Semua Bab My Arch Nemesis in my Bed: Bab 31 - Bab 37

I was still staring at my laptop screen when Naomi burst through my bedroom door without knocking, which was pretty much her signature move at this point.“Lily, I need you to—oh my God. You look like you wrestled with a ghost and lost.” She stopped mid-sentence, taking in my pajamas, my unwashed hair, the fact that I clearly hadn’t slept. “What happened? Did someone die?”“Just tired,” I lied, quickly closing the laptop. The last thing I needed was her seeing my college application or my midnight research spiral into supernatural folklore.“Uh-huh.” She didn’t buy it, but she was too distracted to push. “I was on my way to grab coffee with my mom, but I had to stop by first. A big one.”I rubbed my eyes. “What kind of favor?”Instead of answering, she pulled a folded piece of paper from her back pocket and held it out like it might explode. Her cheeks were already turning pink.“I did something stupid.”I rubbed my eyes. “It’s not even eight AM on a Saturday. How stupid could you hav

The storage room plunged into complete darkness, and I mean complete. Like someone had dropped a black curtain over the world and called it a day.“Shit,” Luca muttered from somewhere behind me.I stood perfectly still, the box of programs clutched in my arms, trying to process what had just happened. The emergency lighting should have kicked in by now. Schools had backup systems for this kind of thing, right?“Power’s out again,” Luca said, stating the obvious. “Must be the whole building this time.”“Great,” I said, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. “Just fantastic.”I heard him moving around, probably feeling for the door. A few seconds later came the sound of the handle turning, then nothing.“Lily.”“Yeah?”“The door’s locked.”“What do you mean locked?”“I mean the electronic lock engaged when the power went out. We’re stuck.”I set the box down carefully, my hands already starting to shake. “That’s not possible. There have to be manual overrides or something.”“Feel fre

I walked away from that storage room with my heart still hammering against my ribs, and it had nothing to do with the power outage.Fuck.I’d wanted to kiss her so badly I could taste it.Which was exactly why I needed to get the hell away from her before I did something we’d both regret.The computer lab was half empty when I got there, just a couple of kids finishing up projects. I found a corner station and pulled out my phone to text her because the password .What was your password again?Because my brain is so fried that I have forgotten.lilyg2024Thanks. Getting the schedule now.Ok.I stared at the screen for a second longer than necessary, then shoved my phone back in my pocket and headed to find her locker.The hallway was mostly cleared out now, just a few stragglers by their lockers. I found hers easily—third row, middle section. I’d memorized the location years ago, not that I’d ever admit that to anyone.Her combination was her birthday. I’d seen her open it enough time

My brain short-circuited. “His mother?”“Victoria Archer. I realize we haven’t met.” She extended a perfectly manicured hand. I shook her hand, trying to process this. Luca had mentioned his biological mother exactly once, and only to say she’d left when he was young.I stared at her, searching for traces of Luca in her face. The bone structure was there, the dark hair, the same eyes.“It’s nice to meet you,” I managed.“Walk with me.” It wasn’t a request.We walked toward the parking lot, away from the crowds. She moved with the same predatory grace I’d seen in Luca, but where his felt protective, hers felt calculating.“You’re probably wondering why I’m here,” she said.“The thought crossed my mind.”“I’ll be direct,” she said. “I need your help.”I stopped walking. “What kind of help?”“My son has some… misguided ideas about his future. Volleyball, apparently.” She said it like it was a disease. “I’m here to convince him to pursue something more practical than this silly obsession