LOGINElowen Oh, Universe!!! I screamed internally, trying my best not to pay attention to my top, which was completely soaked, or the fact that my ridiculous Mickey Mouse bra was staring the entire party right in the face. I forced my feet to move forward, taking those final two steps toward Cedric. "Hey," Cedric said, his eyebrows pulling together as his eyes slowly shifted back up to my face. "Are you okay?" "Yeah," I choked out, forcing a weird, high-pitched laugh that sounded completely insane. "Ugh... I'm fine! It... it must be my stupid shoes or something!" I looked down, trying desperately not to let anything sound even weirder than it already was. I was already failing miserably at every single rule Ivy had taught me thirty seconds ago. No stammering. Keep it cool. But honestly, nobody could blame me for stammering right now. Everything suddenly sucked so bad. I inhaled deeply, then exhaled, peeking down at my
Zephyr's POVThroughout the whole fucking party, my eyes had just been on Elowen. I had been glued to that stupid wooden chair in the shadows, doing nothing except watching her throughout the entire night. Man, I had missed annoying her. I really, desperately wanted to get over there and mess with her, but her hyper friend Ivy and whatever weird, tall guy had been hanging around them all night just wouldn't leave her side. And then, as if the gods high up above had actually heard my prayers, Ivy and the guy finally left her alone. I didn't hesitate for a single second. I immediately jumped out of my seat, pushing through the thick crowd of drunk students just to get to her before someone else did. Then someone stepped right into my path, completely blocking my way. "Watch it," I growled, looking down to see who had the nerve to stand in front of me. It was Sable. I let out a heavy, exhausted sigh. "W
Elowen's POV "I guess you're ready," Ivy declared, clasping her hands together with the dramatic authority of a general sending her soldier into battle. I shook my head vigorously, clutching the strap of my bag like a lifeline. "Please go over what you told me again." Ivy let out a long, theatrical sigh for what had to be the hundredth time tonight. "I honestly can't believe how insanely intelligent you are in academics, but you're practically dumb in things like this." I gasped, pressing a hand against my chest in mock offense. "That is a terrible thing to say to me!" A helpless smile broke across my face anyway, and I reached out to grab both of Ivy's hands, squeezing them tight. "Just be a good girl and please," I pleaded, giving her my absolute best puppy-dog eyes. "Walk me through what you just taught me one more time. I need to go over there readier than ever." Ivy let out another sigh, though her lips twitched into a fond grin. "Okay, okay! Fine! Pay attention this time."
Zephyr's POV I looked up at the dimly lit stage and let out a long, heavy sigh at the fucking noise Cedric Dimitri was making with his microphone. Seriously, how were people actually enjoying this garbage? The bass was boosted way too high, his vocals were completely drenched in auto-tune, and the crowd was jumping around like he was some kind of musical genius. It was pure noise. Damn. Personally, I preferred classical music over this brain-melting pop shit any day—and I knew exactly where to get it. I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket and leaned back into a weathered wooden seat that was hidden away in the shadows of a huge oak tree, far from the flashing party lights. Opening T*kTok, I tapped the search bar and typed in the exact handle I had memorized: El_sings_ur_fave_music Her profile popped up immediately. Seeing my little stepsister's face on the small screen brought an instant, unbidden smile to my lips. I relaxed against the rough bark of the tree, tapping
ElowenWhen I arrived at the party, its music buzzed so loud that the ground beneath my heels literally vibrated. And guess what? I recognized that this was a pop song—a catchy, upbeat track with a booming bass line that filled the entire backyard. And guess what also? It was Cedric fucking Dimitri singing. I stood completely frozen near the entrance, my jaw practically dropping straight to the polished floor. I was so shocked to see that he sang pop so well. His voice wasn't just decent; it was smooth, effortless, and carried every single high note with insane precision. He owned the low stage, holding the microphone like he had been doing this his whole life. Before I could even process what I was looking at, Ivy met me, dancing wildly around me in a circle with her arms thrown up in the air. "You're surprised, right?" she shouted over the loud speakers, a massive grin on her face. "Surprised about what?" I yelled back, blinking as colored lights flashed across the crowded liv
Elowen"It can't be that hard..."I recalled when I'd said those exact words out loud to Mr. Jack in the rehearsal hall this afternoon.And now...“What the hell is a pre-chorus?”I stared at my laptop screen like it had personally offended me, my back aching from sitting hunched over my reading desk for hours. Stacks of heavy classical sheet music, chord charts, and music theory textbooks covered my desk here and there, creating a chaotic nightmare around my keyboard.The woman in the YouTube video smiled brightly as she explained something about verses, hooks, bridges, melodies, and apparently a dozen other things I was supposed to magically understand.I understood absolutely nothing.I paused the video.Then I rewound it.Then I watched the same thirty seconds again.Still nothing.I slowly dropped my forehead onto the edge of my desk with a dull thud. “I’m going to die,” I muttered. My voice came out muffled against my folded arms.This was supposed to be easy.Apparently, accor
Zephyr In spite of my best intentions to avoid adhering to my mother, here I was in her fucking car on our way to meeting my “new family.” “You could at least try not to look like a fucking criminal for one day.” My mother’s voice sliced through the car like broken glass. I kept my eyes on
Elowen"I don't do virgins, blondie." It had been nine solid months since that night, and yet the embarrassment still lingered heavily in my chest whenever I remembered the events that occurred. “I want to hold another party, in celebration of you getting into Whitmore College!” Isa shrieked thr
ElowenI didn’t even have the luxury to react before his hot mouth came down on mine. My eyes widened. How did things get to this point?In the next second, my back was pressed against the cold wall as his tall, muscular frame trapped me.I tried to push him away, but his grip on my neck tightened.
ElowenThe stupid thing was that I could still hear the annoying sound of his laughter five minutes later. In my head.I pushed through a crowd of dancing people and headed straight for the kitchen.My face was still burning. No. Burning wasn’t the right word. I was mortified. I grabbed the first







