[LUCAS – POV]
Two-day suspension.
Could've been worse, honestly. But it wasn't the punishment that bothered me. It was her—Jasmine walking beside me, head held high like she didn't care what the whole school was saying.
"Want to hang out?" I asked as we left the office.
She looked up at me. "After that stunt in there? I thought you'd be mad."
"Mad?" I chuckled. "You covered for me."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't get soft on me, Ajayi."
But the truth was, I was already soft—soft for her attitude, her fire, the way she stood up to everyone.
And now that we were both out of school for two days, I had plans.
Plans that involved her… and no one else.
[JASMINE – POV]
We ended up at his house again. This time, I wasn't scared. I was mad.
Mad at the school, mad at the rumors, mad that liking someone could cause so much drama.
But when Lucas opened the door and pulled me close, I forgot why I was even angry.
"Can we just… exist for a while?" he whispered into my hair.
So we did.
We laid on his couch, fingers tangled, Netflix playing but ignored. He kissed me like he was trying to memorize the shape of my lips. I kissed him like I needed to feel something real again.
And when his hands slid under my shirt, I didn't stop him.
I wanted to cross that line.
And I wanted to do it with him.