LOGIN“You scared me,” I breathe out, chest pounding so hard it feels like it might burst. A half-smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. It’s just enough to make my pulse spike. Like he enjoys the effect he has on me. My phone screen goes black. All light vanishes. I freeze for a moment, realisation crashing over me. We shouldn’t be here. We're just a student and a teacher in a public library—but it feels different. Electric. Dangerous. Dark. “What are you doing here?” I whisper. Why am I whispering? Why does it feel like we shouldn't be seen here? I glance up at him. In this narrow aisle, surrounded by towering shelves, he looks impossibly tall, almost predatory. He blends into the shadows, the old books, like some creature of the night—daunting, frightening, but magnetic. He steps closer, almost brushing my shoulder, and slides a book into the shelf right by my head. My breath catches. “This is the criminology section,” he murmurs, voice low, a velvet rumble in the silence. He
We replay the footage. 1 p.m., the rush of students flooding the hallway, lockers clanging, sneakers squeaking, hundreds of bodies moving like a river—and then, black. Blank. Empty. Nothing. “Someone deleted it,” the guard mutters, his deep voice sharp with frustration. My breathing picks up, fast and shallow. Sam turns to me, concern written across his face. “Who? Who has access to the cameras?” Tessa asks, her voice sharp but tinged with fear as she looks at me. “I do,” the guard replies, eyes locking on mine. “I’m the only one with access. Nobody else. Everybody has to go through me.” My skin prickles. A cold shiver crawls down my spine. He turns back to the screen, voice low, dangerous. “This was done from inside this room. Someone must’ve broken in after hours. I will find them. Nobody goes through my work without my permission.” I don't hear anything anymore. I shake my head. “Someone is after me… someone is following me… stalking me.” Sam grabs my arms, gentle but fi
“Tristan?” Sam repeats under his breath. “That’s fucking hot.” Delilah frowns immediately. “How does Nick know that?” “Well…” I say, wiggling my eyebrows slightly. “Because… they’re brothers.” “What?!” all three of them blurt out at the same time. Several heads turn in our direction. I immediately lift a finger to my lips and shush them with wide eyes, leaning closer over the table. “Yeah,” I whisper quickly. “Apparently their whole family situation is… insane. Something about them all trying to steal each other’s girlfriends and—” I stop mid-sentence when I catch Delilah’s eyes. Shit. Sam leans closer, curiosity lighting up his face. “And?” “Nothing,” I say quickly. “Nothing?” Tessa repeats, raising an eyebrow. Delilah keeps staring at me. “What did he say?” she asks quietly. I shake my head. “It’s nothing.” “Tell me,” Delilah says, her voice tightening. I shake my head again, a little more firmly this time. I can see it in her face—the moment she realizes I know someth
Katie glares at us the second she sees us, her expression sharp enough to cut. My friends don’t even try to hide it—shock, confusion, something close to betrayal flickers across their faces as they take in the sight of me standing next to Nick. The rest of the class just looks lost, like they’ve walked into the middle of a scene they don’t understand. They all know about our relationship. They all took Nick's side. At the front of the room, Mr. Madden looks furious. Not irritated. Not mildly annoyed. Furious. He smooths his face the second some attention lands back on him. But his eyes stay locked in, like dark pools of horror. Nick, of course, couldn’t care less. “Morning,” he says lightly as he steps inside, holding the door open behind him like we’ve just arrived together for coffee instead of interrupting a lecture. I slip in behind him. The air in the classroom feels frozen. I should’ve just stayed in bed this morning. “Nice of you to join us,” Mr. Madden says slowly, eac
He turns instantly, like he’s been waiting for a reason to snap at someone. His face is already thunder—jaw tight, eyes dark—but the storm shifts the second he sees me. Surprise cracks through it. He lowers his cigarette slowly, smoke curling between us like something alive. “Raven.” “Nick,” I reply, slightly out of breath. Cold air burns my lungs from adrenaline. Snow crunches beneath my sneakers as I try to step past him toward the building. I’m already late. Every second counts. But Nick’s hand shoots out and grabs my wrist before I can take another step. My defenses snap up instantly. The warmth of his fingers feels like shackles. “Why hasn’t Delilah returned any of my calls?” he asks sharply. I stare at him. “Because you’re a dick?” I answer dryly. His mouth tightens. For a moment he studies me with an expression that’s difficult to read. Something almost thoughtful passes through his eyes. “I always liked you, Raven,” he says finally, voice lower now. “You’re prote
“What can I do?” I ask, rubbing my forehead as I stare at the row of wine bottles still sitting on the counter like silent witnesses.“Call the police!” Delilah shouts immediately.“And then what?” Sam counters with heavy sarcasm. “Yes officer, someone left six expensive bottles of wine at my house. Clearly the work of a dangerous criminal and not, you know, a secret admirer.”“But it could be a stalker,” Delilah fires back.“Are there no cameras in the hallway at school?” Tessa cuts in sharply.I pause mid-step as I carry my plate toward the living room. The question hits something in my brain, and I stop moving entirely.Cameras.Slowly, I turn back toward the kitchen counter where the box still sits open.“Yes,” I say quietly. “There are.”“Well there you go,” Delilah says with firm certainty. I can practically picture her crossing her arms. “Tomorrow we go to security and ask if we can see the footage.”“So exciting!” Sam squeals dramatically.I can’t help it, I giggle too, a smal
“I need to get laid,” I announce the moment I ceremoniously dump my bag onto the cafeteria table. Three heads snap up instantly. “That bad?” Delilah asks. “You mean that good?” Sam counters with a wicked smirk. I drop into my chair and toss Mr. Madden’s card onto the table like it personally off
I can't focus. I try emailing the summary again. The message bounces back immediately, just like before. The error notification stares at me from the corner of my screen like it’s mocking me. I'm too scared to ask Mr. Madden if I can leave the classroom. Sam keeps whispering questions, little mur
“Fuck!” My hand slams against the printer, a sharp crack echoing in the empty reception area. Why isn’t it working?! The screen flashes some cryptic error I’ve never seen before, and my card keeps getting rejected. My chest tightens, each heartbeat like a hammer against my ribs. I check my watch
I drive back with music blasting, but my mind isn’t on the playlist. The roads are busy, but every car around me, every rearview mirror reflection, feels loaded with meaning. Maybe it’s the fact that someone got into my locker and left my favorite wine—or maybe it’s just me—but I can’t shake the fe







