By Friday morning, the entire school had moved past gossip and straight into obsession.
Lynn and Alex had become a phenomenon—two people who weren't supposed to collide, yet somehow did. And now everyone either wanted to copy them… or tear them apart.
"You've started a trend," Dianne said as the girls walked across the campus courtyard.
Fanshia, walking backwards in front of them, grinned. "Yeah. Quiet girl meets broody boy and turns him soft? It's practically romance season."
Gallagher chimed in from behind, munching on an apple. "Except not everyone's happy about it."
Lynn frowned. "Who?"
"Jamy," Gallagher replied. "Your lovely stepbrother is fuming that you're getting more attention than him."
"Let him fume," Lynn muttered. "I'm not here for spotlights."
"Doesn't matter," Fanshia said. "You were born with one. That's what bothers them."
Jamy's envy wasn't new. Ever since John Kay remarried, he'd tried to make himself the golden boy of the Kays. Perfect grades, fake charm, model-son act. But people knew the truth—Lynn had the legacy in her blood. She didn't need to prove herself.
And now, with Alex in the picture?
Jamy's spotlight was all but gone.
---
Meanwhile, in the gym, Alex ran drills with Peter and Harden. Sam sat off to the side sketching plays on a notepad. The basketball court was nearly empty except for a few other students.
"You good?" Harden asked between layups.
Alex nodded. "Yeah."
"You've been quiet. And that's saying something for you."
Peter passed the ball to Alex, who caught it without effort and shot a clean arc into the net.
"I met her sister," Alex finally said.
Peter raised his eyebrows. "The quiet one? Serene?"
"She's sharp. Not easy to read."
Harden nodded. "Like Lynn?"
Alex shook his head. "Different. Lynn is loud in ways no one hears until she wants them to. Serene's like a book with no title."
Sam looked up. "So you're meeting the family now?"
"Part of it."
Peter whistled. "Fast track."
"Not by choice," Alex muttered. "Her stepmom tried to pretend I didn't belong in her world."
Harden bounced the ball once, catching Alex's eye. "You think she's right?"
Alex stared at the floor for a beat too long.
Then said, "I don't care."
---
Later that day, Lynn found Jamy standing near the main staircase, talking to Chelsea. They stopped when they saw her approaching.
"What a coincidence," Jamy said, voice sugar-coated. "Our little queen has arrived."
Lynn crossed her arms. "I'm not in the mood, Jamy."
Chelsea smirked. "You never are. But the rest of us still have to deal with the mess you and your boyfriend are creating."
Lynn raised a brow. "Boyfriend?"
Chelsea shrugged. "You said it with your kiss. The rest of us are just calling it what it looks like."
Jamy stepped forward. "He's dragging our name into drama. Suzie's trying to keep the Kay image clean. You think Dad would approve?"
"I think," Lynn said calmly, "Dad hasn't asked me a single thing about my life in six months. So spare me the fake concern."
"You forget," Jamy said, voice dipping lower, "that I'm part of this family too."
"No," Lynn snapped. "You're part of Suzie's second act. I'm the legacy. You're the commercial break."
His face froze, and even Chelsea looked taken aback.
Lynn didn't wait for them to recover. She walked off, pulse steady. She didn't regret it.
Some truths had teeth.
---
Alex was waiting outside the school gate by the time the final bell rang. Lynn didn't hesitate—she walked straight to him.
"I need to hit something," she said.
He raised an eyebrow. "Figuratively, I hope?"
"Mostly."
He smiled and handed her a helmet. "Let's go."
---
They ended up at the old batting cages on the outskirts of City Z, where no one cared who you were or who you were with. Lynn pulled on the helmet, took a bat, and faced the machine.
The first pitch came fast. She missed.
The second—she connected. A clean crack filled the air.
By the seventh swing, she was breathing hard, but her eyes were clear.
Alex stood beside the netting, watching.
"You look terrifying," he said.
She pulled off the helmet and leaned on the bat. "You still like me?"
He stepped closer. "More."
They walked the empty sidewalk after that, their hands brushing occasionally but not quite locking.
Until Lynn reached over and took his without warning.
"I told Jamy off today," she said. "Called him a commercial break."
Alex laughed. "Brutal."
"He deserved it. He and Chelsea think I'm ruining the Kays' reputation."
He stopped walking.
"You're not ruining anything. You're rewriting it."
She turned to him. "Am I worth the drama?"
Alex didn't hesitate. "Always."
And this time, when they kissed, it wasn't a rebellion.
It was a promise.