LOGINJanessa's POVThe walk back to the condo that evening was the longest, most brutal walk of my entire life.I kept my head down, the heavy straps of my backpack digging into my shoulders, but it was completely useless. I could practically feel the weight of the entire campus staring at me as I walked down the crowded sidewalks. Every time a group of students laughed or hovered over a phone screen, my stomach did a violent flip. I knew exactly what they were looking at. The viral video was everywhere, and the insults seemed to echo off the brick campus buildings like a physical chant. By the time I finally reached the glass doors of Brayden’s building, my chest was tight, and I felt like I was completely suffocating under the pressure.I took the elevator up to the penthouse in a complete daze, my mind racing with Professor Keller’s challenge to use the chaos as fuel for my writing. But right now, I didn't feel like a writer. I just felt like a broken girl trying to find a corner to hi
Brayden's POVI loved practicing, but damn did I hate awkward atmospheres. The scraping sound of hockey skates cutting through the fresh ice echoed loudly off the high rafters, but nobody was talking. Usually, morning practice was loud, filled with the guys shouting drills, slamming sticks against the boards, and laughing. Today? Silence. Every single one of my teammates was skating in tense, rigid lines, their eyes darting toward me whenever they thought I wasn't looking.I mean, if they wanted to say something, they might as well just out and say it.I ignored them all, driving the puck hard against the boards and skating a lap to clear my head. They had all seen the video. It was obvious."Hayes! My office. Now."Coach’s voice boomed across the empty arena, cutting through the heavy air like a whistle. He was standing on the bench by the tunnel, his arms crossed over his heavy winter jacket, his face completely grim.I didn't say a word. I glided over to the gate, stepped off the
Janessa's POVThe next morning, I was sitting in a tiny corner booth of a coffee shop two blocks away from campus, desperately trying to drown my anxiety in a massive cup of black caffeine.The bell above the door kept jingling as students drifted in and out, laughing, chatting, and completely oblivious to the fact that my entire existence had turned into a full-blown war zone. The smell of roasted espresso beans usually calmed me down, but today, it was barely keeping me from jumping out of my skin. My afternoon classes didn't start for another hour, and I was using every single second to just try and find some semblance of peace.On the wooden table next to my mug, my phone sat completely face down. It was dead. I had purposely refused to plug it into the charger last night, wanting nothing more than a single, uninterrupted hour away from the nuclear explosion that was currently happening on the Hayes family group chat. After Trevor’s manic breakdown outside Brayden’s condo yesterd
Brayden's POVI stood right at the security monitor, my eyes locked on the grainy black-and-white feed as Trevor completely lost his mind downstairs.It was quite the sight if I'm being honest. He was slamming his fists against the glass of the lobby gate, his face distorted into something ugly. The buzzer was ringing in a constant, maddening whine because he wouldn't take his damn finger off the button. He looked so darn pathetic, a far cry from the pristine, untouchable golden boy my mother loved to brag about at her country club luncheons.Janessa was standing right next to me, and she was practically hyperventilating. I could hear the ragged, terrified hitches in her breath, her small hands clutching the edge of the marble counter so hard her knuckles looked like white stones."Brayden, oh my god," she whispered, her voice cracking as she stared at the screen. "He's going to kick the glass door in. He's never been like this. Never. What is he doing?""Isn't it obvious? He's throw
Janessa's POVBy the time late afternoon rolled around, the sleek, modern condo felt less like a luxury loft and more like a bunker.The house phone had been ringing off the hook for the past two hours, the loud, intrusive electronic beep ringing off the polished concrete floors. It would ring until it went to voicemail, sit in blissful silence for about two minutes, and then start right back up again. The Hayes family drama had officially gone nuclear after the scene in the hallway, and the fallout was raining down on us.I was hiding in the kitchen, leaning against the matte-black counter and watching the kettle on the stove like it held the secrets to the universe. My hands were wrapped tightly around an empty ceramic mug just to keep them from shaking. I was completely exhausted, mentally and physically. Every time the phone rang, my stomach did a violent flip. I just knew it was Trevor. Or worse, his m
Brayden's POVMy arm was wrapped tight around Janessa’s waist, and I had a front-row seat to the exact moment Trevor’s face turned from a worried boyfriend into an utterly betrayed twin.It was beautiful. The color drained from his face so fast he looked like he’d been hit by a puck mid-stride. His eyes bounced from my hand anchored firmly on Janessa’s hip up to my face, his jaw working silently as his brain completely short-circuited. He looked at us like we were a pair of ghosts, or worse, his worst nightmare brought to life under the flickering fluorescent lights of the humanities building."What the hell is this?" Trevor finally choked out, his voice cracking slightly before it hardened into a sharp glare. He stepped closer, his fists clenching at his sides. "Brayden, take your hands off her. What the hell are you doing with my girlfriend?"I didn't blink, an
Janessa's POVThe next morning, I actually managed to make it onto campus without any parking lot brawls, though my head was completely somewhere else.I was sitting in the back row of a small, cramped classroom for my first creative writing workshop, staring blankly at the chalkboard. The room was
Janessa's POV Walking into Brayden’s private condo was like stepping into an entirely different world.I thought the campus area only had rowdy frat houses and cramped apartments like Caleb’s, but this place was super expensive. It was a massive loft with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over
Janessa's POVIt was officially two in the morning, and I was sitting on my suitcase on the curb, freezing my butt off.The California air was nothing like the warm paradise they show you in the movies. It was freezing, damp, and smelled like car exhaust and disappointment. I pulled my knees up to
Janessa's POV"Trevor… I got in.""Got in… where?" He asked, his attention buried in whatever game he was playing on his phone."Berkeley. I just got the email."I stood there, holding my phone so tightly my knuckles were turning white. My heart was pounding against my ribs, and I could feel this h







