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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Author: Sire Bliss
last update Last Updated: 2024-04-03 12:14:14

CHAPTER 14

The repetitive tapping of Mrs. Wilkins' foot against the marble floor broke the strained silence that had crept over the classroom. Her penetrating stare traveled across the assembled students, a silent challenge to face her scrutiny.

"Well?" she asked, her tone sharp and irritated. "Surely someone can enlighten us as to the central theme of Fitzgerald's masterpiece."

A collective rustle echoed across the rows of desks, with the studious few frantically digging through their notes in an attempt to find the solution. But for the most part, the inquiry was met with blank glances and awkward shifting.

From the back of the classroom, Lila could feel Caleb and Miranda's presence as a tangible force, their smug indifference in stark contrast to the palpable anxiety that seized their peers. She dared a furtive glance in their direction, her gut constricting at the sight of Miranda's perfectly manicured nails drumming an eager staccato across the desktop.

Caleb, the epitome of fals
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  • UNSPOKEN BOND    CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

    CHAPTER 17"Very well, then," she said, her voice ringing with a rare note of satisfaction. "Let's see if any of you can match Miss Emerson's incisive analysis."A murmur echoed down the rows of desks, the pupils bending forward in rapt attention, their eyes gleaming with the excitement of the challenge."Next question," Mrs. Wilkins said, her chalk striking against the blackboard in decisive strokes. "Analyse the significance of the valley of ashes and its symbolic representation within the broader context of the novel."A beat of silence ensued, with the students exchanging apprehensive glances as they searched their minds for an appropriate response. Caleb's eyes raised as he locked an intense stare on Lila from the back of the classroom.Mia's hand shot into the air as she saw the change in the dynamic, she looked angry and determined. But before she could say anything, Caleb leaned forward, his lips curving into a sneer as he directed his mocking whisper at the target of his hatr

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  • UNSPOKEN BOND    76

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    CHAPTER 72***NEXT DAY AT SCHOOL ***The library's hushed ambiance felt like a taut wire, barely containing the simmering tensions that crackled between them. Lila swept her gaze across the secluded study nook, taking stock of her unlikely crew bound together by shared trauma and a singular purpose.Mia radiated tightly-coiled fury, her lithe frame tensed like a spring awaiting release. Though defiant fire still burned in those dark eyes, the mottled bruises marring her skin served as a visceral reminder of the price they'd paid for resistance. Beside her, Dylan settled into his chair with measured movements, as if afraid any sudden gestures might rekindle the powderkeg hostilities. His jaw was clenched, eyes tracking the others with a wariness born of recent betrayals.The heavy tread of boots against tile announced Caleb's arrival. The towering jock swaggered in exuding nonchalant arrogance, but the corded muscles bunching along his thick neck betrayed the menacing undercurrent sim

  • UNSPOKEN BOND    CHAPTER 71

    CHAPTER 71The front door let out a deep, familiar groan of protest as Lila shouldered it open and stepped across the threshold into the Hawthorne home. The entrance stretched out in front of her, tiny but neat, a true reflection of her father's practical principles and workmanlike pride.She scuffed her trainers against the bristly welcome mat, releasing the grit and debris that had gathered throughout the day on their rubber soles. The regular shucking noises resonated hollowly along the front hall, as Lila went about her daily practice of making herself at home.Her backpack thudded on the floor with a muffled whump, spreading its contents in a tangled sprawl of notebooks, textbooks and stray pens. She'd worry about resolving that issue later; for now, the enticing draw of escape into the digital ether called with its siren song of consequence-free distraction.Lila retrieved her smartphone from the chaos, flicking her thumb across the lockscreen in a single practiced flick. The sc

  • UNSPOKEN BOND    CHAPTER 70

    CHAPTER 70The bell, which thankfully signaled the conclusion of another academic assignment, rang out in a strong dismissal tone that cut through the noise of the packed corridor. Students rush out of classrooms, eager to get away from academic duties for a few hours.Lila stayed there for a few lingering seconds, watching the storm swell and fall before getting up. She gathered her belongings with deliberate, precise care, her actions honed over years of discreetly traversing a world practically devoid of noise disruptions.As she lifted her bag and turned towards the exit, a familiar figure appeared at her side. Mia fell into step, her face a mix of affectionate irritation and lingering uncertainty."You sure you're okay heading out alone?" She asked, narrowing one eye as she examined Lila. "After this morning's...events, I wouldn't blame you for wanting someone to walk with."Lila's hands moved in a flurry of familiar gestures, her agile fingers articulating the response with prac

  • UNSPOKEN BOND    CHAPTER SIXTY NINE

    CHAPTER 69Miranda and Yuria paused in mid-torment, their savage sneers temporarily easing as the sound of an adjacent classroom door smashing open reached their ears."What in the name of blessed reason is going on out here?"The authoritative scream of a male faculty member pierced through the tense atmosphere like a hot knife as Mr. Levinson's towering form approached the corner. The hefty, barrel-chested History teacher stopped short, his already florid cheeks purpling even more as he took in the chaotic sight."Miss Miranda!" "Miss Yuria!" His blustering tones cracked like a whip as he focused on the perpetrators. "Release those young ladies this instant and explain yourselves!"For a brief time, it appeared that Miranda might dig in her heels and refuse the teacher's intervention. Her clean features distorted into an ugly grimace, and her grasp on Lila's hair tightened violently until the mute girl wailed. Then, just as swiftly, the mutinous fury subsided into calm, lazy apathy

  • UNSPOKEN BOND    CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT

    CHAPTER 68The heavy wooden door bashed shut behind Caleb with a resounding finality that echoed along the empty hallway. His footsteps sounded like sledgehammers, propelled by a spinning whirlwind of embarrassment, rage, and disbelief.How dare they? How can those small little insects defy him so shamelessly, removing his legitimate claim to power with their pathetic insurrection? As the images repeated in his mind's eye, he let out a low growl from deep within.Those losers and the freak raised their betraying hands in arrogant, coordinated rejection. Dylan, the overhype little b*tch who had fooled himself into thinking he could steal Caleb's natural leadership. A strong shudder shot through the jock's titanium-hewn frame as he pictured wrapping his hands around that thin throat and squeezing until those mutinous lights went out for good.His fists squeezed till the knuckles turned white, tendons cording against the skin like high-tension cables. The abrupt jarring blast of his ring

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