MasukJACK'S POVEvery step Aaron took toward my desk looked reluctant. His shoulders were stiff, and his grip tightened around the strap of his bag.The professor had already gone back to writing across the whiteboard by the time he reached my row.He stopped beside the empty chair, glanced at me once, then quietly pulled it out.He sat down carefully, leaving as much space between us as the chair would allow, his bag resting awkwardly on his lap before he finally placed it on the floor.The little towel-wrapped ice pack was still in his hand. Without thinking, my eyes drifted to the bandage taped across his forehead.Then, I recalled how he had walked into that locker.Earlier, he had said it didn't hurt much but I could tell he was lying.Aaron looked up and our eyes met for a brief moment. Almost immediately, he turned his face toward the front of the class, pretending to be deeply interested in whatever the professor was explaining.I did the same too."Open your textbooks to page fort
AARON'S POVHis hand stopped midway, like he had suddenly realized what he wanted to do. He let his hands fall back to his side.“It's… it's swelling already.” He murmured instead, gaze fixed on the sore spot.I swallowed hard.Did he see me walk into that locker? Fuck.How did he know I had an injury? My hair covered it slightly so it wasn't really noticeable. He definitely saw me walk into that locker.My knees nearly buckled.“Yeah.” I forced out, my voice low. “I know.”Another silence settled between us."I was heading to the clinic anyway," I added, awkwardly rubbing the sore spot again. "Before it gets worse."Jack glanced at my forehead once more before giving a small nod. "Good."I couldn't help wondering why he was standing here with me in the first place.Wasn't he supposed to be with that girl?The new girl. The same girl everyone had assumed was his date.My chest tightened.I shifted my bag higher on my shoulder. "So..." I cleared my throat. "I should go."He nodded si
AARON'S POVThe moment our fingers touched, I pulled my hand back quickly.I didn't even think.My body reacted before my brain could catch up.For half a second, the room seemed to disappear. There was only the warmth that had brushed against my skin and the stupid way my heart lurched because of something so small.It was ridiculous.I snatched the pen from the floor without looking at him and forced myself upright.Don't look at him.Just don't.I stared so hard at my answer sheet that the words blurred together.What was the question again?Something about...Shit.I had no idea.I swallowed, blinking several times before reading the sentence again.Still nothing.My brain refused to cooperate."Focus, Mr. Smithy." Professor Robin's voice cut through the silence.I looked up so quickly my neck almost cracked. "Huh?"He sighed dramatically from the front of the room."I mean..." He tapped his own paper with his pen. "Your test is in front of you. Not beside you."Heat flooded my fa
JACK'S POVI was already regretting agreeing to this.At home, mom had insisted. "Just make sure she gets to the administration office. That's all I'm asking."Apparently, "that's all" came with every student on campus staring at us. Though, Claire Beaumont didn't seem bothered in the slightest.She'd only moved into our aunt's house a couple of days ago while her parents stayed overseas to finish work. Claire was my cousin, and Mom had decided that made it my responsibility to walk her to the administration office on her first day.She walked beside me calmly, taking in the massive campus with quiet curiosity while I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead, pretending not to hear the whispers following us."Who's she?""She's gorgeous.""She looks expensive.""No wonder Jack rejected Vanessa.""She has to be the pretty date he mentioned yesterday."I rubbed a hand over my face.Pretty date?They were getting it all wrong. I never said my date partner was a girl. And besides, how can I ask
AARON'S POVI barely slept.Every time I closed my eyes, Mr. Harrison's face found me again, his voice calm and polite, as he talked about my parents like they were pieces on a chessboard."They're devoted Christians, aren't they?""Imagine finding out their son spends his nights sneaking into clubs...""Let's make sure your parents never have to find out where their son spends his nights."By the time my alarm finally rang, I wasn't even sure I'd actually fallen asleep. My head throbbed, my eyes burned, and the notes I'd spent half the night reading for today's test with Jack were scattered all over my bed.I dragged myself into the shower, hoping the cold water would wake me up, but it didn't do much. The mirror was even less encouraging.Dark circles.Red eyes.Great.I looked exactly how I felt.Downstairs, the smell of toast and fried eggs drifted through the house, and for one brief moment I wished I could stay home and crawl back into bed."Morning, sweetheart," Mom greeted the
AARON'S POVThe strange feeling of someone following me still lingered.I told myself I was just imagining it. I had already turned around once and there had been nobody there, just people walking past the restaurant, cars crawling through the street, and a couple laughing on the opposite sidewalk.Maybe I was just paranoid.After everything that had happened these past few days, maybe my brain had finally decided to torture me.I let out a slow breath and pushed the thought aside before pulling the restaurant door open.The smell of coffee and grilled food hit me immediately.For a second, I simply stood there, letting my eyes adjust as they wandered across the room until they landed on him.Mr. Harrison.He was seated in the far corner with a dark face cap pulled low over his forehead, one hand lazily wrapped around a coffee mug while the other rested on the table.The moment our eyes met, my stomach dropped.He raised a hand slightly. "Over here."My legs suddenly felt heavy, but I
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 POVThe moment we stepped out of the principal’s office, the tension followed us into the hallway.No one spoke.Jack walked beside me for a few seconds before moving slightly ahead like he didn’t even notice I was there anymore. His hands were shoved inside his pockets and his expression l
AARON'S POVI tried focusing on the lecture but every five seconds, my brain kept replaying Vanessa kissing Jack right in front of the entire class like some dramatic scene from a teen movie nobody asked for.And annoyingly, the more I tried not to think about it, the more it kept bothering me.Whi
JACK’S POVMonday morning.I was halfway through stuffing books into my bag when my gaze landed on the small bunch of keys sitting on my drawer.Aaron’s keys.For a few seconds, I just stared at them silently.Then, annoyingly, my brain dragged me right back to Saturday night. The backyard behind V







