I know it's extremely rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversation... But I can't help it.I approach them discreetly, treading as lightly as possible, and when I can spy on them, I just hide behind the wall, making sure they can't see me even if they turn that way.My heart is beating desperately against my chest in a mix of anxiety and adrenaline when I hear Bryan's voice a little louder, "I've been putting this off for a while now, so we should just put an end to it soon.""An end?" Alice asks in her calm, surprisingly relaxed voice. Almost as if she didn't give a damn."For you and me."There is a long moment of silence that makes me want to bite my nails."What do you mean make an end for you and me?" Her voice sounds sharper this time, "This is no time for jokes, Bryan.""I'm quite serious now, Alice."She gives a sarcastic laugh, "You can't be serious."Another long moment of silence."It's because of that girl, isn't it?" Now Alice sounds really shaken... her voice even wa

Unlike the other stages, this time each participant was put in a room with a supervisor, and we were given only one equation to solve. And it doesn't matter how long it takes you to solve it, as long as it's done within three hours. The way I see it, that's a really generous amount of time, since it took me ten minutes to solve it.All right, maybe the anger I'm feeling at Jasper, Bryan and everyone around me was the perfect fuel to get me to focus on the way the numbers engage, on the story they tell me. And I dare say that if I stared at them any longer, I would find out a lot more than I was asked to.However, what really surprised me was that when the ten candidates were brought back together and it was announced who had correctly solved the question, exactly four names appeared on the screen.Alfred JohnsonScarlett DavisKevin SmithRobert MorrisApparently, the speed to solve really mattered.And that makes me feel anxious.Outside, I throw my arms up and stretch, feeling the t

Bryan looks at me surprised, then holds my waist tightly and leans in to kiss me. I think I'm going to give up... that Jasper will stop us, but when I feel Bryan's soft lips against mine, I know none of that will happen - which makes me even angrier.He's wary and sticks his tongue out slightly, rubbing it against my lips... and I open a small passage for him to put it inside my mouth. Bryan hesitates, so I slide mine into his mouth, rubbing lightly, starting a slow but deep circular motion.Holding tightly to my waist and the back of my neck, Bryan deepens our kiss, dictating the rhythm as he always did every time we kissed. And I'm overcome by a sense of familiarity... this kiss tastes like longing, but it's not mine.And even with my eyes closed, I can feel the way Jasper's eyes press into my skin... it's burning, almost cutting me. But I don't let that intimidate me... I want him to regret causing these conflicting feelings in me... to regret messing with my head and acting like i

I open my eyes with difficulty, feeling my body ache and heavy. My vision is still getting used to the blurry ceiling when I blink a few times and finally manage to focus. I lower my eyes and try to move, feeling something restrict my movements... It's an arm.I move my head, tilting it slightly, and notice that Jasper is lying very close, his arm across my body. His closed eyelids and long eyelashes hold me for a moment... I feel bewitched, unable to move a single muscle or move away from him.I don't know what came over me last night... But I really felt good when I felt Jasper's touch, the brushing of our skins and the bump of our hips....What am I thinking?I close my eyes tightly, trying to clear these thoughts, but a low, sleepy laugh makes me flinch. I open my eyes slowly, noticing that now, his brown eyes are on me, looking at my face in a caressing hand... I can't help but sigh slightly."Are you feeling okay?" Jasper asks slowly, his voice just as sleepy.I nod slowly, and

My hand quickly hits the button, and the alarm sounds loudly again. I hear Alfred grunt on the other side of the partition, but I don't care... in fact, I give a triumphant smile because this is the last equation that I need to answer correctly to ensure my victory."And the answer is?" The gray-haired man asks me."X= 30, Y= 2." I say with conviction, looking at the man who is wearing a genuinely surprised expression. Maybe it's because it didn't take me more than five minutes to calculate each of the answers."CORRECT!" He says, loudly, even excitedly, and it makes me rise from my chair with adrenaline and happiness coursing rapidly through my veins. I do a few jumps, looking around and seeing expressions of pride — of pride! I'm so happy and proud of myself that I feel tears wetting my eyelashes-"Huh." Alfred snorts, with a sarcastic smile. And that catches my eyes, wilting my smile and closing my expression immediately."What?" I say harshly, between teeth."You're such a low wom