KADE’S POVI finally had Blair in my arms, and the feeling was intoxicating. Her lips moved against mine, desperate and hungry, matching the desire burning inside me. We had been circling each other for too long, resisting what we both knew was inevitable. Every glance, every accidental touch in this room had only fanned the flames, making this moment feel like an explosion.And now that we were here, I wasn’t holding back.My thumb pressed against her soaked panties, teasing her as she instinctively rolled her hips, chasing my touch. The soft, shuddering breaths she let out sent a thrill through me, making my cock even harder. Her fingers tangled in my hair in response, nails scraping against my scalp, and I groaned, the sensation sending a shiver down my spine.I knew I should slow down, let her breathe, let us savor this but I couldn’t. Not when she was finally here, melting against me, needing this just as much as I did. All the anger, the distance, the nights spent pretending
BLAIR’S POVI could still feel the pounding of my heart as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t push the memory away. Kade and I had almost fucked instead of talking. How did everything spiral out of control like that? I couldn’t even stop myself. I was literally enjoying making out with my own stepbrother. What’s worse? His psycho girlfriend had walked in on us. I squeezed my eyes shut, groaning internally. If only Kade had listened when I told him about the door. We would have had enough time to get dressed, and none of this would have happened. But no, he didn’t. Now I was stuck here, feeling like an idiot, replaying every second of that disaster in my head. “I wish this was a bad dream,” I muttered to myself, staring at the ceiling.The room was too quiet, but my mind was too loud. What was going to happen now? How would Kade explain the situation to his girlfriend?Just imagining him doing that made a lump form in my throat. Did I jus
BLAIR’S POVLara’s Instagram post this morning was all but forgiving. Even though she said she forgave me yesterday, the post said otherwise. I didn’t mean to check. I had just been scrolling through my feed, minding my business until I saw it. Maybe it was because I stalked her for so long that it made it pop up. Or maybe the universe just enjoyed messing with me. “You weren’t chosen, sis. You were just convenient.” That was what she posted.I could tell that she was throwing direct shade at me, and the last part struck a nerve. “I was just convenient?” She was definitely not over things, even though I apologized to her. And if I needed any more confirmation, it came the second I turned the corner in the hallway and saw her waiting by my locker. But she wasn’t alone. Two of her friends stood beside her with their arms crossed, ready to pounce at me. I recognized both of the girls from a couple of Lara’s Instagram posts and I knew this wasn’t a coincidence. This was an a
KADE’S POVI paced behind the basketball field, holding my phone tight in my hand. Things were getting out of control and I needed to end it, no matter what came next. Lara just had to go. I couldn’t continue with such a suffocating relationship.I took a deep breath and checked my phone screen. I’d been waiting for my father to call back, and finally, my phone buzzed in my hand. His name flashed across the screen and I answered immediately. “Hello, D—” “I was in a meeting,” he cut in sharply, almost impatiently. “This better be important.” I drew in a deep breath, gripping the phone tighter. “It’s about Lara,” I informed him. There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Then, his voice finally came, “What about her?” “I don’t think I can continue with dating her,” I said, forcing the words out before I could talk myself out of it. “It’s just not working out.” He exhaled loudly into the phone, and I could already hear the lecture coming. “We had a deal,
BLAIR’S POVI was sitting in bed, trying to focus on my writing and not the sound of Kade’s game in the background. It wasn’t too distracting, but I just couldn’t stop glancing towards him.Kade must have finally gotten bored because he turned to me and I quickly looked away before he could notice that I’d been staring.“What are you doing?” He asked, sitting up.“A project.” I didn’t bother looking up to meet his gaze but I knew that he nodded, like he actually believed me. “Really thought you were never going to speak to me again,” he added. “I’m working on it,” I muttered. He chuckled, clearly amused, but before he could say whatever was on his mind, the door swung open. I looked up, and my stomach dropped. It was Lara and she was standing at the entrance with a suitcase in one hand with smaller bags hanging off her arm. What the hell. “What are you doing?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. Lara rolled her eyes. “What does it look like? I’m moving in.”
