Bianca's POV
The moment Aiden walked out, slamming the door behind him like it owed him an apology, I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. My fingers still trembled around the rim of my untouched coffee. The taste was bitter. Fitting.
"You just had to poke the fire, didn’t you?" I muttered to myself, leaning back in my chair. My eyes drifted toward the empty chair across from me. For a second, I imagined a much younger Aiden sitting there, messy hair, scraped knees, and all the fire in his heart that the world hadn’t dimmed yet.
He changed. Grew sharper. Colder. More unpredictable. But one thing remained the same—his heart burned too loud for his own good.
I picked up my phone. One missed call from Jace. Of course. Because problems never travel alone.
Before I could call him back, the door swung open again. Speak of the devil.
"You didn’t tell me you’d poke the dragon," Jace said casually as he stepped inside, tossing his bag on the couch like he owned the damn place. "You wanted him to find out this way?"
"You told him I wanted to talk," I replied, raising a brow. "Didn’t tell you to spill the entire tea."
Jace gave a lazy shrug. "You think he’d listen if I said you wanted to ‘talk’ without assuming it’s a trap? Please. This is Aiden. Suspicious is his middle name."
I rolled my eyes. "It had to be done. Better he knows from me than the wrong people."
He sat across from me, elbows on knees, looking serious for once. "So... are you going to tell Skylar next?"
That name.
My jaw clenched. Not because I hated her. Not because she did anything wrong. It’s because... she mattered too much. To Aiden. To this whole stupid game we’re all pretending not to play.
"She’s not ready," I said.
"You sure it’s her that’s not ready? Or you?" Jace’s eyes studied me. He always had this annoying ability to see past my crap. Maybe that’s why I never quite hated him.
"I don’t owe Skylar anything."
"You don’t," he agreed. "But maybe you owe Aiden the truth. And maybe... you owe yourself the chance to not be the villain."
I laughed—dry, humorless. "I am the villain, Jace. You think I play nice just because I sip coffee and wear lipstick? I’ve been raised in a family that eats weakness for breakfast."
He didn't say anything. He just watched me like he was waiting for the mask to slip.
And part of me hated how close he was to seeing the girl underneath.
—
Later that day, after Jace left, I finally opened the box tucked in the back of my closet. Dusty. Old. Full of what-ifs.
Photos. Letters. Stupid memories I thought I burned. But one thing caught my eye.
A polaroid of Aiden and me. Much younger. Happier.
His arm around my shoulders. My grin too wide. Cousins who swore to be each other’s ride or die.
Until the families turned cold.
Until secrets got too loud.
Until the boy I once called my brother became a stranger in the same house.
And now?
Now he was falling for a girl with kind eyes and soft hands. A girl who didn’t know the war she’d walked into.
I closed the box.
It wasn’t time yet. But it was coming.
And when it did...
Not everyone would make it out unscarred.
---
The air in the student council room was colder than usual. Maybe it was the A/C, or maybe it was the silence that followed after Aiden left. I sat still, my coffee untouched, the warmth no longer comforting but mocking. I hated this feeling. This tightness in my chest that no amount of caffeine or sarcasm could fix.
Jace was still standing near the board, arms crossed, brows pulled tight like he was debating whether to ask or walk away.
“Spit it out,” I said, not even looking up from my planner. “You’ve been staring like I murdered someone.”
“I didn’t know you and Aiden were cousins,” he said after a beat, his voice low, curious.
I smirked. “Good. You weren’t supposed to.”
“And why is that?” he asked, stepping closer. His tone wasn’t teasing anymore. It was... worried.
I finally met his gaze. “Because not every blood tie is worth bragging about, Jace.”
His lips parted, but he didn’t speak. He was trying to read me again, like I was some mystery he could solve if he stared long enough. But I wasn’t Skylar. I wasn’t soft pages and unspoken thoughts. I was locked chapters and dangerous footnotes.
“He doesn’t know about…” he trailed off.
“About what?” I challenged.
He hesitated. “About your parents. About the reason you left your old school.”
I let out a short laugh. “That’s not something I go around putting on my résumé.”
He looked like he wanted to say something. Apologize maybe. But I didn’t need pity. Not from Jace. Not from anyone.
“Look,” I said, standing up, grabbing my coffee. “Don’t look at me like I’m some ticking time bomb. I know what I’m doing.”
“But you’re playing with fire, Bianca.”
“And so are you,” I replied, my eyes narrowing. “With Skylar.”
His jaw tightened.
“Don’t act like I don’t see it. The way you look at her. Like she’s the answer to every question you’ve ever had.”
He didn’t deny it. He just looked away.
“She’s not a game, Jace,” I said softly. “Neither is Aiden.”
“I know,” he muttered.
I walked past him, the door creaking as I opened it.
“Bianca,” he called out.
I stopped but didn’t turn.
“Are you okay?”
I smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “I haven’t been okay since I was thirteen.”
---
Outside, the hallway buzzed with students, laughter, and the smell of cafeteria food that made my stomach twist. I spotted Aiden near the lockers, headphones in, head down.
He looked so different now. Taller. Colder. But I could still see the little boy who used to sneak cookies into our grandma’s room when she got sick. The same boy who once swore he’d never let anyone hurt me.
But things changed.
People changed.
And I wasn’t sure anymore if he’d protect me… or run from me.
