~Jaden~
The gym smelled like sweat and victory.
Jaden had just finished his last set of pull-ups when Ezra tossed him a towel. "You're slower today. Legs sore?"
"Nah," Jaden muttered, wiping his face. "Life sore."
Ezra laughed, heading toward the locker room. Jaden followed, shirtless, phone in hand as he texted Lily a quick reply to her good morning message.
JADEN: Can't stop thinking about you. You're messing me up.
He smirked, locked his phone, tossed it into his open locker, and headed for the showers.
He didn't notice the junior tall, wiry kid named Milan pass by the lockers, glance around, and then casually lean in. Jaden's phone screen had lit up again. Notifications still previewing.
The text. From Lily.
And then another one popped up, bolder.
LILY: Still thinking about last night? Or the part where we nearly did it? I think I'm ready.
Milan blinked. Whoa.
He looked around again. Then whispered, "Yo, Tay. Come look at this."
Tay strolled over. Read the screen. Whistled.
"Jaden and the American girl? He hit that?"
"Almost," Milan grinned. "Close enough to cause a scene."
⸻
By the time Jaden came out, phone back in his hand, towel slung around his neck, he didn't notice the snickering down the hall.
He didn't see Brielle until later that day.
She found him in the school courtyard, sunglasses on, mouth set in a blade-thin line. She stood between him and the sun, casting a shadow over his moment of peace.
"Did you screw her?"
Jaden looked up, startled. "What?"
"Lily," Brielle hissed. "The little Jersey girl who blushed every time you looked at her two weeks ago. The one you told me didn't mean anything."
His jaw tightened. "I never said she didn't mean anything."
"Oh, save it, Jaden." She crossed her arms. "I just got wind of what went down on your couch. Some junior's talking about her text messages. Do you even know how that looks?"
"Who told you that?" he snapped, already feeling his blood spike.
"Does it matter?" She tilted her head, eyes blazing. "Is it true?"
He stood up. "It's none of your business anymore. We broke up."
"You broke up with me, but that doesn't mean I'm blind," she snapped. "You dragged me around for two years, and now you're playing house with your best friend's stepsister? You think that's not gonna blow up?"
He stepped closer. "Don't talk about her like that."
Brielle's lips parted in shock. "Oh. So you do care. Cute. Real cute. Hope she knows what she's signing up for."
He exhaled sharply, voice dropping. "You're mad because I didn't keep lying to you."
She narrowed her eyes. "No, Jaden. I'm mad because you didn't stop lying until someone better walked in the room."
She turned on her heel and stormed off.
And that's when he heard it.
Two juniors passing behind him.
"Did you hear? Jaden and the new girl almost did it. Like… almost-almost. On the couch."
He spun. "Hey!"
They scattered like roaches.
But it was already too late. The whisper had become wildfire.
And Lily… Lily didn't even know yet.
⸻
~Lily~
It started with the stares.
Not the usual ones. Not the curious glances she got as the American girl. These were longer. Sharper. Like knives hiding behind fake smiles.
She adjusted her hoodie and kept walking through the hallway of the school, trying not to let it get to her. But the whispers crawled down her spine.
"On the couch? Seriously?"
"She was, like, a virgin, right?"
"She moved here and went straight for him."
Lily felt her breath hitch.
Then she heard it. Brielle's voice. Unmistakable. Sweet as poison.
"Oh, Lily. There you are."
Lily turned slowly, heart pounding.
Brielle stood there, arms folded, her lipstick sharp and flawless. Her little group of followers hovered behind her like bees ready to sting.
"I just wanted to say congrats," Brielle said, her voice loud enough for the hallway to hear. "On becoming Stockholm's hottest headline."
Lily blinked. "What?"
Brielle smirked. "You didn't know? Half the juniors are talking about the late-night almost-sex between you and Jaden. Couch edition."
A cold wave crashed over Lily's body.
"You should really be more careful with your text messages," Brielle added. "He might love the mystery, but the juniors? They love screenshots."
Lily's breath caught. She couldn't speak.
"Anyway," Brielle purred. "Welcome to Sweden. Don't worry, the slut rumors blow over in a few months."
Lily's face drained of color. Her fists clenched.
She turned around and stormed off — only to bump right into Ezra.
His expression was already twisted in fury. He had heard everything.
"She said what?" he asked, voice low.
"Ezra," Lily said, panic in her throat, "please don't—"
But he was already marching across the hallway toward Brielle, jaw tight, eyes blazing. "You think you're funny?"
Brielle raised a brow. "Not trying to be. Just informative."
"You're pathetic," Ezra snapped. "You're pissed Jaden moved on, so you humiliate her? What's next, broadcast a slideshow?"
"Oh, please," Brielle rolled her eyes. "Tell your stepsister to keep her legs closed if she's worried about rumors."
