chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Near Miss

​POV: Chloe

​The clicking of Jax’s boots on the hardwood was like a hammer hitting nails into my coffin. I could see his shadow—broad, confident, and lethal to my reputation—stretching across the floor toward the gap in the bookshelves.

​"Chloe? You in here, babe? Sarah said she saw you duck into the archives."

​I looked at Elias. He didn't flinch. He didn't scramble. He just stood there, leaning back against the mahogany shelf with that insufferable, knowing smirk. The Cartier bracelet—my father’s graduation gift—was still dangling from his fingers, catching the light like a taunt.

​"Hide," I mouthed, my voice a silent scream.

​Elias tilted his head, his eyes dark and defiant. "Give me a reason to."

​"Elias, please! He’ll kill you. He’ll ruin both of us!"

​"He can’t ruin a Ghost, Chloe. But he can certainly break a Queen."

​The footsteps stopped right at the corner. My heart wasn't just beating; it was trying to escape my chest. In a move of pure, frantic desperation, I grabbed Elias by the front of his hoodie and shoved him. I didn't have much strength, but the shock of it made him stumble back into the deepest, darkest corner of the shelf, behind a row of oversized encyclopedias.

​I stepped out into the aisle just as Jax turned the corner.

​"There you are." Jax stopped, his brow furrowing as he looked at my flushed face and tangled hair. "What are you doing back here? It smells like... dust and old paper."

​"I was looking for a reference book for Lit," I lied, my voice sounding an octave too high. I smoothed my skirt, my hands shaking so badly I had to clench them into fists. "I couldn't find it. I was just leaving."

​Jax stepped closer, his eyes scanning the narrow space behind me. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Chloe. You’re white as a sheet."

​I let out a forced, brittle laugh. "Maybe I have. The ventilation in here is terrible. I think I’m just lightheaded."

​Jax didn't move. He was looking at the shelf right behind my shoulder. My blood turned to ice. Did Elias move? Did he drop the bracelet?

​"Is someone else back here?" Jax asked, his voice dropping into that low, territorial tone he used when he was looking for a fight.

​"No! Who would be back here? It’s the honors section, Jax. Most of our friends don't even know this wing exists."

​"I heard a voice. Sounded like a guy." Jax moved to push past me.

​"It was the audiobook!" I blurted out, holding up my phone. "I was listening to a lecture. I forgot my AirPods."

​Jax paused, his blue eyes narrowing. He was suspicious—he wasn't stupid. He reached out, his hand resting on the shelf exactly where Elias was hiding just inches away. I held my breath, waiting for the sound of a struggle, waiting for the social explosion that would end my life.

​"Whatever," Jax finally sighed, pulling his hand away. "Let’s go. Sarah’s hosting a lunch at the cafe and she’s annoyed you’re MIA. And put your jewelry back on, Chloe. You look unfinished without that bracelet."

​My stomach dropped. "I... I left it at home. In the jewelry box. I didn't want to lose it at the bonfire."

​"Smart," Jax said, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me toward the exit. "Come on. Let's get out of this morgue."

​I let him lead me away, but as we reached the end of the aisle, I couldn't help it. I looked back.

​Through the gap in the books, I saw a single dark eye watching me. And then, a hand reached out from the shadows, slowly raising the gold bracelet. Elias didn't wave it. He just held it there—a golden shackle—before disappearing back into the darkness.

​POV: Elias

​I watched them walk away. I watched Jax’s hand on her waist—territorial, arrogant, and completely oblivious. He handled her like a trophy. I handled her like a storm.

​I waited until the heavy library doors creaked shut before I stepped out of the shadows. My heart was thumping, a rare rush of adrenaline that made my fingertips tingle.

​"Audiobook, Princess? Really?" I muttered to the empty room.

​I looked down at the bracelet in my hand. It was beautiful. It was expensive. It was the only thing keeping her tethered to me in the daylight, and I knew it. But as I turned to leave through the back exit, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

​It was a notification from the school's "Confession" app. Usually, it was just gossip about who cheated on a math test or who was hooking up in the gym.

​I opened the app, and my blood went cold.

