LOGINJACK'S POVAaron stared at me like I had just materialized out of thin air.For a second, I almost laughed.Kyle looked startled at first. Then, he nudged Aaron. "Uh... Aaron?"Aaron blinked rapidly before forcing himself to look away from me. "I..." His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "I didn't know you would want to.”An amused smile tugged at the corner of my lips."Well, I don't think either of us has much of a choice," I said casually as I pulled my chair back and sat down.I unwrapped my cutlery and reached for my drink like nothing about this was unusual.Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Aaron swallowing hard.Emily looked between the two of us. "Professor Rachelle clearly knows what she's doing.”Before Aaron could say anything, I answered."She does.”Aaron shot me a quick look that anyone else would have missed.I didn't.Kyle leaned back in his chair but didn't say anything.I picked up my fork. "Professor Rachelle said we're supposed to get to know each other
JACK'S POVWednesday mornings always started with hockey practice.The sharp blast of Coach's Kieran whistle echoed across the field before the sun had fully climbed overhead, dragging every last one of us into position.I rolled my shoulders, twirling my hockey stick once before dropping into position."Move the ball!" Coach barked.The drill started immediately.The ball flew from one stick to another. I trapped it cleanly, slipped past two defenders and accelerated toward the striking circle before firing it straight into the bottom corner.The net rippled."Again!" Coach shouted.Typical.Scoring once was never enough for him.I jogged back to midfield while Deaton caught up beside me, breathing harder than I was."Are you trying to make the rest of us look bad?" he muttered jokingly."I don't have to try." I replied and threw him a teasing stare.He snorted. "Cocky bastard."I smirked without looking at him.Then, the whistle blew again.Another run.Another goal.Then, Coach fin
AARON'S POVNot only did he apologize. He called me Ronnie, and there was this soft look in his eyes. For a moment, neither of us spoke. I was too dumbfounded to speak. This is was the last thing I was expecting. Jay apologizing to me? I never thought about it. The thought never crossed my mind at all.I was beyond shocked when the words left his lips.“Uh… I… it's okay.” I forced myself to say when the silence was becoming a little too long. Jay stood there for a while, watching me. Then, he slowly walked over. My heart pounded with each step he took closer to me. Shit. Then he stopped in front of me, and squatted, looking up at my face. I looked away, knowing I couldn't hold eye contact right now. Then, I felt his fingers on my chin as he gently turned my head to face him.“Look at me.” He muttered. and I swallowed hard.Fuck.“Did…” He began, but paused, like he was trying to think of how to ask what he had in mind. “Did you get into trouble with that guy again?” Mr. Harri
AARON'S POV“Yes!” I whispered to myself, smiling brightly. Then, I checked my phone again to make sure that I wasn't hallucinating.I wasn't.The message sat clear on the screen.“Reservation Confirmed. Host: Jay.”Maybe Kyle was right again. Maybe Jay is no longer angry about that night. Maybe he really misunderstood the whole thing and judged me.Oh fuck.“Yes!!!” I screamed loudly again before I could stop myself. “Aaron?!” As soon as I heard my mom's voice, my heart skipped a beat. I quickly rushed towards the door, opened it and stepped out.She stood at the base of the stairs, staring up, hands placed on her waist. “Are you trying to scream down the entire house?” She asked.I smiled awkwardly. “No, sorry.” She rolled her eyes and was about walking away when I suddenly recalled something.“Mom.” I called out.If I was going to see Jay tonight, I needed to tell her that I was going to read overnight at Kyle's place. “Uh…” I began, trying to keep my voice calm. “I'll be stayi
AARON'S POVBy the time the school's closing bell rang, the whole incident in the cafeteria had spread across campus. Everywhere we walked, people were talking about it. Some lowered their voices when they saw me while others didn't even bother."I still can't believe Jack defended him.""That girl almost licked his shoe.""Did you see Aaron stop her?""The whole thing was insane."“That girl really needs to change her friends.”“True. They couldn't even help her.”I shoved my hands into my pockets and kept walking. Kyle matched my pace beside me, kicking at a loose stone on the pavement. Chloe had already left after her last class. She said her dad was picking her up early because they had somewhere to be, so it was just the two of us making our way toward the school gate.For a while, we just walked quietly.Then, Kyle sighed. "I can't stop thinking about it."I glanced at him. "About what?"He gave me a look. "What happened in the cafeteria."Another silence settled between us.Kyl
JACK'S POVThe school was almost empty when I got to the back field. The evening sun hung low in the sky, stretching long shadows across the cracked pavement behind the old gymnasium. The noise from basketball practice drifted faintly from the courts on the other side of campus, mixed with the occasional whistle from the football field.Apart from that, there was silence. This was exactly the kind of place you would choose if you didn't want anyone to listen to your conversation.I slipped both hands into my pockets and leaned against the faded concrete wall, waiting.Alex had been the one to ask for this meeting which meant one of two things.He was either finally ready to tell me who U.X. was or this was a complete waste of my time.Knowing who Alex was, I wasn't exactly optimistic.A few seconds later, footsteps echoed through the narrow path beside the gym.Alex appeared.He slowed the moment he saw me, his shoulders stiff, his eyes darting around the area before settling on me.H
JACK’S POVSecret lover?I almost scoffed out loud at Professor Robin’s question.The laughter around the classroom slowly died down after a while, but Aaron still looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him.His face was slightly red as he stared down at his test paper. I looked do
AARON'S POVFencing practice was the only thing that had felt normal all day. The moment I stepped onto the strip and tightened my grip around the foil, my head finally started clearing a little. Coach blew the whistle lightly from the side as my opponent lunged first.I stepped aside quickly and
(Aaron's Pov)I had been washed clean of all the self-righteous, audacious ideas. “Nothing,” I screamed out immediately. “Nothing, Jack!”“That's right,” he said, his voice smug but I didn't care. I had just had enough.He let go of my head, letting my body drop fully to the wet floor. A moment lat
(Aaron's Pov)Desperately, my sword found her left side, and I stabbed her, with only a few seconds left on the clock.Yes!A small smattering of enthusiastic applause and even a cheer echoed through the room as our Coach, and referee, called out a point for me.I took off my head gear, grinning. M