Blair’s POV “Kade?” I called through my cracked voice. My feet were barely stepping over each other as I ran alongside the stretcher, my fingers holding Kade’s arm tightly like he’d disappear if I let go. Kade had suddenly collapsed, his body shaking uncontrollably as he struggled to breathe. The first thing I had done was to call the emergency number, and waiting for them took like forever. We were finally at the hospital and he was being rushed in. The nurses were barking orders and a doctor soon joined us. “What happened to him?” The brown skinned doctor asked, the question specifically directed to me. I shook my head because I honestly didn’t know. “One minute he was talking and the next, he was like this,” I answered, pointing at Kade whose eyes were closed now. “Please, save him,” I cried. The doctor barely acknowledged my plea as he turned to the nurses. In a professional voice, he gave his orders, “Get him to trauma one. Start an IV and push two milligrams of Atro
BLAIR’S POVRobert stepped closer, his expression darkening. "What did you just say?" "Poisoned? How?" Mom put a hand over her mouth, glancing at me. The doctor adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat, keeping his face carefully neutral as he explained. "I’m sorry but your son was poisoned with Greenfox leaves." He hesitated for a second before continuing. "We managed to get most of it out of his system, but his recovery will be slow. As you all know, Greenfox puts someone in a coma and we’re past the critical stage, so he’ll live. But I can’t say when he’ll wake up." I barely heard the rest. My chest tightened, and a sharp pain shot through my ribs as I clutched at them. My body shook as I tried to make sense of what I’d just heard. I struggled to steady my breathing, my thoughts racing. Kade was in a coma from Greenfox poisoning? Where did he even get the leaves? I turned to Robert, who barely reacted. But I saw how his fists clenched at his sides, perhaps in an effort t
BLAIR’S POVRobert slowly collected the bottle from the guard, bringing it up to his nose and inhaling deeply. His expression darkened almost immediately and he pulled his head back. “This has Greenfox in it,” he said, frowning deeply. He turned his gaze to the room, his eyes shifting from me to Lara. “Whose bottle is this?” Before I could even process what was happening, Lara’s hand immediately shot out, her finger pointing straight at me. “It’s Blair’s,” she said sharply and I froze, my mouth opening and closing as I thought of what to say. But my body locked up as every pair of eyes landed on me and I helplessly stared at my Mom, but her gaze was questioning too.“It’s not…” I stammered as my heart pounded against my ribs, and my mouth went dry. “No,” I finally whispered, shaking my head. “I didn’t—” My voice broke, and I swallowed hard, forcing myself to speak louder. “I didn’t and would never hurt Kade.” Robert’s eyes studied me but I couldn’t guess what was going through
KADE’S POV “Someone did this!!!!” My body jolted up as my eyes flew open. I tried to orient myself, disoriented for a second, unsure of where I was. Then I saw Blair standing in the doorway, her clothes in her hand, dripping with water all over the floor. Her hair hung in messy strands, and her eyes were wide with rage as she glared at Jaxon and Harper who were seated on the other side of the room.“Who did this?” she screamed, her voice carrying pure, unfiltered anger. I pushed myself up, my heart racing as I looked around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. “What happened?” I asked, my voice still rough from sleep, but I made sure that the concern was clear in my tone. Blair's finger shot out toward her suitcase, which was now nothing more than a soaked pile of clothes. "Someone drenched it with water," she snapped. "All my clothes are wet now. I have nothing to wear." I could see the frustration on her face, her usually put-together appearance completely go
Kade’s POVHer back felt stiff under my palms and there were knots of tension along her spine that I massaged with my thumbs. She let out a shaky breath, her head tilted forward as I kneaded her shoulders.“Honestly, this is the worst time of my life,” Blair groaned, her voice muffled as she pressed her face into the pillow. I huffed a low laugh, still massaging in slow circles across her muscles. “Worse than when I got poisoned?” I asked, half-teasing but only because I didn’t want to admit I’d been thinking the same thing all day — about how much shit she’d been put through. She was quiet for a moment, then she mumbled, “I’m actually contemplating it.” She let out a dry, tired laugh. “I can’t believe I spent the whole day lifting bricks like some prisoner in a labor camp.” Before I could reply, she pushed herself up abruptly, her hair spilling over her shoulders in tangled waves. She turned to face me and with a serious face, she said, “This is forced labor. Literal forced lab
BLAIR’S POVI looked around the storage room, still struggling to believe this was really happening. The place was filthy. Dust covered everything, empty boxes were lying around, the walls looked like they would crumble in any second, and the floor was nothing but broken wood and scattered trash. Mrs. Priscilla stood in front of us as if this disaster was something to be proud of.“Boys and girls,” she called with a crooked smile, like she wanted to offend us. “This is your first assignment,” she said and my stomach twisted.Jaxon frowned and asked, “What exactly are we supposed to do here?”Mrs. Priscilla turned to him and answered, “You’ll tear down the wall near the pipeline, rip up the damaged flooring, and clear out every piece of debris in this room. I want it spotless.”I couldn’t stop myself as I grumbled. “You have got to be kidding.”She acted like I hadn’t said anything. Her finger shot out, pointing at me first, then at Jaxon. “You two will work on that wall.”My jaw drop
