Hazel Freeman stared at her reflection in the mirror, her heart racing.
Not from fear—but from anger.
They kissed in front of her without shame.
How could they?
She reached into her purse and took out her lipstick. There Hazel was, standing at the sink, fixing her lipstick with practiced precision, her expression tight with rage.
Fuming.
She felt defeated.
Heartbroken, even.
Behind her, the stall door creaked open.
"Hazel, you have to see this," Alexa said, practically skipping to the mirror, phone in hand. "It's literally blowing up the Gossip page."
Alexis followed with a smirk. "I mean, not that we're surprised. That kiss had more drama than the winter formal."
Hazel didn't look up.
Alexa turned her phone toward her. "Here. Someone got a close-up. Like, full-on jawline, hand-on-waist, lips-on-lips action."
Hazel's hand froze mid-swipe.
Alexis leaned in. "Look at Harper's face. She looks like she's in love. Or hypnotized."
Alexa laughed. "I mean, we did think you had Logan wrapped, but... guess not."
Silence.
Hazel slowly turned her gaze to the phone.
There it was.
The picture: Logan holding Harper like she was gravity itself. Harper leaning in. His hand gripping her waist like she belonged to him.
The kind of picture that didn't just speak—it screamed.
Hazel stared.
Her knuckles whitened against the edge of the sink. She didn't blink.
"Hazel?" Alexis asked, suddenly unsure.
Hazel exhaled through her nose, set her lipstick down, and turned slowly to face them.
"What's up with you? Are you finally losing all your charm?" Alexa asked, giggling afterward.
"Shut your filthy mouth, you witch!"
Alexis blinked. "Girl," she chipped in, "We're just saying—"
"I don't care what the hell you're saying," Hazel snapped. Her voice was quiet, but it crackled like a storm.
"What the fuck is your problem?!" Alexa snapped.
"Problem? I don't have any problems, girls," she said, chuckling softly—sharp. "I give problems to people like Harper. People who need it."
Then Hazel took the phone, stared at the photo again, then smiled.
The smile was cold,hollow and calculated.
"She thinks she's won," Hazel said softly, setting the phone down with eerie calmness.
"But this isn't over. Not even close."
Her eyes gleamed like shattered glass as she fixed her hair one last time in the mirror.
"Let them post their pictures. Let them write their fucking headlines."
She turned to her minions, tone dropping.
"I only look defeated when I'm reloading. And I'll strike when I get something big."
Alexa was the first to let out a menacing chuckle. "I already love this."
And with that, Hazel and her minions walked out—heels clicking sharply against the tile, rage trailing behind her like perfume.
****
Logan walked through the corridor with his hands shoved into his pockets. Students passed by in waves—laughing, talking, bumping shoulders—but he barely noticed.
His body moved on autopilot.
His mind?
Still back there.
On her.
On the kiss.
Her lips had been soft.
Warmer than he expected. Sweeter, too.
Like vanilla lip gloss and something he couldn't name. Something that stayed with him.
It wasn't supposed to mean anything.
It was a defense move. A distraction. A line to shut Hazel up.
That's what he told himself.
But the second his lips touched hers, that excuse dissolved.
She'd kissed him back.
Not like someone faking it. Not like someone playing a part.
Like someone feeling it.
And he felt it too—the way her hands clutched his hoodie. The way her breath caught. The way she melted into him like maybe she'd been waiting for it too.
It messed him up.
He stopped walking, right in the middle of the hallway.
"Why did I do that?"He muttered to himself. That was a question he couldn't answer. The immediate answer was because he wanted to but that was wrong. They were something fake...just fake.
The kiss replayed over and over in his head. Her scent. Her warmth. The small, quiet sound she made when he deepened it.
He rubbed the back of his neck, jaw tight.
It was just supposed to be fake. This whole thing was a cover.
So why did kissing her feel like crossing a line he couldn't uncross?
And why—when he looked into her eyes afterward—did he feel like he was dragging her into trouble... danger?
Logan let out a slow breath, forcing himself to keep walking.
He didn't know what he'd started with that kiss.
But he was beginning to realize—
It was something big.