LOGIN~HEATHER~The moment the front door closed behind Rhea and Zander, my smile disappeared.I let out a long sigh and leaned against the wall, watching the door for a few seconds before pulling out my phone.I had messages waiting for me.Kai had sent several, asking how I was doing, whether I had eaten, and if I needed anything. There was even a message telling me to call him whenever I felt like talking.Mason, on the other hand, had barely said anything.I scrolled through our conversation, reading his last few messages again. They weren’t particularly cold, but they weren’t exactly reassuring either.The person I wanted to worry about me the most didn’t seem particularly worried at all.And yes, I knew Mason wasn’t my boyfriend. I had no right to expect him to act like one, but that didn’t stop me from wondering why he hadn’t come with Zander. If he cared about me as much as he claimed, wouldn’t he have wanted to see me?I locked my phone and ran my fingers through my hair.God, I wa
~RHEA~We stayed in bed longer than either of us intended, stealing kisses whenever one of us tried to get up. At some point, Zander decided that my face was apparently the most interesting thing in the world because he wouldn’t stop kissing my cheeks, nose and forehead.“Are you going to let me go at some point?” I asked, laughing as he pulled me back against him for another kiss.“I’m considering it.”“Zander!”“What? I’ve barely seen you in days. I have some catching up to do.”I shook my head, smiling as I finally managed to climb out of bed. “Come on. I want to show you around town.”He sat up, watching me with an amused expression. “You’re taking me on a date?”“I’m showing you around.”“Sounds like a date to me.”“Then you can stay here.”He immediately got out of bed. “Lead the way, Ladybug.”I laughed as I reached for my phone, then glanced at him while he straightened his shirt.“By the way, how did you even find me?”He looked up. “What do you mean?”“I mean, how did you kn
~RHEA~I took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to begin.“I didn’t hate you because I knew you, Zander. I hated you because of what I had heard about you.”He raised an eyebrow but remained quiet, allowing me to continue.“Back in school, everyone had something to say about you. There were rumours about the girls you dated, the fights you got into, the parties you attended and all the trouble you supposedly caused. And then there was Lyra.”“Your sister?”I nodded. “She was completely in love with you. She talked about you all the time, and I couldn’t understand it. I couldn’t understand why she would like someone who, according to everyone, was such a terrible person. I thought she deserved better.”He shifted slightly, watching me.“So, one day, our teacher asked us to write an article about something we were passionate about. Something we felt strongly about. I chose you.”His lips twitched.“Lucky me.”I gave him a small smile before continuing.“I poured everything into
~ZANDER~For a moment, neither of us moved.I stood by the doorway, taking her in as though I needed to convince myself she was actually standing in front of me. I had spent the last few days searching for her, calling her, and wondering whether she was safe. Even after finding out what Chase had done to her, I hadn’t been able to settle until I saw her with my own eyes.Now she was right there.Her eyes were still a little swollen, and I could tell she had been crying, but there was something different about her. She looked lighter somehow, as though a weight she had been carrying for a long time had finally been lifted. I didn’t know what had happened since she left campus, but I was glad to see even the smallest hint of peace on her face.She was still staring at me, her lips slightly parted.I raised an eyebrow. “Are you not going to give me a hug?”Her expression wavered.“Don’t act like you didn’t miss me, Ladybug. I’ve been standing here long enough.”That did it. Her face crum
~RHEA~“So, when are you planning to go back?”I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth and looked across the breakfast table at my father.“Wow. I’m barely here for a few days, and you’re already trying to get rid of me?”He chuckled, shaking his head as he reached for his coffee. “That’s not what I said.”“Sounded like it to me.”“I’m just worried about you, sweetheart. I know exams are coming up, and I don’t want everything that’s happened to affect your schoolwork.”I leaned back in my chair with a dramatic sigh. “Dad, let’s be honest. I’m not going to pass those exams anyway.”“Rhea.”“What? I’m only being realistic.”Heather snorted beside me, nearly choking on her juice. My father gave me a disapproving look, but I caught the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.“I’m serious,” he said. “You can’t keep putting your life on hold because of everything that’s happened. I don’t want you throwing that away.”“I know, Dad.”And I did.Surprisingly, after confronting my mother, I
~RHEA~I stopped pacing when Heather finally spoke.“Your mother did what?”I dragged both hands through my hair, struggling to keep myself calm. “She was the only other person who knew about the article, Heather. The only one. Now that I think about it, it’s all clicking,”Heather stared at me for a moment before letting out a string of curses.“What kind of mother does that to her own child?” she demanded, getting to her feet. “Seriously, Rhea. What kind of mother deliberately tries to ruin her daughter’s life?”I swallowed, my throat tightening.“She gave Chase my diary on purpose knowing fully well he could use it against me” I said quietly. “Maybe she thought he would be enough to keep me away from Zander, but when he kept wasting time, she decided to take matters into her own hands.”The realization made my stomach turn.It was one thing to have Chase use my secrets against me. I had expected that from him. But my mother? The woman who had raised me? The woman who was supposed t
~RHEA~ “He left you on the curb?” Heather screeched, horrified, as she led me up to her room.I had called her earlier and she had immediately given me the location of her dorm and luckily, she had taken my luggage with her.“Technically, I got out of his car and he can't exactly force me” I mut
~RHEA~ Girlfriend?“Girlfriend?” Heather, Chase and Sienna echoed as they stared at me like I knew a fuck about what was going on.The murmurs began as everyone in the crowd stared at us with wide eyes and I could see the questions in their eyes but they seemed too scared to speak.Before I could
~ZANDER~ Something was seriously wrong with me.Because for the last twenty minutes, all I could think about was a girl in a stupid Ladybug shirt.It made no fucking sense.Girls like her were exactly the kind I stayed away from, the ones that were too bright, too innocent looking and too soft.
~RHEA~ I wanted to look away but I couldn't.My eyes stayed locked on Zander Cole as if they had forgotten how to function properly.Water still clung to his skin, sliding down the sharp lines and tattoos on his chest before disappearing beneath the towel hanging dangerously low on his hips. Ever







