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Chapter 103
~Jade’s POV~
I did not know what ca over in that mont.
Perhaps it was the intimacy of the hill, the ambience, or the fact that for the first ti since I had known him, Xander was not hiding behind that arrogant grin or his usual teasing remarks.
There was sothing honest in the way he looked at now, sothing warm that made my chest tighten in a way I did not fully understand.
Before I could second-guess myself, I stepped forward and closed the small distance between us.
My lips t his.
For a brief second, Xander did not move at all. The surprise was clear in the slight tension of his body and the way his breath caught against mine, as though he had not expected to be the one to start it.
Then his hand lifted instinctively to my waist.
The kiss deepened slowly. His fingers tightened slightly at my side while the warmth of his body drew closer, grounding in the mont.
I could feel his earlier surprise giving way to sothing far more certain, the hesitation lting as he kissed back with growing confidence.
When we finally pulled apart, my heart was beating much faster than it should have been. A small smile slipped onto my lips as I glanced around the softly lit clearing.
"Thank you for this," I said quietly. "It’s beautiful."
Xander’s eyes held mine, the lantern light reflecting faintly in them as he nodded once.
"You’re beautiful too, Jade," he replied, his voice lower now. "And if you permit ... I’d like to know you better."
I did not answer him with words. Instead, I leaned forward and kissed him again.
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~Isadora’s POV~
Yesterday was good, but today was one less day towards the Valentine’s party, and I was still without a date.
Students filled the courtyard and hallways as usual, their voices overlapping in excited chatter about the upcoming Valentine’s party, assignnts, and whatever new gossip had surfaced overnight.
Normally, the noise blended into the background for , but today it seed louder than usual, almost overwhelming.
I stood near the edge of the courtyard with Silvie and Vera, trying to follow their conversation while my mind drifted elsewhere.
That was when I noticed him.
Pen stood a short distance away near the lockers, leaning casually against the wall as though he had nothing better to do. Yet his eyes kept drifting in my direction.
For a brief mont, my heart fluttered. Was he... watching ?
I tried not to stare back too obviously, but every ti I glanced up, I found his gaze lingering again. It made a strange warmth spread through my chest.
Silvie noticed first. She followed my line of sight before letting out a small scoff.
"Oh, please," she muttered under her breath. "It’s that idiot Pen again."
The dismissive tone instantly cooled the small excitent blooming inside .
Silvie rolled her eyes. "Why does trash like him keep hanging around here?"
Her words were sharp, careless. I glanced back at Pen instinctively. For a mont, our eyes t again, and sothing about his expression shifted as if he had heard her.
Then he looked away.
I noticed the way his shoulders stiffened before he lowered his head slightly and walked off toward another hallway.
The brief spark of excitent inside faded into sothing uncomfortable. I suddenly felt... bad.
"Anyway," Silvie continued, already moving on from the subject as she turned toward Vera. "Did you see what Troy posted last night?"
The two of them drifted into another conversation while I stood there quietly. Sotis I wondered why I was still hanging with them, but it wasn’t like I had any other friends aside from Jade, who seed too occupied in he brown world.
It felt like I had disappeared from the group without anyone noticing.
A quiet sigh escaped before I slipped away from the courtyard. I needed sowhere quieter.
Without really thinking about it, my feet carried toward the back of the school grounds where a narrow path led between two buildings. At the end of it was a small patch of grass hidden behind a cluster of trees.
Jade and I had discovered the place years ago. It had quickly beco our little escape from campus chaos.
The mont I stepped into the clearing, the noise of the school faded. The wind rustled softly through the leaves above, and the familiar calm the spot brought wrapped around .
But the calm didn’t last.
The weight in my chest grew heavier until I sank down onto the grass.
Before I could stop myself, tears slipped down my cheeks. I hated crying. Yet the feeling that I was slowly losing everyone around had been growing for weeks now.
Jade had her mates. Silvie and Vera had their own social circles.
Even Pen... who had looked at like that earlier... had walked away after being insulted. Maybe I really was just an extra character in everyone else’s story.
