Chapter 2: Unbelievable

Aurora’s POV

The bell finally rang, and I swear it sounded more like a siren of survival than just the end of class. I stood frozen for just a second longer, still replaying Zander’s voice in my head like some sick remix.

It’s like my brain didn’t want to shut off. “See you soon, Kitten,” he’d said with that smug look that made me want to scream—and melt. Ugh.

Ember’s voice cut through the noise. “You good?”

I blinked hard, returning to reality as students filed into classrooms or down the hallways. I gave a small nod. “Yeah. Just… processing.”

Ember narrowed her eyes on me. “He got to you again. That stupid jock brother of mine.” She practically growls out

“It’s fine. It’s nothing I haven’t handled before.”

Liam stepped up beside her. “Still, he crossed a line. Again. Even if he is the top of the school you can put him in his place.”

That made me chuckle. “Thanks, but then you guys would have to visit me in detention every day. I’m not sure I’m emotionally ready for that.

My parents would kill me and wonder why I never told them about the bullying.”

Ember rolled her eyes. “God forbid we interrupt your schedule.”

We started walking toward our next class, our shoes squeaking on the waxed floors. The noise in the hallway faded behind us, but the weight in my chest didn’t.

I kept thinking about the way Zander had looked at me after Lily insulted me. That flicker of.. something. It didn’t make sense.

Zander Blake didn’t show sympathy. He didn’t hesitate. But today—today he had. At least I think.

And that scared me more than if he had just shoved me into another locker. What’s his plan?

By lunchtime, I’d convinced myself it had all been in my head.

The cafeteria was packed, the smell of soggy fries and microwave pizza mixing with teenage sweat and chatter. I spotted our usual table near the back.

Just far enough from the chaos—and slid into the seat next to Ember, letting my tray of untouched food rest in front of me.

“You didn’t eat breakfast, did you?” Ember asked, poking at the apple slices on my tray.

“No appetite.”

She frowned. “Still thinking about him?”

I exhaled. “Don’t say his name. It gives him power.”

“Like Voldemort?” Liam grinned across the table.

“Worse,” I muttered. “At least Voldemort had a backstory.”

We all laughed a little, but the tension wasn’t gone. Not really. It clung to me like damp clothes, the way trauma always does. Even when you’re laughing, you still feel it clinging underneath your skin.

“I just don’t get it,” I said after a beat. “Why me? Why all these years? We’re not kids anymore. Can’t they just grow up already?”

“Some people never grow up,” Ember said. “Especially the ones who are still trying to prove something.”

“To who?” I asked. “Themselves?”

“Maybe to their dads,” Liam said quietly.

That shut me up. We didn’t talk much about Zander’s home life, mostly because Ember didn’t like to. But we all knew his father was intense—like,

break-a-racket-over-your-head-if-you-lost-a-match intense. Zander had been playing tennis competitively since he could walk, and the pressure showed.

“Still doesn’t give him the right,” I mumbled.

“No, it doesn’t,” Ember said firmly. “But it might explain some of the anger.”

I didn’t respond. I just stared at the condensation dripping down the side of my water bottle. Zander Blake might have a million reasons to be a jerk, but none of them excused what he did to me.

So why the hell was I still thinking about the way he looked at me?

By the time the last bell rang, my brain was fried, and my body ached with exhaustion. Every class had dragged on like I was watching my life in slow motion.

I grabbed my books and practically ran out the door, desperate for air.

The sky had turned a deep steel gray, and the wind had picked up, sending leaves skittering across the sidewalk. Thunder rolled low in the distance.

Great. Just what I needed. A thunderstorm and a three-mile walk home.

I pulled my hoodie up, even though it was already clinging to my skin like a second layer. The first raindrops started to fall as I passed the edge of the school parking lot, cold and sharp against my skin.

I was halfway down the block when I heard the engine.

A sleek black car crept alongside me, tires gliding over wet pavement. My stomach twisted.

No. No, please no.

The window rolled down.

“You’re going to catch pneumonia, Kitten.”

I stopped walking and turned my head slowly, hoping maybe—just maybe—I was hallucinating.

Nope. Zander Blake. In his black Audi, one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually against the window. Of course.

“What the hell do you want? I thought you would be at practice?” I snapped, rain dripping down my nose.

He tilted his head. “To give you a ride. Plus practice got canceled due to the storm.” He says in a duh voice.

I blinked at him like he’d just grown another head. “You’re kidding.”

“Dead serious.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “Because it’s raining. And your hair is starting to frizz. It’s making you look ugly. I figured I’d save the world from the wrath of Aurora Monroe’s curls.”

I clenched my jaw. “My curls are none of your business.”

He smirked. “Everything about you is my business.”

I turned away. “Screw off.”

But I hadn’t taken two steps when I felt a firm hand grab my shoulder. Spinning around I have to stretch my neck because yes he’s that much taller than me.

“You really want to walk home in this? I’m not gonna pull anything, Kitten. Just a ride. Now get the hell in the car Aurora.”

I hesitated. Every instinct screamed no. But my shoes were soaked through, and I was shivering, and damn it. Something in me said just to get in the car in listen to him before things got worse.

I glanced back at him. “Fine. But if you say one word to me, I’m out.”

He grinned. “Deal.”

I opened the door and slid inside, instantly greeted by the warm scent of leather and whatever ridiculously expensive cologne he used. I folded my arms and stared straight ahead.

“You’re tense,” he said after a minute.

“I said one word, Zander.” I snapped. While reaching for the door handle. Then I heard a click. That bastard locked me in.

Zander chuckled and pulled into the street. “Look, here kitten your not getting out of this car and walking home alone in this mess. So sit back, buckle up and shut up.

I turned to look at him, stunned. “Wait. Are you… threatening me?”

He nodded, his hands tight on the wheel. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

“You guess?”

He just stares at me and I swear his eyes turn black for a split second until I blink and there back to green. His words kind of scare me. So my better judgment is telling me don’t try anything stupid.

I just stared at him, unsure whether to believe it. He didn’t look smug. He didn’t sound like he was joking. He looked… tired. Not physically. Just emotionally exhausted.

“Why now? There has been plenty of storms around here but you get all wolfed out about this one?” I asked.

He was quiet for a long beat. “Because Aurora I wanted too and when I want you to do something you do it. Do you understand?”

I swallowed hard. And set back in my seat staring out the window.

I blinked rapidly trying to hide the tears. “Okay, now I know this is a prank.”

He chuckled. “No prank. I’m being serious.”

The rain beat harder against the windows, and for a moment, we just sat in the silence of the storm, the distance between us humming with something… different. Something unfamiliar.

I cleared my throat. “This doesn’t mean we’re friends now, you know.”

“I know.”

“And it doesn’t mean I trust you.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to.”

I glanced at him. “So what do you want from me?”

Zander’s jaw flexed. “Honestly? I don’t know. I just… I guess I wanted you to see me. The real me. Not the jerk in the hallway. Not the guy with the stupid nickname.”

I looked away. “The real you bullied me for years.”

“I know,” he said,

We pulled up in front of my house, the porch light flickering through the rain. He shifted the car into park and glanced at me.

“You gonna be okay?”

“I always am,” I said automatically.

But something in me had shifted. Something small and terrifying.

Because for the first time since sixth grade, I didn’t want Zander Blake to be my enemy.

And that scared me more than anything else.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said finally.

He nodded. “Anytime, Kitten.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t correct him. Not this time.

As I stepped into the rain and made my way up the front steps, I could feel his eyes on me until the car finally pulled away.

I closed the door behind me, leaned against it, and let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

What the hell just happened?

And why did it feel like the beginning of something I wasn’t ready for?