TRENT'S POV I tugged at the crisp uniform shirt, ensuring my fake police badge was straightened on my breast pocket. The navy pants were a bit loose at my waist, but the entire get-up was convincingly official - from the cap down to the sturdy boots. I had my uncle Charlie to thank for this hook-up.The retired cop had been skeptical about lending me his old uniform for misuse at first. But after laying on some carefully crafted lies about needing it for a theatre production, he finally relented and handed it over with a gruff warning not to get into any trouble.I scanned the deserted area with a furrowed brow. The suspected drug exchanger was running late, not that I was complaining tho. I still needed more time to prepare to face him.As I waited, my mind drifted back to the instructions my father had laid out the previous night regarding the suspicious "task" he expected me to complete."You're going to obtain a certain document from the school's records office," he had stated, n

ELLA'S POVI took a deep, steadying breath as I followed Enzo into his apartment. My nerves were frayed to their breaking point, but I had to see this through - for Susan's sake.Bottles and takeout containers littered every surface. The air hung heavy with stale cigarette smoke. Enzo carelessly tossed his jacket onto the back of a worn leather armchair before turning to me, blatant hunger darkening his eyes.He swiftly closed the distance between us, backing me up against the wall and caging me in with his hulking frame. I tensed as his greedy hands freely roamed my body.No, this is going too far... I had to act now before things escalated.Mustering all my courage, I gazed up at him through my lashes. "Why don't you get us some drinks first to set the mood?" I suggested breathily.I trailed a hand along his muscular arm, using that distraction to squirm smoothly out of his embrace.Enzo's dark eyes flashed with undisguised desire, but he shook his head."Already got plenty of drink

TRENT'S POVI strolled into Coach Robert's office, unable to hide the smug grin on my face. He looked up from his desk as I entered."Trent, have a seat," He said, gesturing to the chair across from him. I obliged, making myself comfortable. "I have to admit. I'm not sure what changed your dad's mind about letting you play again. But I'm glad he came around. You're a heck of an asset to this team."I plopped down and feigned an expression of pleasant surprise. "No kidding? He's letting me play again? That's such great news!" If only Coach knew the lengths I went to in order to get back in my dad's good graces. Not that any of that mattered now that I was safely back on the court.Coach leaned forward, clasping his hands on the desk.. "There's a big tournament coming up soon, we need you playing your best. The rest of the guys have already started double-time practice sessions to get ready. You're going to have to work twice as hard to catch up."A proud smile spread across my face.

TRENT'S POVI strolled into first period twenty minutes late as usual, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. But the second I stepped through the doorway, I knew something was off. Everyone was out of their seats, huddled in groups and chatting in hushed, urgent tones. A few people shot me sharp looks before turning away to whisper to their friends. What the hell?"Oh God, I even touched him yesterday," I overheard a girl say, looking sick.Another boy chimed in, "Crap, I hope I haven't caught anything...I've been sitting next to him all semester!"Okay, now I was really confused. Who were they talking about? I followed their anxious gazes across the room. My breath caught when I spotted Jackson sitting rigidly at his desk, head down, with garbage and crumpled paper littering the area around him. Alarm bells started ringing distantly in my head.I reached out and grasped the shoulder of a guy passing by who was engrossed in gossiping. "Yo, Miles. What the hell is going on here?"

TRENT'S POVI kept a close eye on Ella and Lucinda from my station at the back of the classroom. Something about the way Lucinda was hovering around Ella lately put me on edge. Like she was cozying up to gain something. My instincts blared not to trust her exaggerated niceness one bit.As the partners worked on their acid reaction experiments, I let Liam handle most of our actual procedure. My gaze kept wandering back to Ella and Lucinda, watching them like a hawk. When Lucinda reached for a tray of chemicals near Ella, my muscles tensed, ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble.Sure enough, a second later, Lucinda's gaudy bracelet suddenly snagged on Ella's flowing sleeve. I instantly recognized the downward tug that would send Ella straight into the acid's path. Everyone else froze, but my feet were moving before my brain even fully registered the crisis.In three long strides I closed the distance between us just as Ella crashed backwards. I caught her torso agai