Hailey's POVThe drive to school was thick with silence. I stared out the window, my arms crossed tightly against my chest, feeling Paxton’s presence but refusing to acknowledge it. Every time I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, I caught his lips twitching, like he wanted to say something, but didn’t.I wasn’t ready to hear anything from him, not after last night.When we pulled up to the school, I grabbed the door handle before the car had fully stopped. “Thanks,” I mumbled, stepping out quickly. Before I could take two steps, chaos hit. The flashing lights of a thousand cameras went off like fireworks, blinding me. A wave of murmurs swept through the students.“Is that Hailey with Paxton?!” “No way! Did they come to school together?” “Nikki’s gonna lose it!”My breath hitched, and my chest tightened. The crowd began pressing in, and I could feel myself panicking. I'm allergic to too much crowding.Just when I thought I’d be swallowed by the attention, Paxton’s arm slid aroun
Hailey's POV“Who amongst you did this?!” Jessy’s voice cut through the laughter like a knife, and an awkward silence fell over the classroom. Every pair of eyes darted between me and Nikki, who leaned back against her desk with an air of smugness. I could feel the weight of their gazes, and I was done with being the butt of their jokes.I marched over to Nikki, my heart pounding in my chest. “What’s gonna happen now?” someone whispered, but I didn’t care. “Nikki! How dare you picture me at the party without my consent?” I spat, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside.Nikki laughed, a high-pitched sound that made my skin crawl. “And who are you? A God? Or a poor scholar?” Her friends joined in, cackling like hyenas.“Now you listen to me, you jealous freak! It’s not entirely my fault that your beloved betrothed rejected you! You should get over your rejection already and move on. Crazy slut!” I couldn’t believe the words that poured out of my mouth. Where the hell did I get this
Paxton's POVThe Lambo rolled to a smooth stop in front of the mansion, and I slid out, shoving my hands into my pockets. The maids were already lined up, heads bowed as I walked past them. "Good day, sir!" they chimed in unison, but I didn’t bother to acknowledge them. My mind was somewhere else.Just as I reached the staircase, I felt something cold and sticky dribble onto my chest. I glanced down to see orange juice staining my uniform.“You idiot!” I roared, turning to the maid who had spilled the drink. Her face went pale as she dropped to her knees, trembling. “Are you blind? You’re fired!”“I’m so sorry, sir! Please, it was an accident—” she pleaded, but I was already walking away, the anger bubbling up inside me. **I don’t have time for this.**I reached the sitting room and found my mom pacing. I barely had a chance to greet her before she started in on me. “Paxton, I want you to reject her! That girl... Hailey or whatever her name is, she’s not worth it! You need to be with
Hailey's POVI stared at Paxton's message, my heart racing a little faster than it should. He wanted to meet up with me after practice? Why did that make me feel... warm? I couldn’t help but smile, but I quickly wiped it away when I noticed Mia and Jessy staring at me like hawks."What?" I asked, trying to act cool as I shoved my phone aside."You were totally smiling just now!" Mia giggled, her eyes gleaming with curiosity."Paxton, I guess," Jessy added, leaning in with a teasing grin. "God, this room is about to explode from your blushing."I groaned, trying to deflect the attention. "Ugh, he just... he chatted me, okay?""And?" Mia's excitement was palpable. "Did he say he loves you?"I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t stop my lips from twitching. "No! He just asked me to meet him after practice.""Oh my gosh!" they both squealed in unison."I didn’t even give him an answer yet," I muttered, but they were already too busy bouncing up and down with excitement."What? Why not? You
Hailey's POVI hurried into the hospital with Mia and Jessy trailing behind. My heart was pounding in my chest. The moment I stepped up to the nurse's desk, I blurted out, "Please, where’s Mrs. Edmond admitted?""Room 300," she said, barely glancing up.My hands were trembling as I opened the door. The sight of my mom, lying pale on the bed with oxygen tubes strapped to her face, hit me like a punch in the gut. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes. My dad rushed to me, and I clung to him, burying my face in his shoulder.Mia and Jessy, standing quietly behind me, spoke softly. "We’re sorry for this, sir."My dad nodded weakly. “It’s okay, thank you for coming.”I turned back toward my mom, her frail hand resting on the blanket. My chest tightened. How had I not known? How had they kept this from me? I approached her, my voice shaky. "Mom, please... don’t leave me. Stay with us." I squeezed her hand gently, barely able to hold back my sobs.Her eyes fluttered open. She was so weak, b
Hailey's POVThe game had barely started, but my mind was miles away. My gaze was glued to Mrs. Sophie, who seemed to be getting some twisted satisfaction out of smirking at me every other second. And Nikki? She was there too, lurking with that smug look plastered on her face, just waiting for me to mess up. I couldn’t let her get to me, but my heart was racing faster than the ball bouncing across the field."Hey, relax. Don’t let them get to you," Jessy whispered, patting my back. Mia nodded, biting her lip as she watched Paxton on the field, her eyes flickering with admiration. Paxton noticed us and flashed a confident smile in my direction. My breath hitched as I watched him effortlessly take control of the ball, dodging Dimitri’s kick and sending it soaring through the air.*Goal!* The crowd erupted in cheers, and before I knew it, I was clapping—loudly. Too loudly. I froze, realizing I was the only one applauding. Heat flooded my cheeks. *Oh geez, Hailey!*Paxton winked and blew
Hailey's POVPaxton’s sleek black car pulled up in front of the most luxurious restaurant in the city, and my stomach churned as I stepped out. The restaurant's grand entrance glowed warmly against the darkening sky, its golden lights and immaculate glass doors. I wasn’t sure why Paxton had brought me here for *this talk* he kept hinting about, but the anxious feeling in my chest told me it wasn’t going to be anything simple.We were seated at a table near the window, where the city’s lights sparkled in the background, but I tried to calm my nerves. The waiter came by to take our orders, and I could barely look him in the eye. My fingers fidgeted with the edge of my napkin, but I couldn’t focus on anything. Paxton was quiet, his face unreadable. The silence between us felt thick, almost suffocating, like we were standing on opposite sides of a cliff, waiting to see who would jump first.Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Ugh… so…” I mumbled, hoping he’d take the hint to start talki
Hailey's POVAs I stepped into the school gates, Paxton’s offer weighed heavily on my mind, replaying like a broken record. My feet slowed and I froze. His voice, his demand—everything kept rushing back, making my head spin. What was I about to do?"Are you okay?" Mia asked, brushing her hand against mine.I glanced at her and Jessy. With them beside me, I had nothing to fear... right? They had no idea the storm I was caught up in."We’ll catch you later after Physics, okay?" Jessy said, giving me a knowing look, probably noticing how distracted I was."Yeah, sure. I’ll meet you after." I forced a smile as they left.I needed to clear my head, so I headed straight to the library. The quiet, the smell of old books, and the soft hum of the air conditioning would help calm my nerves, or so I thought. I had barely sat down when a hand tapped my shoulder. My breath hitched as I turned.Paxton.Of course, it had to be him. Just seeing him made my chest tighten.Without a word, he handed me