The week had barely started, but at Crown Ridge High, the temperature wasn't just rising—it was combusting.
By now, rumors swirled like smoke around Lynn and Alex. Whispers of danger, secret alliances, betrayal. But it was the kiss—the kiss—that haunted the hallways. It wasn't just gossip anymore.
It was legend.
---
"Look who finally showed up to chemistry."
Gallagher smirked as Lynn entered the lab in a black cropped jacket and leather boots. She slid into her seat beside him, flipping open her notes without a word.
Dianne passed her a folded paper beneath the table.
"Another anonymous message," she whispered. "This one was in your locker."
Lynn opened it, scanning the words. Only one name was signed at the bottom:
Jordan.
Her eyes narrowed.
The note wasn't threatening.
It was adoring.
"The fire in your eyes could light a city. But you still haven't noticed the boy in the shadows."
Jordan.
She turned her head subtly, eyes scanning the lab.
There he was.
Sitting at the far edge, by the windows. Soft curls falling into his eyes, sketching something in his notebook.
He didn't look up.
But he didn't have to.
Lynn's pulse skipped.
She wasn't used to being observed like a muse.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of school, Alex was trying to focus on basketball drills.
He couldn't.
Not when she was in his head like wildfire.
But someone else had been watching him from the sidelines—and she didn't believe in silence.
Sera.
Long chestnut hair, violet eyes, flawless gloss on her lips.
She strolled up to him during the water break.
"You're quicker this week, Alex," she said, voice smooth as silk. "Is it adrenaline, or something… hormonal?"
Peter snorted behind him.
Alex wiped his face with a towel. "Hi, Sera."
"You know," she continued, "we used to have fun. Back when you weren't so… distracted."
Behind her, her girls lingered—Fresa, tall and sharp; Pauline, petite and fake-innocent; Serenity, the quiet watcher.
"I've moved on, Sera," Alex said plainly.
She smirked, stepping closer.
"But has she?"
That hit a nerve.
Alex held her gaze. "She's not playing games."
Sera's expression twisted. "That's what you think. But queens always choose power. Let's see where she is when you're not the shiny new trophy."
And just like that, she walked off.
---
At lunch, Lynn sat at her usual spot in the courtyard with her circle.
Gallagher was ranting about a new surveillance leak. Dianne was cross-checking files. Fanshia was sketching out a digital map of the Kay estate.
But Lynn?
Lynn was staring at Jordan.
He was in the art courtyard, sunlight brushing the edge of his face as he flipped through a sketchbook.
Something about his stillness unnerved her.
He wasn't trying to be seen. He was trying not to be forgotten.
"Do you know him?" she asked Gallagher.
Gallagher glanced over. "Jordan? That boy practically lives in the art room. He's had a crush on you since freshman year."
She blinked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Gallagher raised an eyebrow. "Because you were too busy breaking the school in half."
She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched.
Maybe the chaos was getting to her. Maybe the war was closing in. But when Jordan looked up—and actually met her eyes—something fluttered.
And it wasn't fear.
---
That evening, Alex was waiting by her locker.
She approached, wary.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I found a note from someone named Jordan."
Alex stiffened. "The art kid?"
She nodded.
"And Sera came to me during practice."
Lynn arched a brow. "Let me guess. She's still bitter."
"She thinks you'll leave me for power."
Lynn stepped closer, so close their shoulders brushed.
"I don't want power," she whispered. "I want you."
Alex reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Then don't let them in."
"I won't," she said. "Unless they barge through."
---
Later that night, her phone buzzed again.
A message from Jordan.
> If the crown ever weighs you down, I'll be here. No games. Just truth.
And on Alex's phone—a text from Sera.
> She's playing too many roles, Alex. Queens lie. Lovers pretend. Remember who warned you first.
---
Lines were being drawn.
Not just in blood and secrets.
But in hearts.
And hearts?
Were always the most dangerous battlefield.