The next morning at Crestwood Elite Academy felt eerily calm. The broken window had been fixed, the mess cleaned, and the hallway looked as pristine as ever. But Riley knew better. Underneath the polished surface, something ugly was festering.
People whispered as she passed, not bothering to lower their voices. Girls looked at her with narrowed eyes; guys smirked with veiled contempt. It was clear the rumors had spread—and fast. Riley, the tomboy on scholarship, had become the center of attention for all the wrong reasons.
She tried to ignore it, but each laugh that cut off when she walked by, each stare that lingered too long, chipped away at her composure.
When she slid into her seat in chemistry class, Zayden was already there. He didn't say anything right away—just glanced at her, took in her forced calm, and then reached beneath his desk to slip her a folded note.
She opened it cautiously, heart already racing.
"Meet me on the rooftop after lunch. Don't tell anyone."
Her eyes darted up to meet his. He wasn't smirking. His expression was tight, serious. That alone told her this wasn't about some flirty moment away from prying eyes. It was something deeper.
Something dangerous.
The rooftop was quiet, the wind playing with the edge of Riley's blazer as she stepped out, scanning for him. Zayden stood near the edge, hands tucked into his pockets, posture stiff.
"What is it?" she asked, walking up beside him.
He didn't look at her. "I need to tell you something. Something I should've said a long time ago."
Her pulse quickened. "What do you mean?"
Zayden finally turned, and the look in his eyes made her chest tighten. "There's a reason why people are turning against you so fast, Riley. Why this is escalating so quickly. It's not just because you're new… or different."
She folded her arms, bracing herself. "Then what is it?"
"My family," he said quietly. "The Adrians… we're not just rich. We own a lot of this school. We sponsor most of the students' families in some way. And when people found out I was—"
He broke off, then exhaled hard.
"When they found out I was interested in you, they saw it as a threat. To status, to power. To everything this place stands for."
Riley stared at him, speechless.
"I didn't want to tell you before," he continued. "I didn't want to scare you. But it's time you knew. They're not just bullying you—they're trying to erase you. From this place. From my life."
A cold breeze swept over them. Riley clenched her fists at her sides.
"Then let them try," she said quietly.
Zayden blinked. "What?"
She looked up at him, her jaw tight. "If they want a war, they've got one. I didn't come here to hide. I came here to prove myself. If they think they can scare me off, they don't know me at all."
He stared at her for a long moment, then slowly smiled. "You're insane."
"Maybe," she said. "But I'm not going anywhere."
Zayden reached out, his hand brushing against hers, fingers twining. And for a moment, despite the storm brewing beneath Crestwood's surface, they stood there—together, defiant.
But neither of them knew just how deep the rot went… or how far their enemies were willing to go to tear them apart.