​[POST #442]: Spotted: The Ice Queen and the Ghost in the Archives. Is the dare still going, or is Chloe Montgomery starting to like the taste of poverty? #QueenAndTheGhost #LibrarySecrets

​There was no photo. Not yet. But someone had seen us. Someone was watching.

​I stepped out into the hallway, pulling my hoodie up. I needed to find Chloe before she saw this. If she panicked now, she’d do something stupid—like tell Jax everything just to save herself.

​I saw her five minutes later near the lockers. She was surrounded by her 'court'—Sarah, Jax, and a few other girls who looked like they were carved out of plastic. Chloe was laughing, playing the part of the perfect girl, but her eyes were darting around the hallway like a cornered animal.

​I didn't stop. I walked right past the group, my shoulder brushing against Jax’s.

​"Watch it, scholarship," Jax snapped, shoving me back.

​"My bad," I said, my voice flat. I looked directly at Chloe. I didn't say a word, but I tapped my pocket where her bracelet was hidden. Then, I leaned in and whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

​"Check the app, Chloe. Someone was in the library with us."

​Her laughter died instantly. The color drained from her face, leaving her looking more like a ghost than I ever had.

​"What did he just say to you?" Jax demanded, grabbing Chloe’s arm. "Chloe? Why are you looking at him like that?"

​"Nothing," she stammered, her voice trembling. "He... he just asked for the time."

​"He has a phone in his hand," Sarah pointed out, her eyes narrowing as she looked between us. "What's going on, Chloe? You've been acting weird all morning."

​I didn't wait for the fallout. I kept walking. I wanted her to feel the walls closing in. I wanted her to realize that her "perfect" friends were the ones who would tear her apart the moment they smelled blood in the water.

​I reached the cafeteria and sat at my usual table—the one in the corner, far from the light. I pulled out my phone and waited.

​One minute passed. Two.

​Then, my phone vibrated.

​Private Message: Chloe

Meet me in the old music room in five minutes. Alone. If you show anyone that bracelet, I will kill you myself.

​I smiled. The Queen was finally dropping the act.

​POV: Chloe

​I slipped away from Jax by claiming I had a sudden migraine. It wasn't entirely a lie; my head felt like it was going to split open.

​I ran to the old music room—a dusty, abandoned space on the third floor that no one used anymore. I slammed the door behind me and locked it, my chest heaving.

​"Elias!" I shouted into the empty room. "I know you're here! Show yourself!"

​He stepped out from behind a grand piano, his hands in his pockets. "You’re loud for someone trying to keep a secret."

​"The app, Elias! Someone saw us! They posted about the library!" I marched up to him, my eyes burning. "This is your fault. You couldn't just stay in the shadows? You had to push it? You had to touch me in the archives?"

​"I didn't post it, Chloe."

​"I don't care who posted it! If Jax sees that... if my parents see that... I'm done. My scholarship to Princeton, my reputation, my entire life is tied to being perfect."

​"Then stop being perfect," Elias said, taking a step toward me. "It clearly doesn't suit you."

​"Give me the bracelet," I demanded, reaching for his pocket. "Give it to me now, and I’ll handle the post. I’ll tell everyone it was a misunderstanding. I’ll say you were harassing me and I was trying to get away."

​Elias grabbed my hand before I could touch him. He pulled me close, his grip firm but not painful. "You’d throw me under the bus just to keep your crown?"

​"In a heartbeat," I whispered, though my heart was betraying me by racing at the feel of his skin.

​"Then do it," he challenged, pulling the bracelet out and holding it between us. "Go to the principal. Tell them I stole it. Tell them I’m harassing you. But remember, Chloe... I have a memory like an elective. And I remember exactly how you sounded last night when you told me you hated me, right before you pulled me into the backseat."

​"You wouldn't," I gasped.

​"Try me."

​We stood there, locked in a battle of wills, the air in the room thick with the same dark friction that had started this disaster. He was so close I could see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to hit him.

​But more than anything, I wanted him to stop talking and kiss me again.

​"You're a monster," I whispered.

​"And you're an addict," he replied.

​He leaned in, his lips a hair’s breadth from mine, when the door handle rattled violently.

​"Chloe? I know you're in there. Open the door!"

​It wasn't Jax.

​It was my father.