LOGINLeonie’s POVI had plans.Not so many of them but they were carefully thought out. I had perfectly arranged my life in my head and was certain that nothing could ruin my imaginations.I had strongly believed that my life would continue to go as it is written in my script. At least, to some extent. But I was wrong. It was as if the universe was reminding me of my place beneath it. All the plans I had, and the goals I set were now scattered after so many cracks. I wasn’t even sure if I had anyone to hold onto anymore. And the students in Hillsborough made it clear that they wanted me to break. They stared, whispered and stopped whenever I got closer.But I didn't break. Despite the situation, I couldn't bring myself to give up. Their stares were the least of my worries. My failed plan and my crumbling future was my priority.Rowan. He was my plan B after dumping Julian. I wanted to keep him for a promising future. It was supposed to be easy for me but it became an impossible task wh
Rowan’s POVI knew it.I knew Theo would react badly. I knew he would argue. I knew he would resist.But I didn’t expect… those particular words.I stood in the middle of my room long after he left, staring at the closed door like it had personally offended me.“Messing with him?”I let out a dry, humorless laugh. Of all the words he could have used. Of all the ways he could have dismissed what I told him, he chose that.He even called it a prank.Like I had nothing better to do than make up stories about secret political groups and risk getting both of us into deeper trouble.Like I was joking or stupid.My jaw tightened.“No,” I muttered under my breath. “He is the stupid one.”I ran a hand through my hair, pacing the room as my frustration morphed into anger. I had gone back to Whitcombe’s office. I had stood there, listening to things I wasn’t supposed to hear. Things that could destroy families. Things that could drag us into something far bigger than school rules and punishment
Theo’s POVMy life had turned into the biggest scandal in the history of Hillsborough. Why was I ever desperate for attention? Why didn't I specify the type of attention I wanted before asking for it? Now, the universe has given me more than I could bear. Instead of fame, I had become infamous. Popular for the worst thing ever. Physically, I was sitting with my friends but my mind was elsewhere. It was everywhere. I thought about the repercussion of the video Marcus posted. I thought about the punishment principal Whitcombe gave me. I thought about my family's reaction if they found out that I was involved in the same scandal that sent me out of my previous school. My friends had been around me all evening, but they didn't know what was going on inside me. They talked about random things, I pretended to listen but I wasn't. Louis would have noticed because nothing seemed to escape his piercing gaze. But Julian and Noah… they wouldn't notice even if you call their attention to it.
Rowan’s POVShould I tell Theo? Or should I keep my mouth shut?The question followed me all the way from the school area to my room, echoing in my head like a song. Tell him.Don’t tell him.Tell him.Don’t tell him. By the time I pushed my door open, I felt like I was carrying something heavy on my chest. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, leaning against it for a second.The room was quiet. Usually, I liked it but now, the silence made my thoughts louder. Especially principal Whitcombe’s voice in my head. “Through Rowan, we can reach his family.”I pushed myself off the door and walked further into the room, running a hand through my hair. To be honest, I was scared. This wasn’t normal fear. It was not the kind that came from getting caught breaking rules or facing punishment.This was different.It was alive inside me. It felt like I was standing at the edge of something dangerous without knowing how far it was. It felt like one wrong move could drag everything do
Rowan’s POVI tried everything I could to counter principal Whitcombe's idea of punishment but nothing worked on her. An extra month of working in the library and pretending not to know each other. What kind of punishment was that?She had made it sound like a simple rule, but we both knew it was more than that. It was a warning that said ‘one more mistake and you are finished’.I didn't care to be done with the school but I cared about the means of the termination. If I eventually leave this school, I would like it to be on a clean record. I don't want to be on my mother's bad side again. About home, I wanted to ask principal Whitcombe if the news about the video had spread outside school. So I turned back to her office. Something about the conversation in her office kept bothering me. The way she had looked at Theo. The way she mentioned his family.It hadn’t felt like a normal school discipline meeting.It felt calculated as if she wanted to use his current situation to tame him
Theo’s POVThe moment I noticed Principal Whitcombe standing at the entrance of the dining hall, my heart began to pound. She didn't approach us, neither did she make an attempt to. She just stood there, watching us like it was a reality show. The entire hall seemed to notice her at the same time because conversations died down one after another until the room fell into an uneasy silence. Even the clatter of cutlery stopped.Principal Whitcombe’s gaze moved slowly across the room before settling on me and Rowan again. “Theo and Rowan,” she called. Her voice echoed across the hall.“Come with me.”That was all she said, but the tone in her voice left no room for argument.As I stepped away from the table, I could practically feel hundreds of eyes burning into my back. Rowan moved beside me.Neither of us said anything. Leonie didn’t say anything as we passed her, but her glare followed me like a warning.As we walked across the dining hall, whispers started again.“They’re in tro
Rowan's POV I woke up with a pounding in my head. The kind that made every blink hurt and every movement a minor annoyance. My eyes scanned the room and thankfully, the room was familiar. I was in my bed, I could see my window and other things but I couldn't see nor remember anything from last nig
Theo's POV I shouldn’t have been smiling, but I was. Watching the video brought back everything I felt that night. I hate to admit it but if I was given the chance to go back to that night, I'd focus more on the kiss than making a video. But it's all good because I get to watch the video over and
Theo's POV I knew exactly what I had done. It wasn’t poisonous, nor was it anything dangerous. It was a little way of marking my territory, a way of showing him who was in control. Just a crushed candy dissolved into his drink, he was already shaking like a jelly fish. What if I had added more? I
Rowan's POV I should have known better.I should have known that avoiding Theo in this school was never going to be simple.I had tried everything I could. Giving short answers, avoiding eye contact, walking different routes, sitting farther away in the dining hall. I even went to Principal Whitco







