I didn't know what to say. Somewhere along the lines I'd gotten lost in my own thoughts and the results were plainly written on my face. In the moment, I was struggling to distinguish between Jayden and the boy I once thought I'd loved. They may as well had been the same person. Reality and delusional, which one did I believe?          The more terrifying one, of course.          "Kai? Kai. Listen, I dunno how anything I just said could've set you off, but it obviously did, so I'm sorry." My lips parted, ready to deny his assumptions and assure him I was fine, but he pressed on. "I dunno what kind of guys you ran into at your other schools—I'll have Jonie hand over those files later—but I prom

The three of us made our way to the table, Matt leading the charge as he often did. It must have been nice, having the confidence that whenever a meal was served it would be nourishing and have no lasting effects. There was never any fear when he sat, only anticipation for the warm meal so lovingly cooked he could almost taste our mother’s heart mixed in with the spices.Mom signalled my place at the table, the seat facing hers where she could look me in the eyes and watch me succumb to whatever trap she’d set. There was no point in protesting, no reason to raise an alarm. It was poisoned, I was nearly certain, but I’d still eat it. The alternative was offending her by refusing her food and that only ever made things worse. I would have to suffer through it with grace for the sake of our guest.I took the first bite.It didn’t taste bad; it never did.  "Kai, are you alright?” Jayden asked, momentarily breaking from the

My head shot upward immediately and I saw him climbing over the wall that separated this stall from the one he’d entered. In the midst of my absolute horror, I found myself wondering who’d designed the bathrooms in the first place. Evidently someone who was beyond the idea that a boy would one day sneak in to see a girl he had no business wanting around; a vast oversight in my opinion.Jayden jumped down into the stall then turned to face me.I buried my face in my lap instantly. With the barrier of the door and walls no longer viable, it was my last line of defence.“I told you to go away,” I mumbled, half the words

Jayden breathed a shaky sigh of relief as he exited. Whether he would admit it or not, he was rattled and incredibly grateful Jonie had shown up when she did—possibly at his request. It made the most sense, after all. Jonie and I had French this period and there was another bathroom, one much closer to room 56 than the one in which we hid. It seemed collecting data wasn’t the only business she attended to on behalf of the president and, had I not been so rattled myself I’d have pried deeper into this orchestrated rescue mission.Jonie re-entered the stall and got to work quickly. She fished a small makeup kit from a hidden inside pocket of her hoodie and ordered me to have a seat. Confused, I did as I was told and the girl worked her mysterious magic. Minutes, later, she pulled me carefully to the mirror and ordered me to have a quick look—reassurance I was pleased with her work and would be willing to move on. She was a miracle worker, a fact I found

A tangible silence descended on the hall, creeping into the bones of all present. Instinctively, we all knew to set our gazes to the top of the hall where Carmen appeared in all her president-stealing glory. The girl strutted down the hall with her head above the clouds. She was on top of the world, soaring from the attention her little manoeuvre had brought. The shameless smirk set on her lips told everyone how little she cared about the potential consequences of her actions. I didn’t matter—not even Erin mattered. The girl had gotten her prize and wouldn’t let the envy of others bring her down.On the contrary, it propelled her higher.Her friend, Jessie, hurried over to her, whispering something we had no hope of hearing. Like the prying eyes that chased her down the hall, Carmen ignored the girl’s words. She’d slept with the student body president himself; nothing anyone said would ruin her day.“And we thought you were getting ahead of yourself,” Lara said, coming to a stop by Ha