71. Established Rules

Elowen"I... That has nothing to do with me, Knox," I stammered out, scrambling to regain my footing as I pointed the plastic pen directly at his chest. "Whatever feud or issue that's going on between both of you has absolutely nothing to do with me. And besides, I didn't even know he was your rival until recently! Don't try to change the fucking subject, asshole. I'm the one in charge here."I gave him a lethal, lingering side-eye before turning my focus back to the sheet of lined notebook paper resting on my lap.I pressed the pen down and wrote in big, bold letters.Rule Number 5: Our Living Arrangement Remains A Secret.Zephyr stared down at the crisp ink, his brow furrowing in genuine, deep-seated confusion. "Why does it have to be a secret?"I dropped the pen onto the coffee table with a clatter, folded my arms tightly over my chest, and stared at him like he was unequivocally the single dumbest human being to ever walk the surface of the planet."Are you honestly that oblivious

72. Jealousy

ZephyrI stood outside her bedroom door for a solid ten seconds, staring blankly at the dark wood paneling right where her face had been a fraction of a second ago.SLAM!The sharp echo of the door locking shut bounced through the hallway.I let out a low huff, resting my hand on my hip. A strange, amused twitch tugged at the corner of my mouth—but beneath it, a sharp knot of annoyance tightened right in the center of my chest.Embarrassing?”The word left my mouth with a scoff.Me?Zephyr Knox?Embarrassing?I almost laughed.Girls at Belmont literally broke their necks just to get a single glance from me across the quad. Gay guys bent over backward to sit at my table in the cafeteria. And here was this tiny, infuriating girl acting like being seen in my passenger seat was a social death sentence.She had looked me straight in the face and told me she was embarrassed to be seen with me.I shook my head.“Unbelievable.”But the more I thought about it, the more something strange happe

73. Sly, Arrogant Son Of A Bitch

I watched in stunned horror as a wide, incredibly bright smile blossomed across Elowen's face—the kind of genuine, radiant smile she had never once directed at me unless she was actively laughing at my pain. A soft, dusty pink blush rapidly crept up her neck, turning her skin a dark, flushed red."Hello, Elowen," Cedric said softly, stepping directly into her personal space.He reached out, pulling her into a brief, light hug.Every single muscle in my body snapped tight as a wire. My fingers instinctively dug deep into the side of the girl standing next to me, clamping down hard against her waist."Are you per chance dodging me, Songbird?" Cedric asked, leaning down to look into her eyes with a smooth grin.Songbird?My brain completely froze. Songbird?He had a fucking nickname for her?My blood turned into pure, boiling acid. My left hand, hanging uselessly at my side, curled into a tight, white-knuckled fist."Ow! Zephyr, you're

74. Scholarship Badluck

Elowen I was operating on roughly four hours of sleep, and honestly, someone could kill me right now and I wouldn't even complain. On the bright side, not much people saw Zephyr drop me off at Belmont's gates earlier, so at least my dignity remained intact. My morning classes dragged on forever. I had a music theory lecture followed by a history seminar—both required me to actually pay attention, which was nearly impossible when I could barely keep my eyes open. I'd already chugged three coffees today, but instead of giving me a boost, the caffeine just drained whatever meager energy I had left to begin with. I grabbed a late lunch in one of the campus dining halls, choosing a small corner table in the back and sending out clear "leave me alone" vibes because I was far too tired to make conversation with anyone. The food succeeded in waking me up a little, and I was early when I walked through the huge oak doors of the humanities building. And about this morning, I kept telling

75. CRUSHING ON CEDRIC DIMITRI

Elowen"It can't be that hard..."I recalled when I'd said those exact words out loud to Mr. Jack in the rehearsal hall this afternoon.And now...“What the hell is a pre-chorus?”I stared at my laptop screen like it had personally offended me, my back aching from sitting hunched over my reading desk for hours. Stacks of heavy classical sheet music, chord charts, and music theory textbooks covered my desk here and there, creating a chaotic nightmare around my keyboard.The woman in the YouTube video smiled brightly as she explained something about verses, hooks, bridges, melodies, and apparently a dozen other things I was supposed to magically understand.I understood absolutely nothing.I paused the video.Then I rewound it.Then I watched the same thirty seconds again.Still nothing.I slowly dropped my forehead onto the edge of my desk with a dull thud. “I’m going to die,” I muttered. My voice came out muffled against my folded arms.This was supposed to be easy.Apparently, accor

All Chapters of Rule Number 1: Kissing Your Stepbrother Again Will Ruin You: Chapter 71 - Chapter 75

71. Established Rules

72. Jealousy

73. Sly, Arrogant Son Of A Bitch

74. Scholarship Badluck

75. CRUSHING ON CEDRIC DIMITRI