Masuk~Noah~I was almost outside when I remembered that I had left something important in my locker.It was my phone charger.I stopped in the middle of the entrance hall and stared at the ceiling, wondering whether the universe was deliberately testing me. I could survive the afternoon without a charger, but the thought of my phone dying before I could arrange Grace’s transport was irritating enough to make me turn around.I had barely taken three steps back toward the staircase when I heard a familiar voice.“Mr. Romanov?”I turned.One of the teachers stood a few feet away, clutching a stack of papers to her chest. Mrs. Bennett, if I remembered correctly. She taught one of the subjects I had already decided I wasn’t going to attend today.Her expression suggested that she had been looking for me.Wonderful.“Noah Romanov,” she said, approaching with the expression of someone who had finally located a particularly troublesome student. “Where exactly do you think you’re going?”“Out.”He
~Noah~The corridor was nearly empty by the time I reached the quieter side of the building, but my thoughts continued circling back to the same irritating problem. Grace.I could still see her standing in front of me, her wet hair framing her face as she pleaded with me not to interfere.She had looked so frightened, and the most infuriating part was that she wasn’t frightened for herself alone. She was worried about what Arabella might do to me, as though I were the one who needed protecting.I had spent years learning not to get involved in other people’s problems. It was a simple rule, and for the most part, it worked.People were exhausting. They lied, manipulated, and begged for help before resenting you for giving it.They wanted you to fight their battles but hated you for the consequences, and most of the time, the smartest thing to do was keep your distance. Yet here I was, breaking my own rules for a girl who could barely look me in the eye.I stopped beside a window ove
~Noah~By the time I reached the locker room, my patience had deteriorated considerably.The place was nearly empty, save for a few guys changing after their afternoon training, and the smell of deodorant, damp towels, and whatever cheap body spray someone had apparently emptied into the air made me want to turn around and leave.I ignored them and headed straight for my locker, hoping I could change without having to endure another conversation.Unfortunately, the universe appeared determined to test how much irritation one person could tolerate in a single afternoon.I had barely pulled the locker door open when a familiar voice spoke behind me.“Jesus Christ, Noah. What happened to you?”I didn’t turn around as I reached for my spare clothes. “Nothing.”“Nothing?” The amusement in his voice was unmistakable. “You look like you lost a fight with a swimming pool.”I pulled my wet shirt over my head and tossed it onto the bench. “Congratulations. Your powers of observation are improvi
~Noah~Was she seriously kidding?I folded my arms across my chest, ignoring the water dripping from my sleeves. “She was already coming after you.”“Yes, but now she has a reason to be angry with you, too.”“And?”Grace looked at me as though I had just announced that I intended to set the entire school on fire. “And she’ll make your life miserable!”I glanced down at my soaked clothes before looking back at her. “She seems to have made an excellent start.”“Noah!” she exclaimed, clearly growing frustrated with my refusal to take her seriously. “Please, I’m being serious.”“So am I.”“No, you’re not!” she argued, and for the first time since she had approached me, I noticed a little fire in her eyes.It was faint, almost immediately smothered by the nervousness that seemed to follow her everywhere, but it was there.Apparently, Grace was capable of being assertive when she was sufficiently desperate. Who knew?She drew a shaky breath and continued, “Arabella is not like other people.
~Noah~I was halfway across the courtyard when I heard someone running behind me.I ignored at first, hoping that whoever it was would eventually realise I wasn’t interested in having a conversation and find something better to do with their time.My clothes were soaked, water dripped from my hair onto my face, and my shoes made an irritating squelching sound with every step.I could feel the cold fabric sticking to my skin, and the unpleasant sensation was doing absolutely nothing to improve my mood.All I wanted was to get to my locker, change into something dry, and find somewhere quiet enough that nobody would feel compelled to speak to me.“Noah!”The soft voice called my name again, this time with enough urgency to make me stop.I turned around, already preparing myself to deal with whatever problem had decided to follow me, only to find Grace hurrying toward me with her skirt clinging to her legs and her blouse thoroughly soaked, making her whole figure transparent enough. Her
~Arabella~Noah reached the pool wall and pushed Grace toward the edge. “Grab her!” he shouted.One of the students nearby immediately pulled Grace out.I was still staring at Noah when he climbed out of the pool, water streaming from his hair and clothes. His eyes landed on me.For a second, neither of us said anything. Then his expression hardened. “You,” he said quietly.I lifted my chin. “What?”“You really thought that was a good idea?”I scoffed. “She deserved it.”Noah stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “You pushed her into a twenty-one-foot pool.”“She can swim!”“You know that’s a lie.”I rolled my eyes. “That’s not my problem.”Noah stepped toward me while I instinctively stepped back, but my heel landed on the wet tile. “Don’t come any closer,” I warned. He looked so scary now. I wondered if Grace was his girlfriend or something that he was acting all protective. But then he stopped and my breathing calmed down. However, his mouth curved into the