---
Meanwhile…
Skylar’s POV
“Okay, but why are those two always fighting?” I whispered, staring from across the hallway at Aiden and Jace who were — again — trying to out-sass each other over something dumb.
“I think it’s a testosterone contest,” Mia said, munching on a bag of spicy chips. “Or maybe they’re both just dumb.”
“I vote both.”
“Or maybe,” she wiggled her brows, “they’re both just madly in love with you.”
“Shut up.”
“No, like seriously. Jace opens a door? Aiden kicks it down. Jace walks you to class? Aiden’s already there. It’s like watching a weird love triangle soap opera.”
I sighed and grabbed my juice. “It’s exhausting. I didn’t ask for this.”
“But you’re not exactly stopping it,” Mia teased, nudging me.
I didn’t respond. Because she was right. And I hated how right she always was.
My phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number.
Unknown: We need to talk. Meet me behind the music room. – B.
I stared at it for a second.
Bianca?
Mia peeked over my shoulder. “Oooh, secret meeting?”
“I’m not sure if it’s a trap or tea.”
“Either way, I’m coming.”
---
Behind the Music Room – 2:15 PM
Bianca leaned against the wall, arms crossed, black nails tapping her sleeve.
“You came,” she said. “And you brought your pet.”
“I’m a human,” Mia deadpanned.
Bianca ignored her and looked at me. “We need to make something clear.”
“Okay?” I said cautiously.
She sighed. “I don’t hate you.”
“...That’s not very convincing.”
“I don’t hate you,” she repeated. “But I don’t trust you either. Not with Jace. Not with Aiden.”
My brows lifted. “I didn’t realize they were your property.”
“They’re not,” she snapped. “But they’re mine to protect.”
“And why do they need protecting from me?”
She paused, then stepped closer. “Because you don’t know what you’re doing to them. And I can’t watch them get hurt again. Not when I’m barely holding things together.”
I was quiet.
Mia? Not so much.
“Okay listen here, dark queen,” she said, stepping in front of me. “We’re not here for drama. If you wanna monologue, go audition for a movie.”
Bianca just stared at her, unimpressed.
“Skylar doesn’t owe you an explanation. And maybe instead of acting like the world is out to burn, try not lighting the matches.”
I blinked. “That… was actually kind of poetic.”
Mia flipped her hair. “I have my moments.”
Bianca didn’t respond. She just turned and walked off, heels clicking against the tile floor.
“Damn,” Mia whispered. “She really is the final boss.”
---
Later that night, I found myself replaying everything.
Bianca’s warning.
Aiden’s glances.
Jace’s silence.
And this strange, pulling tension that I didn’t know how to escape.
So when my phone rang, and I saw Aiden’s name on the screen… I didn’t hesitate.
---
My phone lit up.
1:34 AM.
And I’d been staring at the same ceiling spot for the past two hours.
I gave up.
My finger hovered over her name.
Skylar.
I didn’t even think twice. I pressed call.
One ring.
Two.
Three.
“Hello?” her sleepy voice came through, soft and raw. My chest… it tightened.
God, I must’ve woken her up.
“Were you sleeping?” I asked, voice low.
“Nope,” she mumbled. “Just on a conference call with the moon. What’s up, dork?”
I smiled. Just like that. She always knew how to turn 1AM regrets into 1AM comfort.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“You called me ‘cause of that? Wow. What an honor,” she teased, her voice still a little raspy.
I paused. “...Or maybe I just wanted to hear your voice.”
She went quiet for a second. “You okay?”
Am I?
I sat up. “I just… had a long day.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
No. Yes. Maybe.
I shook my head, forgetting she couldn’t see me.
“Wanna play a game instead?”
“Seriously?” she laughed. “What are we, twelve?”
“Come on,” I smirked. “Truth or dare. Over the phone. Midnight edition.”
She groaned, but I heard her smile through it. “Fine. You start.”
“Truth,” I said.
She didn’t hesitate. “Were you jealous of Jace earlier?”
I blinked.
The silence hung.
“Nah,” I lied.
“Liar.”
I laughed nervously. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“Who do you think is hotter? Me or Jace?”
She snorted. “You really wanna know?”
“Damn right I do.”
“Hmmm,” she dragged the sound dramatically. “I’ll say… neither.”
“Ouch. My ego. Dead.”
She was laughing now. That was the goal.
And suddenly I didn’t want the call to end.
Ever.
We kept going. Questions that turned into confessions. Dares that turned into dares to feel something.
Until…
“Truth,” she said.
I hesitated. “Are you afraid of falling in love?”
She got quiet. “Are you?”
“...I asked first.”
She sighed. “I think I’m afraid of falling for the wrong person.”
I looked up at my ceiling again. “I think I’m just afraid of falling. Period.”
“Why?” she whispered.
I swallowed. “Because I know I’ll fall too hard. And I don’t think I know how to stop.”
Silence again.
“Aiden…” she said softly.
“Can you just… stay on the line?” I asked.
“For how long?”
I leaned back, smiling to myself. “Until I fall asleep.”
She chuckled. “Fine. But if you start snoring, I’m recording it.”
And with that, we just… stayed.
The quiet wasn't awkward. It was warm.
And before sleep dragged me under, I heard her whisper something I almost missed—
“You’re not the only one who’s scared, Aiden.”
I didn’t even ask what she meant.
I was too afraid of the answer.