Chapter 35: Crossed Lines

Lynn stared at the note in Gallagher's hand, her stomach tightening as her eyes scanned the jagged red ink again.

> "You think the past is the problem. It's not. The future is. And it's already begun."

Below it, the photo. Blurry. Candid. She and Alex walking hand in hand near the garden staircase. A bold, blood-red target scrawled right over them.

"Where did you find it?" she asked, voice barely a whisper.

Gallagher's expression was grim. "Locker room. Taped inside Alex's gym bag."

Beside them, Dianne stood with her arms crossed, her lips pressed into a tight line. "This isn't just someone being petty anymore."

Fanshia shook her head, frowning. "It's a threat. And not a subtle one."

Lynn looked at Gallagher. "Do we tell Alex?"

He hesitated. "You should. Before someone else does."

---

Alex stood under the bleachers, bouncing a basketball lazily between his hands. Sam and Harden sat nearby, pretending to scroll through their phones while stealing glances at him.

"I heard Marco shut Sera down in the council meeting," Sam muttered.

Harden nodded. "Didn't expect that. Guess even perfect plans fall apart when truth slaps louder than lies."

Alex gave a half smile, though his mind wasn't really on Sera or her failed sabotage anymore.

He kept thinking about the way Lynn had looked at him after the meeting—like he'd won more than their classmates' respect. Like he'd earned her trust.

"She's the only thing that makes all this bearable," he said suddenly, quietly.

Sam looked up. "You really mean that?"

Alex nodded. "More than anything."

Before they could respond, Lynn appeared at the edge of the field. She didn't wave or smile. Just gave him a look that said: We need to talk.

He dropped the ball and jogged over.

---

The greenhouse was dim again when they arrived — their unspoken meeting place now.

Lynn held the photo in both hands.

Alex took it, frowning as he examined the grainy image and the red ink.

"That's us," he murmured. "Who the hell took this?"

Lynn shook her head. "Gallagher found it. In your bag."

Alex's brows drew together. "So they were close enough to open my stuff?"

"That's not what scares me," Lynn said. "It's what the note says."

He read it again, more slowly this time.

> "The future is the problem."

His jaw clenched.

"Someone doesn't want us together," she said. "And they're getting bold."

Alex looked up at her. "Then we get bolder."

---

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the library's third floor, Sera paced.

She hadn't sent the video to the entire school — not after Lynn's fiery defense. Not after Marco's unexpected backing of Alex. But that didn't mean she'd given up.

Pauline entered quietly, phone in hand.

"You're not going to like this," she warned.

Sera snatched the phone and read.

A new anonymous post on the Crown Ridge Secrets forum had gone live:

> "They think Maplewood was the skeleton in the closet. But they haven't found the second file. The one that matters more."

#TargetLocked

Sera's eyes narrowed. "Second file?"

Pauline looked worried. "If someone's pulling up more dirt on Alex, this could go nuclear."

Sera wasn't smiling anymore. "This wasn't me. Someone else is playing the game now."

Pauline swallowed. "Then we're all pawns."

---

In her bedroom, Lynn sat by the window with Serene beside her. The sisters hadn't shared this kind of space in a long time.

Serene looked over. "You okay?"

Lynn shook her head. "Someone wants to rip us apart."

Serene hesitated before answering. "Sometimes… when people see something real, something pure… it reminds them of everything they don't have."

Lynn looked at her. "That's surprisingly deep for you."

Serene smiled faintly. "We're not all spoiled brats in this house."

Lynn reached out and held her sister's hand. "I missed this."

"I'm always here," Serene said. "Even when it feels like no one is."

Downstairs, Jamy passed by the staircase, watching them silently. His phone buzzed in his pocket.

A message.

> Unknown Number: "You said you wanted to get under her skin. Want to know a secret about your dear step-sister's crush?"

Jamy read the message, smirking.

> Reply: "I'm listening."