The Monday after the festival arrived like a storm cloud, hanging low over Crown Ridge High. Whispers chased Lynn down every hallway — not cruel this time, but curious.
"Did you see how Alex ran straight to her after the game?"
"That poem was definitely about him."
"Do you think they're dating now?"
Lynn kept her head high, but inside, her heart felt like a hummingbird's wings. That kiss under the fireworks hadn't just happened — it had changed everything.
In her locker, she found a small envelope tucked between her books. Inside was a folded note:
> "He's not who you think he is. Watch your back. — A friend."
Lynn stared at it, unease curling in her stomach. No name. No handwriting she recognized. Just those seven words.
"Who is trying to play games now?" Fanshia said as she read over her shoulder.
Gallagher, who had just joined them, squinted at the note. "Could be anyone. Jealousy's in the air."
Dianne snatched it from Lynn's hands. "Or someone who wants to ruin what you two are building. Let me guess — Sera?"
Lynn's jaw tightened. "She wouldn't be that subtle."
"You're right," Fanshia muttered. "Sera would write a whole poem, perform it on stage, and cry fake tears while doing it."
They all laughed — but Lynn couldn't shake the chill of the note. She looked across the courtyard and spotted Alex, deep in conversation with Sam and Peter. When their eyes met, he smiled.
Lynn forced herself to smile back… but the warning still echoed in her mind.
---
Meanwhile, across campus, Sera was very much not smiling. Her monologue had failed to humiliate Lynn, and Alex had barely looked at her since the festival.
She sat with her girls — Fresa, Pauline, and Serenity — at their usual bench near the east wing.
"I'm not done," Sera said, voice sharp.
Pauline crossed her arms. "He's into her. You can't force that to change."
"I don't have to," Sera said smoothly. "All I need is the right moment. People reveal the worst sides of themselves when they think no one's watching."
Fresa leaned in. "What are you planning?"
Sera smirked. "Nothing… yet. But she's not perfect. I'll find the crack."
---
At lunch, Lynn and Alex sat side-by-side under the tree near the field — their usual spot, now suddenly full of electricity.
"I loved your performance," Lynn said softly. "But I think your team won because you were thinking of me."
Alex laughed, his hand brushing hers. "You're not wrong."
She hesitated, then pulled out the note. "I got this today."
He read it and frowned. "Someone's trying to start something."
"Any idea who?"
Alex shook his head. "But I've been through this before. People make things up when they can't get what they want."
Lynn tilted her head. "Before?"
Alex sighed. "At my old school… things got messy. A girl spread lies. I transferred here to start over."
Lynn looked at him carefully. "Was that girl… like Sera?"
He nodded once. "Exactly like her."
Lynn slipped her fingers into his. "Then we'll face her — and whatever this is — together."
---
Elsewhere, Jordan was sitting in the library, sketching. His journal was filled with pages of Lynn — her eyes, her smile, even that dress she wore the night of the festival.
But what hurt most was the newest drawing: Lynn and Alex kissing.
He'd drawn it from memory, standing in the crowd, unseen.
"She doesn't even know I exist anymore," he murmured.
"Maybe she never did," a voice said behind him.
Jordan looked up and saw Jenifer — Lynn's stepsister — leaning over his shoulder.
"She'll never love you," she said sweetly. "But I can help you make her see you again."
---
Back in the hallway, Gallagher noticed a piece of paper fluttering from one of the lockers.
He picked it up — another note.
> "Secrets don't stay buried at Crown Ridge. Ask Alex about Maplewood."
Gallagher blinked. "Maplewood?"
---
That night, Lynn sat on her balcony, the city lights of Z shimmering below.
Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Alex:
> "I've never felt this way before. I don't want to lose you to lies."
She smiled, but another text popped up — from an unknown number:
> "Check the student archives. Maplewood. You'll see who he really is."
The wind picked up. The night felt colder than usual.
Lynn sat still, the weight of her heart caught between trust… and doubt.