That was it.
Ezra stepped forward, voice like thunder. "Say that again and I swear—"
"EZRA!" Lily grabbed his arm. "Stop. Please. It's not worth it."
He turned to her, his expression softening. "Are you okay?"
"No," she said, her voice breaking. "But fighting her isn't going to fix this."
His jaw clenched, nostrils flaring.
Then, through the fog of embarrassment and fury, a single thought cut through:
Where the hell was Jaden?
⸻
~Jaden~
He knew something was wrong the second he stepped out of class.
The hallway went quiet. Like someone had turned down the volume of a movie just before the jump scare.
Then he saw Lily.
Standing by the lockers, face pale, eyes burning. And next to her — Ezra. Jaw tight, hands clenched at his sides.
Shit.
Jaden moved fast. "Lily—"
"Don't." Her voice stopped him cold. It cracked, barely above a whisper. But it cut deeper than any scream. "How could you be so careless?"
"I—" he took a step closer, reaching for her arm. "I didn't know anyone saw anything. I left my phone unlocked for like—"
"That's not the point, Jaden!" she snapped, her voice rising now. "You let the most intimate moment I've ever had get turned into hallway gossip. You let me become a story!"
"I didn't mean to—"
"I trusted you," she said. Her eyes glistened, but the fire behind them was real. "And now everyone's staring at me like I'm a joke."
Jaden's breath caught. "I swear to you, Lily, I didn't tell anyone. I would never—"
"No, you just let it happen," she whispered. "And you didn't protect me."
Before he could say another word, Ezra stepped between them.
Jaden barely registered the movement before Ezra shoved him — hard — against the lockers.
"You touched her," Ezra growled. "You knew she was my sister. You knew, and you still tried to sleep with her?"
Jaden didn't push back.
He just stood there, breathing hard, eyes flickering between them.
"It wasn't like that," he said quietly. "I didn't plan it. It just… happened. And I stopped when I found out she was a virgin. I swear."
"Oh, great," Ezra snapped. "So you get points for not going all the way?"
"I care about her, man."
Ezra's nostrils flared. "You should've come to me. You should've said something! Not sneak around like some horny jackass and leave her to deal with the fallout."
Jaden stepped forward. "I didn't tell you because I knew this would happen!"
"Yeah?" Ezra said. "Maybe that's because you knew you were doing something wrong."
Lily touched Ezra's arm gently. "Ez… please. Don't make this worse."
Jaden looked at her, desperate. "Lily, I'm sorry. I'll fix this. I'll do whatever it takes—"
She shook her head. "You can't unring a bell, Jaden."
Then she turned and walked away.
And just like that, everything he'd been holding onto — the softness of her laugh, the heat in her eyes, the way she whispered his name like a secret — slipped through his fingers like smoke.
And for the first time in a long time, Jaden Rivera didn't know how to fight for something without breaking it.
⸻
~Jaden~
He shouldn't have gone.
He knew it the second he saw her front door — the black wreath still hanging from last winter, the chipped paint, the same place he used to sneak in and out of when they were sixteen and too stupid to know better.
But he knocked anyway.
Brielle opened the door like she'd been waiting. Silk robe. Glossy lips. Eyes sharp with something close to hunger.
"Well," she said, stepping aside. "Didn't think you'd actually show."
"I need to talk," Jaden muttered.
"Obviously." She walked past him, her robe swaying as she headed to the kitchen. "You want water, or are we skipping the polite stuff tonight?"
"I'm serious, Brielle."
She poured wine anyway. "You always are when things go sideways."
He didn't sit. Just stood there, hands on his hips, jaw clenched. "You didn't have to humiliate Lily."
She sipped. "Didn't have to? Probably. But it was fun."
"Jesus, Brielle."
"You think I care?" She turned slowly, eyes cold now. "You dropped me. Lied to me. Ghosted me. And for what? Some girl with brown eyes and a blush?"
"She's not—"
"She's not what?" Brielle cut in, stepping closer. "Not like me? Not manipulative? Not experienced? You think I don't see it? You fell for her and left me like I was nothing."
"I didn't leave you like nothing—"
"You undressed her, Jaden." Her voice cracked. "You looked at her like I never existed."
He didn't respond.
She stepped closer again. Her fingers brushed his chest.
"You came here," she whispered. "Not to talk. You came here because you're angry. Because Ezra's pissed. Because Lily won't look at you. And I know what you do when you feel like this."
Her hand slid down his chest. "You spiral. And I've always been your favorite spiral."
He swallowed. "This is a mistake."
"Maybe." She smirked, leaning in. "But mistakes are your specialty."
She kissed him.
And for a second, just a second, he let her.
Anger. Shame. Lust. Loneliness. It all came crashing together.
He kissed her back.