LOGINJADE:I felt like choking Jace until he stopped breathing. What type of excuse was that? Now my mind was spinning, panicking over what to say next."Jace told me you came to the facility with someone, so I'll ask again, where is he?" Nico demanded, his voice thick with a tight, dangerous tension that pulled me right out of my thoughts."It's Damian. He already left," I admitted, my voice dropping as anxiety clawed at my chest.After what happened at the party, I had been searching for any chance to apologize to him. Now everything was ruined because I was back to mentioning the one person who had disrespected my body.Nico paused, his heavy silence filling the air while he processed my words. When he spoke again, he turned away from me and focused strictly on Jace. "Leave us. I want to talk to Jade." His tone was flat, leaving zero room for argument.Jace slid the backpack off my shoulder and walked out without a word. Just like that, it was only the two of us, staring in the quiet li
Third Person pov Jace stood frozen, panic locking his joints as Nico tried calling Jade. Luckily, the call didn’t go through; it seemed like Nico was blocked. Left with no choice, Nico turned to Jace, frustration tightening his jaw."Call your sister. For some reason, her line isn't going through," Nico grumbled, his voice laced with annoyance.Jace shook his head, a slight tremor in his voice as he tried to act casual. "I suggest we just look around for her. She must be nearby."Nico’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. The mere sight of Jace was irritating enough, but he didn't want to waste energy arguing."Why don't you check over there while I go look for her in the locker room?" Jace offered, his pulse racing.To Jace’s relief, Nico gave a stiff nod and walked off without a fight. It was the perfect opening. He knew Jade was hiding in the locker room, thanks to her earlier text, Jace slipped inside and shut the heavy door behind him. Then he made his way to the bathroom, even in the
Third Person pov: Nico walked into his house, a faint sense of relief settling in his chest. Isabella had finally pointed out the one detail everyone else had ignored, which lifted a huge weight off him.He had instructed Jace to tell Jade not to come tutor his sister today, not out of anger, but simply because his sister had gone on vacation with their parents.Deep down, he was still furious with Jade, yet the sharp edge of his anger had started to soften. He spent the entire evening pacing around, unable to sit still as thoughts of how harshly he had yelled at her ran through his mind. Even if he felt completely justified in what he did, an uneasy urge to see her and apologize kept tugging at him.After hours of tossing and turning on the couch, he finally snapped. He grabbed his car keys off the table, headed straight out the front door, and drove over to Jade’s house.When he arrived, Jace was just pulling the front door open, preparing to step out. Spotting Nico on the porch ma
JADE:Practice was exhausting, but I managed to get the team through it. They were fast learners, though they’d still need endless repetition to get everything down perfectly.Coach Timothy couldn't stop praising me, practically treating me like a prize trophy. That didn't sit well with Nico at all. I caught the way his eyes hardened, and I knew right then he was starting to view me as a threat.Later, I noticed him sitting by himself on the bench, swiping through his phone while taking a big gulp from his water bottle. I crept up behind him, leaning in to see what had his attention.He was scrolling through Isabella's profile. Squinting at the tiny text on his screen, I realized she had written a massive post defending him on her page.A heavy wave of guilt hit me in the chest. That was my job. I should have cleared his name, but I’d been too much of a coward to do it, and now Isabella was stepping up in my place. I decided I would film a proper video the second I got home to fix it.
JADE:As we got out of the elevator, I couldn't figure out why I told him I didn't like him, even when my heart skipped a beat any time he got close to me.I took a stool at the bar, though every instinct urged me to follow him. To make it worse, he sat on a couch not far from me and he didn't glance my way, not once. I couldn't stop myself from stealing looks every minute.Should I just walk over and sit beside him? I thought. My neck throbbed from constantly checking over my shoulder. Just as I mustered the courage to stand, a girl smoothly glided over and sat right next to him.I sank straight back down. The easy way they talked, the shared laughter, it set off a hot, suffocating burn in my chest. I hated seeing it, especially the soft way he smiled at her.This time, I stopped hiding it. I locked my glare onto them, eyes practically burning with raw fury. Desperate to drown out the sight, I ordered drink after drink, downing the bitter wine in heavy gulps. I let the sting scrape
NICO:I stood up almost immediately and pushed through the crowd, my pulse hammering in my ears. The moment Jade caught my eye, relief washed over her face, though she tried to hide it behind a sharp glare."Stop, just leave me alone," she fumed, her voice trembling with frustration as I reached them."I believe she made it clear when she told you to leave her alone," my deep tone cut through the air, leaving no room for argument.Damian stared back at me, a lazy, mocking smirk spreading across his lips. I could see right through him. He was deliberately pulling this stunt just to push my buttons and get under my skin.By this time, the whole crowd had quieted down to watch us, and even the DJ turned off the music. Phones instantly popped up around us, cameras glowing as people recorded the scene."It is okay Nico, I am fine," Jade muttered, her voice shaking as she attempted to play it cool. The panicked look in her eyes betrayed her completely. She was terrified.I took two steps fo