BLAIR’S POV“Wake up!”My eyes snapped open, my head aching like I’d been pulled out of a nightmare. Except this was the nightmare.Mrs. Priscilla’s shadow came over me and I looked up to see her hands on her hips as she glared down at me. I scrambled to my feet even though my legs were wobbling and wiped my eyes to blink away the sleep in them. What the hell was the time? And why was she standing in our room like some deranged rooster at the crack of dawn?Beside me, Kade groaned, half-buried under his thin blanket. He turned away from Mrs. Priscilla, pulling the sheet higher over himself. His hair stuck up in every direction, the dark strands messy from sleep, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop from smiling.Mrs. Priscilla wasn’t nearly as amused. She marched over to his bed with all the grace of a military general and tapped her fingers sharply against his forehead. “Up. Now.”Kade’s groggy mumble came muffled from under the blanket. “Go away with your fat hands.”M
BLAIR’S POV I tugged my jacket tighter around me, hating how the cold wind kept sneaking past the fabric like it was on a personal mission to freeze my bones. Winter wasn’t here yet, but it sure as hell was announcing itself like an unwanted guest. I blew air into my palms for warmth, glancing at my phone. It was already two minutes past eight. Seriously? Mrs Priscilla had barked at us about being here at eight sharp. Where was she now? “This is all your fault, Blair,” Harper snapped and I turned to her. Her arms were crossed like a spoiled brat who’d just been told no for the first time in her life. “We wouldn’t be here freezing if it wasn’t for you.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Of course, she’d find a way to twist this around. God forbid Harper takes any responsibility for her miserable life. Apart from freezing my ass off, being dragged away from the comfort of my room, my warm bed, and decent food, forced to spend two hellish weeks around criminals… yeah, the cherry
BLAIR’S POVMrs. Priscilla was a woman who seemed like a myth in Northvale. Many called her “the absolute nightmare” and she was notorious for her methods in bending and stretching students till they became perfect. And here she was, standing in front of us, looking completely in her element. Her expression was neutral, yet somehow filled with an energy that made my stomach sink. The way she surveyed the room, like a queen inspecting her soldiers, only made my anxiety worse. Why did Mr Gregory have to involve her?Mrs Priscilla cleared her throat, and he gave her a nod. “Go ahead,” he said, like he was handing us over to a prison warden. The woman clasped her hands together and began to speak. “I’ve been informed that the four of you have been rather… naughty.” I swallowed hard. That word, coming from her mouth, sounded like the start of a horror movie. Kade, beside me, still looked lost, like he was waiting for someone to tell him who the woman was. Of course, he didn’t know.
BLAIR’S POVI looked at Kade as I listened to the recording, realizing he was the one who made it. He smirked and I looked away, turning my attention to Harper who had just walked into the cafeteria, and was now staring into her phone.And then the whisperings started. “Oh, look who finally decided to show her face.” Someone let out a loud, mocking laugh. “Harper, how does it feel to steal your best friend’s leftovers?” A fresh wave of murmurs spread across the hall. “She really thought Jaxon was worth it?” “What a jealous little wench. Blair leveled up, and Harper just couldn’t take it. She just has to go after her friend’s boys.“She and Jaxon deserve each other, two pathetic losers.” “Who does that?”I sat still, putting a hand under my chin and watching the scene unfold. I tilted my head, wondering how Harper was feeling now that she was being treated like a joke. She seemed to have been so untouchable for so long, and now that she’d fallen, everyone was getting their
KADE’S POVWe finished basketball practice and Jaxon still did not show up. Or maybe he didn’t come to school at all, because he was being ridiculed. If that was the case, it was funny because how could he not have the balls to take what he always dished out?As I was undressing in the locker room, my teammates complained about being hungry.“We’re going to the cafeteria. You coming, Kade?” Jasper called, standing at the door.“You guys can go without me,” I replied, waving them off. “I’ll join you soon.”“Aight.”They left and I was alone in the locker room. I relaxed for a while, listening to a new jam Craig shared. Afterwards, I took a cold shower and changed into my clothes before texting Blair.“”Hey princess, where are you?””Her reply didn’t come immediately and I was about calling when I got a text notification from her.“”I just left the dean’s office. Meet up at the cafeteria?””“”You bet,”” I texted back.I barely made it three steps out of the locker room before coming fa
BLAIR’S POVI woke up to Kade beside me, his arm lazily draped over his eyes, and his chest rising and falling. For a second, I just watched him, soaking in the quiet. It wasn’t often that things between us felt this… peaceful. When he finally stirred, blinking at me, a lazy smile curved on his lips. "You watching me sleep? That’s kinda creepy, princess." I rolled my eyes, stretching my arms over my head. "Shut up. I was just making sure you were still breathing." He chuckled, pushing himself up on one elbow and planting a kiss on my lips. "I meant what I said last night, Blair. I won’t let things like this come between us again. I’ll communicate more. Promise." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Swear it." He held up three fingers like a scout. "Swear on my life." Then, as if reconsidering, he added, "Okay, maybe not my life. But I swear." I smirked. "Good. Because if you pull another disappearing act, I’ll hunt you down." He let out a low laugh, ruffling my hair. "I’d like