"Close and Dangerous"

By the next day, I had one mission — act normal.

I walked into school, head high, like I hadn't spent the entire night spiraling over Bill's annoying questions and that stupid, smug smile Leo kept throwing my way. I was fine. Totally fine.

And Pink Savage? Well, she was back to business.

> [Pink Savage Exclusive]

It's a new day, my little savages, and the tea is hotter than ever. The MIA girls? Still nowhere to be found. Rumor has it their latest scheme went up in flames — but you didn't hear that from me. 😉

Meanwhile, the real showstopper remains our new resident bad boy. He's got everyone talking — and by everyone, I mean me. You ever see someone who's too cool for their own good? That's Leo. (Yeah, I'm still talking about him. Don't judge me.)

But the question remains: what's a guy like him doing at a school like ours? And what exactly is he hiding? Stay tuned, readers — I intend to find out. 💋

I hit post and closed my laptop, ignoring the little voice in my head asking if Bill was right. I wasn't drawn to Leo. I was just… curious. That's all.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," the voice said.

I shoved it aside and focused on surviving the day.

But the day had other plans.

Because when I walked into English, the seat next to mine was no longer empty.

Leo looked way too comfortable sitting there, his arm slung over the back of the chair like he owned the place. When his eyes landed on me, that slow, infuriating smile spread across his face.

"Morning, Parker."

I froze. "What… what are you doing here?"

He raised a brow. "Sitting. It's a chair. You've seen one before."

"You weren't sitting there yesterday."

He shrugged. "Felt like a change."

I dropped into my seat, ignoring the way my pulse picked up. "Well, un-feel it."

"Too late."

I glared straight ahead, pretending he didn't exist. Which was hard, because I could feel him looking at me.

"I liked your post," he said after a minute.

My throat went dry. "What post?"

His chuckle was low and dangerous. "You really are a terrible liar."

Before I could defend myself — or, you know, deny everything — the teacher walked in and started class. But I wasn't off the hook. Not even close.

Because halfway through the lesson, a note landed on my desk.

So… what exactly do you think I'm hiding?

I stared at the words, my heart pounding. Then, slowly, I turned my head just enough to see Leo watching me — his expression equal parts amused and challenging.

This boy was going to drive me insane.

But I was not backing down.

I scribbled a response and slid the note back.

Wouldn't you like to know?

He read it, and that dangerous smile of his widened.

Oh, I was in so much trouble.

*-*

If I thought Leo was going to let that note slide, I clearly hadn't been paying attention.

The second class ended, I shot out of my chair like the room was on fire — which, honestly, felt pretty accurate given the way my entire body was heating up from his stupid, smug looks.

But I didn't even make it two steps before I heard him behind me.

"Running already, Parker?"

I stopped dead, my fists clenching at my sides. Turning slowly, I plastered on my best unimpressed face. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

He grinned. "Nope. Figured I'd stick around. You're… entertaining."

I glared at him. "I'm not here for your entertainment."

"Could've fooled me." He tilted his head, those sharp eyes studying me again. "You write about me enough. It's almost flattering.

My face burned. "It's not about you."

"Mm-hmm." He stepped closer, and my breath caught. "You sure about that?"

I hated that my brain short-circuited every time he got too close. Hated the way his voice dropped just enough to make my stomach flip.

But I was Billie Parker. And Billie Parker didn't lose.

So I stepped closer too. "You think you're interesting enough to be my main topic?" I arched a brow. "Don't flatter yourself."

He laughed — low and rough. "Oh, I don't need to. You do it for me."

I was this close to murdering him right there in the hallway.

But before I could come up with a response sharp enough to cut him down, the warning bell rang.

"Later, Parker," Leo said, walking backward with that same infuriating grin. "Can't wait for your next post."

I stood there, seething, as he disappeared into the crowd.

This was war.

*-*

And at home, I was still fuming. And Bill? Well, Bill was waiting

"Let me guess," he said the second I walked through the door. "Motorcycle Boy drama?"

I groaned. "Why do you always know everything?"

"Twin telepathy." He flopped onto the couch, watching me with way too much interest. "So… what did he do now?"

"Nothing," I muttered. "He's just… annoying."

Bill raised a brow. "Annoying enough to get his own feature on Pink Savage?"

I froze. "I'm not—"

He held up a hand. "Billie, come on. You only fixate when you're interested.

"I'm not—"

"You like him."

I threw a pillow at his face. "I do not!"

He caught it, laughing. "Sure, sure. Just like you didn't like that senior last year who you wrote three whole posts about."

"That was different."

"Was it, though?"

I didn't dignify that with a response.

Instead, I stormed to my room, pulled out my laptop, and did the only thing that ever made me feel in control.

I wrote.

> [Pink Savage Exclusive]

The drama just keeps getting better, my little savages. Our school's newest rebel seems determined to keep the spotlight — and who am I to deny the people what they want?

Leo's an enigma, wrapped in a leather jacket and bad decisions. But the question remains: what's his game? Because I get the feeling he's not here just to play nice.

Keep your eyes open. I know I will. 💋

I hit post before I could think too hard about it.

But the second it went live, Bill's words echoed in my head.

"You only fixate when you're interested."

No. No way. I wasn't interested

I was… curious. That's all. At least, that's what I told myself.