my pencil and paper, and he set the test in front of me. "One hour" was written clearly at the top with the instructions.

"Your time starts now," he said, then went back to his own work.

For the first ten minutes, I stared blankly at the questions, my mind still tangled up with everything that had happened.

Then I wrote down everything I could remember. Calculus never came easy to me, even at the best of times. Since my parents died, it felt even harder to focus on anything that needed much thinking.

When the hour ended, I handed him my paper, hoping against hope it was enough.

The rest of my classes passed quickly, but the whispers followed me wherever I went. Students glanced at their phones, then back at me, eyes wide.

"First time anyone's ever stood up to Camila like that," someone murmured as I walked back to Mr. Ferguson's office after school, just like he had instructed me to.

I froze the moment I stepped inside.

The Principal was there.

I had met her last week when we spoke about my grades and arranged this test, but what made my breath catch was the tall figure leaning lazily by the window, like he belonged there.

"Miss Cooper," Mr. Ferguson said with a nod.

Jasper was already looking at me, just as confused as I was. Why is he here? I wondered.

The Principal turned and handed me my placement sheet. I looked down at the numbers written above in red ink... 40/100.

I went still, staring at the number until my eyes burned. I looked up to the Principal's face as she sighed out loudly.

“Miss Cooper,” the Principal said, leaning forward across Ferguson’s desk.

“This score is not just poor. It puts your full scholarship in jeopardy. Our agreement with Moonstone Mining is clear: core grades below a C average triggers formal review. One more failing mark in Calculus, and we begin dismissal proceedings by the end of mid term.”

Dismissal! No escape. No future. Not to mention the shame if I return back to my old town now…

“There has to be another way. I’ve had a terrible week, I…”

“There is another way,” she cut in, sliding a second printed form across the desk toward me.

“The academy’s peer tutoring program, we only approve these reciprocal swaps when the grades line up perfectly, and yours do. With Mr. Beckham.”

I blinked. “Jasper Beckham?...”

So that's why he's here.

“Yes, your highest core grade is Literature,” Mr. Ferguson spoke up for the first time, flipping open Jasper’s file on his desk.

“Ninety-two percent last semester. Top of the junior class before you transferred. Meanwhile, Mr. Beckham here has the highest Calculus average in the entire senior year, ninety-eight percent. Straight A’s in every math and science since freshman year.”

He tapped the paper.

“But he is currently failing Literature. Forty-four percent on his last essay. His father, Alpha…ummm Mr. Beckham, as I’m sure you know, runs Moonstone Mining and funds your program, was in my office last Friday. He made himself very clear, if Jasper’s Literature grade does not rise to a B minimum before midterms, he loses the hockey captaincy. No exceptions.”

My mouth went dry.

So Jasper's family owns the Moonstone Mining company that gave me this scholarship? I'm beyond shocked to find out, I look up at his handsome face to see him watching me intently.

Now even the golden boy is just as trapped as I am.

“Which brings us to the arrangement,” the Principal said, folding her hands.

“A direct swap. Just the two of you. Mr. Beckham tutors you in Calculus for ninety minutes, three days a week. You tutor him in Literature for ninety minutes, the other two days. You work out the schedule between yourselves. If either of your grades does not improve to a C minimum within four weeks, you both lose your eligibility. You lose your scholarship, Miss Cooper. Mr. Beckham loses his captaincy, and his spot on the team. Is that understood?”

I stared at the contract. The arrogant jerk who’d glared at me since day one, who was dating the girl who’d just slapped me, was the only thing standing between me and disgrace. And I was the only thing standing between him and probably the one thing he cared about.

“Understood,” I said quietly, because what else could I say?

Jasper pushed off the window, stepping forward to sign his copy of the contract first. When he handed me the pen, his fingers brushed mine, sparks flew through my body as I felt tingles run through me. I gasped as I watched his eyes darken.

I quickly scrawled my name below his.

The Principal collected both signed copies, sliding them into her file.

“Perfect. We’ll check in at the four-week mark. Until then, this is your arrangement to manage. We don’t want updates unless someone fails to show.”

I walked out without waiting, feeling Jasper move behind me as we stepped away from the office.

“So,” he said.

“I fail stupid essay about poets, and I'm stuck with you?”

“Trust me, I’m just as thrilled. I’d rather study Calculus with a pet than spend five minutes alone with you and attract your girlfriend’s bully. But I’m not losing my scholarship because you can’t tell a metaphor from a simile.”

He actually flinched. Just a tiny movement, but I caught it.

“Camila and I aren’t...” He stopped, biting the words off, shaking his head.

“Whatever. Doesn’t matter. We have a job to do. I graduate this year. I lead this team to the championship. I’m not letting you mess that up for me, I’m sure you don’t want me messing up your scholarship, so let’s get this over with.”

He pulled his phone out of his blazer pocket, tapping the screen once before holding it out toward me. The new contact page was open and blank.

“Give me your number. I’ll text you my schedule tonight and you text me yours. We can start tomorrow.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, lifting my chin.

“No.”

His eyebrows pulled up. He blinked, like no one had ever said that single word to him in his entire life.

“No?” he repeated, like he thought he’d misheard. “What do you mean, no?”

“I mean no,” I said. “I’m not giving you my phone number. You want to tell me when practice ends? You can find Josie. Or Lily. Or leave a note on my locker. Or yell it across the cafeteria for all I care. But you don’t get to call me. You don’t get to text me. We meet in the library. We study. We leave. That’s it.”

He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes searched my face like he was trying to figure out if I was actually serious.

The air between us changed. That same strange, hot pull I felt when he’d grabbed Camila’s wrist,not my anger. Something else, something I couldn’t name, something that pulled me toward him even as every instinct screamed at me to run.

Slowly, he lowered the phone.

“Fine,” he replied. “Have it your way. But if you miss a session because my message didn’t get to you, that’s on you. And I swear to god, Cooper, if you drag me down, if you make me lose this captaincy before the championship, you will regret the day you ever stepped foot in this town.”

I looked at his face. The seriousness there showed he wasn't bluffing. I grabbed his phone forcefully from his hands and typed in my number, then shoved it back into his hands.

“There. You have my number now. I don’t need you putting any fault on me...”