chapter 4
May 8, 2025
By the time I spotted Madison in the hallway, she was already mid-glam.
Her locker mirror was propped open, lip gloss wand in one hand, phone in the other. She was dabbing, blotting, adjusting — that slow, calculated ritual girls like Maddie perfected by sophomore year.
I was watching from behind a water fountain, textbook up like I was deeply invested in environmental science.
I wasn’t.
Jaxon slid into frame like he’d been summoned. Hoodie unzipped, hair artfully chaotic, hands in his pockets like his whole life was recess.
He didn’t speak right away. Just leaned against the locker next to hers, like this was their regular meet-cute and not step one of a psychological takedown.
Madison glanced sideways. Her expression flickered — confusion? Amusement? Suspicion? All three?
He nodded at her lip gloss.
“New shade?” he said, easy. “Looks expensive. Liam’s guilt budget?”
Maddie blinked, then laughed. Not a real one. It was that tight, calculated giggle that came with red flags and fake nails.
“Cute,” she said, eyes narrowing. “You still bored enough to mess with me, Reed?”
“Not bored,” Jaxon said, shifting slightly closer. “Just curious.”
He lowered his voice just enough to sound intimate.
“What’s it like dating a guy who treats relationships like extra credit?”
And there it was — the moment her glossy smile faltered.
Only a flicker, but I saw it. I felt it.
I popped my AirPods in — nothing playing — and watched over the top of my textbook like a total creep. Madison twirled her gloss tube, laughing again, but this time with a question mark.
Unsure. Off balance. Exactly the goal.
By the time the bell rang, she looked like she was already drafting a notes app apology to herself.
Mission: activated.
***
Back of the library. Our unofficial war room. Low lighting, overstuffed chairs, Wi-Fi that worked just well enough.
Jaxon dropped into the chair across from me like he owned it, pulled my snack stash closer, and grabbed a gummy bear.
“She took the bait,” he said, popping it into his mouth. “Told me Liam’s been ‘acting weird’ and asked if I thought he was hiding something.”
I blinked. “She seriously asked you that? You’re literally Liam’s nemesis.”
He grinned. “Exactly. Which is why she assumed I’d be too biased to make something up. She thinks I hate him too much to care enough to lie.”
“And?”
“I didn’t give her facts. I gave her doubt. Told her I heard things. From people. Vague but dangerous. Like maybe Liam’s been talking to other girls. Or maybe it’s just his guilty conscience. Either way, I said, ‘You know how Liam is with attention.’”
I let out a low whistle. “Ouch.”
“She ate it up,” he said, voice smug. “Madison’s the kind of girl who doesn’t believe rumors. But she believes people believe them. Which is worse.”
“You’re evil.”
“I’m effective,” he said, smiling through a mouthful of stolen gummy bears.
I paused, watching him. The way he lounged like he wasn’t orchestrating social collapse. The way he looked at me sometimes, like he knew something I didn’t.
“Why are you helping me?” I asked, finally.
He blinked, like the question surprised him. But only for a second.
“You hate Liam more than I do,” I added. “But this? This is surgical. You didn’t have to… lean in so hard.”
He tilted his head. “You want the honest answer?”
“Yes?”
He grinned. “You’re fun when you’re feral.”
I rolled my eyes. “Try again.”
“I like puzzles,” he said, shrugging. “And you’re a particularly interesting one.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Sure it is. Just not the one you want.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “here we are. Day three of our criminal partnership.”
We sat in smug silence for a beat, until I tossed a gummy bear at his face.
He caught it. With his mouth. Of course he did.
“Show-off.”
“You’re welcome.”
We didn’t talk about the hoodie I was still wearing. Didn’t talk about the fact that I hadn’t even tried to give it back. Or how I’d stopped pretending it wasn’t his.
But when I started packing up my books, he said, “Good work today, Torres.”
I looked up.
Smirked. “You too, villain.”