Seconds slipped by and as much as I told myself not to, I could no longer hold back the tears as they rolled down my cheeks.
A faint crunch of footsteps reached my ears. I quickly wiped my face with the back of my hand, hoping whoever it was would just pass by.
Instead, the footsteps stopped. "Isadora?"
My head snapped up. Jade stepped into view from behind the trees with Ziva following just behind her.
The mont Jade saw my red eyes, guilt flashed across her face. "Hey," she said softly, walking closer. "What happened?"
Seeing the two of them together made sothing inside tighten again, especially Ziva.
It suddenly felt like even this place wasn’t mine anymore.
"What’s the aning of this?" I asked, my voice quieter than I intended. "Wasn’t it enough that Ziva joined our friend group? Now she’s taking over our secret spots, too?"
Ziva blinked in surprise before quickly raising her hands.
"Oh no, that’s not what happened."
She gestured toward the trees. "I actually found this place earlier and wanted to show Jade. Then she told it was your spot."
The tension drained from imdiately.
"Oh." Heat rushed into my cheeks. "I... I’m sorry," I muttered awkwardly.
Ziva smiled gently and waved it off.
"It’s okay," she said. "I don’t want to take over your friendship with Jade. She seems nice and I really like her energy. I love being friends with her."
"That makes the two of us," I admitted quietly.
Jade crouched beside , studying my face carefully.
"Okay," she said after a mont. "Now tell who made you cry."
I shook my head quickly. "It’s nothing."
She didn’t look convinced. "Isadora."
"It really is nothing," I insisted, though my voice wavered slightly. "I just... felt a little sad that no one wanted to ask out to the party."
Jade and Ziva exchanged a glance, then Ziva tilted her head thoughtfully. "If a guy won’t ask you," she said casually, "why not ask the one you want?"
My breath caught slightly. A thought flashed through my mind so suddenly it startled , but just as quickly, I shook my head.
"That’s not happening."
Ziva leaned forward, curiosity lighting her eyes. "Who is it?"
I instantly looked down at my hands. "Nobody."
"Isadoraaa," she pressed.
"Leave her alone," Jade cut in gently, placing a hand on Ziva’s arm. "She’ll tell us when she’s ready."
Grateful for the rescue, I quickly stood up.
"Co on," Jade said, brushing grass from her jeans. "Let’s get lunch."
As we started walking back toward the main building, Ziva suddenly snapped her fingers.
"Oh! Jade."
"What?"
"Tell us about your date."
Jade imdiately blushed. "You’re not getting that story for free."
"Lunch," Ziva bargained.
Jade sighed dramatically. "Fine. Cafeteria it is."
We were just stepping into the hallway when a familiar voice called out.
"Isadora."
All three of us turned. Pen stood a few feet away. His eyes flicked briefly over Jade and Ziva before settling on .
"I need to talk to you," he said. "In private."
My heart jumped nervously. Without thinking, I pinched Jade’s arm. She shot an annoyed look before stepping forward slightly, blocking part of Pen’s view.
"What do you want?" she asked coldly.
Pen frowned. "That’s none of your concern. I want to speak to Isadora."
Jade glanced at . I quickly shook my head. She was about to refuse for when Ziva suddenly stepped forward.
"I’m sure she’s just shy," she said brightly. "You can talk here."
Jade shot her a warning look, but Ziva only smiled.
"You like her, don’t you?"
Pen froze. He swallowed before giving a small nod. "I... yes."
Ziva smirked. "Then what are you waiting for? Ask her out already." Before either of us could react, she grabbed Jade’s hand and pulled her several steps away.
"We’re still here," she called back to with a wink. "I’m just giving him space."
Jade looked ready to protest, but eventually gave a supportive smile. I took a steady breath.
"I don’t have all day," I said, forcing confidence into my voice. "Spill."
Pen blinked in surprise. "Looks like I’m the shy one here."
"Is that why you asked to speak privately?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "No." Then he looked directly at . "I like you."
My heart skipped. Even though I assud this before, hearing him say that now was entirely different.
"And I would love it if you could go out with ," he continued, his voice steady now. "Be my date to the party."
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