ログインSaturday evening arrived with the heavy, humid promise of early summer. The air in the duplex was thick, the rattling window AC unit in the living room struggling to keep up with the rising temperature.I stood in front of the full-length mirror attached to the back of my closet door.The midnight blue satin draped over my frame like liquid shadow. It was so impossibly simple compared to the armor I usually wore to survive Blackridge Academy. There were no layers to hide behind, no oversized hoodies or protective beanies. The cowl neckline dipped elegantly, and the thin straps left my shoulders bare. I had pinned my hair up into a loose, messy twist, leaving a few dark strands to frame my face. My makeup was minimal—just mascara and a muted rose lipstick I had bought at the drugstore.I stepped into the fifteen-dollar strappy black heels. They clicked softly against the cheap linoleum floor of my bedroom.I looked at my reflection. I didn't look like a Thorpe. I didn't look like a Bla
Tamine’s POVMay hit Blackridge Academy with a feverish, glittering intensity.At a normal high school, Prom was a gymnasium decorated with crepe paper and a rented disco ball. At Blackridge, Prom was an arms race. It was held at the grand ballroom of the city’s most exclusive country club. There were rumors of girls flying to Paris for weekend fittings, and guys renting exotic sports cars that cost more than my mother’s entire duplex.For weeks, the hallways were choked with elaborate, cinematic "promposals" involving flash mobs, rented billboards, and even a minor fireworks display on the lacrosse field.Evans’s quiet, folded origami skate in the empty hallway felt like a secret treasure compared to the suffocating opulence surrounding us. But as the date drew closer, the reality of attending a Blackridge Prom began to settle heavily on my chest.It was a Tuesday evening, and I was sitting on the floor of my bedroom, staring into my open closet.Hanging all the way in the back, shro
Mr. Thorpe took a step closer, leaving his wife to walk ahead. "Miss Jordan," he said, his voice a low, smooth baritone that commanded instant obedience. "Mr. Thorpe," I replied, my voice steady despite the adrenaline flooding my veins. He looked at the oversized hockey jersey I was wearing, then back up to my face. His expression was entirely unreadable. There was no warmth, but there wasn't any overt malice, either. It was a purely analytical gaze. "I understand Dean Vance expedited a transcript for you this winter," Mr. Thorpe said calmly. "To Chicago. For Urban Planning." I swallowed hard. Of course he knew. He probably owned half the board of trustees. "Yes, sir. I was accepted into the early admissions program." "It's an excellent institution," he noted, a faint, almost imperceptible nod of approval dipping his chin. "You are ambitious, Miss Jordan. You survived the distractions of this academy and secured an exit. I respect ambition." He glanced back out at the
I stared at the envelope. Boston. Chicago and Boston were nearly a thousand miles apart. The invisible clock that had been ticking in the background of our relationship suddenly grew deafeningly loud. August. We had exactly six months before our lives forcefully diverged onto two completely different paths. "Boston," I whispered, forcing a bright, enthusiastic smile onto my face that felt completely plastic. "Evans, that's incredible. It's a D1 school. You're going to get drafted into the NHL from there. I'm so proud of you." "Tamine," Evans said, his voice thick with a sudden, raw ache. He didn't smile. He didn't celebrate. He just looked at me like his heart was breaking. "It's a thousand miles away." "I know," I said, my voice cracking despite my best efforts to keep it steady. He reached across the table, taking both of my hands in his. His grip was almost desperate. "I thought about turning it down," Evans confessed, the words tumbling out of him in a rushed, fran
"I saw you running," Evans said, his voice slightly breathless. He looked down at the phone in my lap. "Is it there?"I nodded slowly, my throat completely dry. "It's there.""Are you going to open it?""I'm terrified," I admitted, a single, betraying tear slipping down my cheek. "If it's a no, Evans... if it's a no, I don't know what I'm going to do."Evans didn't hesitate. He reached across the center console, unbuckling his seatbelt so he could bridge the gap between us. He wrapped his large, warm hands over my trembling ones, trapping the phone between our palms."You are Tamine Jordan," Evans said fiercely, his voice a low, commanding rumble that vibrated right through my bones. "You survived Charlotte Hart. You survived my brother. You survived this toxic, broken school without ever losing yourself. One email does not define your future. You do."I looked into his eyes, drawing strength from the absolute, unwavering belief I found there."Okay," I whispered.I pulled my hand out
January arrived with a brutal, unapologetic freeze that turned the leftover November snow into solid blocks of gray ice.The frantic energy that had consumed Blackridge Academy during the fall semester had completely frozen over. The "Draft" was dead. The gold scarves and black beanies had been shoved to the back of closets, replaced by a collective, exhausted focus on midterm exams and college preparation.Without the constant threat of Charlotte’s sabotage or Atlas’s relentless territorial displays, my life had settled into a strange, quiet rhythm. It was peaceful, but it was the kind of peace you feel when holding your breath underwater.I was waiting.The early admissions decisions for Chicago were scheduled to be released by the end of the month. Every time my phone buzzed, my heart performed a violent, acrobatic leap into my throat."You're doing it again."I blinked, pulling my gaze away from the blank screen of my phone resting on the diner table.Evans was sitting across from
The drive was quiet, but it wasn't the heavy silence of the theater or the tense silence of the library. It was comfortable. The heated seats warmed my frozen bones, and the soft hum of the engine was a lullaby compared to the chaos of my life.Evans navigated the streets with practiced ease, drivi
"Am I?" he challenged, hobbling toward me until he was towering over me. "Because last night, I felt pretty stupid. I felt like the idiot younger brother who thought he could actually compete with the quarterback.""It wasn't a competition!" I shouted, frustration boiling over. "He cornered me! He
He was at the curb, trying to get into an Uber that had just pulled up. He was struggling with the door and his crutches.I grabbed the door handle before he could close it.“Evans, listen to me!” I pleaded, breathless. “He cornered me! He kissed me! I pushed him away!”Evans looked at me from the
The "Victory Party" was held at the massive off-campus house the hockey team rented. By the time I arrived at 10:00 PM, the place was vibrating. The bass from the speakers rattled the windows, and the lawn was littered with red solo cups and students spilling out the front door.I hated parties. I







