the secret btn us

Jace suddenly grabbed my shoulders, his voice dead serious.

"Baby, who was with you yesterday? Tell me the truth."

The word baby echoed in my ears like a siren. What the actual—?

Before I could even respond, Aven, Zim, and Nova gasped so dramatically it felt like I was in a live TV drama.

"Someone was with Kael yesterday?!"

All three of them said in sync, eyes wide like saucers.

I blinked. "Excuse me, first of all—why are we calling me baby in public?!"

"Because you're hiding things like someone's suspicious boyfriend." Jace narrowed his eyes at me like I was some cheating spouse from a daily soap.

"I'm not hiding anything!" I raised both hands. "There was no one. Okay?! Just… air. Oxygen. And silence."

Aven crossed his arms. "Oxygen wears cologne now?"

Zim leaned in. "Tell us who it was or we'll tell Mrs. Shin you accidentally broke the lab beaker last week."

Nova smirked. "Oof, blackmail. I love it here."

I was about to protest again, but then… right on cue, Leo walked by.

Looking annoyingly perfect. Like nothing had happened.

Just a casual stroll, hands in pockets, that smug face plastered in confidence.

And for a millisecond—I looked at him.

Just one glance.

But that was all it took.

The silence that followed made everything 1000x worse.

Jace raised an eyebrow. "Wait a second... why do you look like you just saw a ghost... or worse, a hot one?"

I quickly looked away. "What? No. That wasn't a look. That was a—blink. Yeah. Just blinking. With attitude."

Nova snorted. "With attitude? What kind of excuse is that?"

I mentally buried myself ten feet underground.

Because how was I supposed to admit that the guy I hated had saved me… and now I couldn't stop looking at him like a confused idiot in a Wattpad story?

Jace's fingers gripped my shoulders tighter, his eyes narrowing. "Tell me the truth, Kael. Who was with you last night?"

I swallowed. I could feel everyone's eyes drilling into me—Aven, Zim, Nova—all staring like I had committed treason.

"I—I wasn't with anyone, okay?" I stammered, forcing a half-laugh. "You guys really need to chill."

Aven crossed his arms. "You expect us to believe that? The way you were all flushed and zoned out this morning?"

Nova raised an eyebrow. "Something happened, Kael. And we know you suck at lying."

Before I could speak again, Zim scoffed. "Wait... don't tell me—was it Leo?"

The name hit the air like a bomb.

Jace immediately stepped forward. "Don't joke like that, Zim."

"I'm not joking," Zim replied, eyes sharp on me. "Kael looked at him weird this morning."

I panicked. "Okay, okay! Even if I saw him—it's not like that! We just... bumped into each other, that's all."

Jace's jaw clenched. "Don't go near him again. That guy's not normal."

I frowned. "Why do you all hate him so much? He hasn't even done anything to you!"

"Yet," Aven muttered. "He will. I can feel it."

Nova chimed in, voice low. "He's dangerous, Kael. Stay away."

I looked down, unable to answer. If only they knew he saved me. If only they knew I saw that damn rose tattoo.

But how could I tell them that the guy they all hate might be my biggest secret?

But then I reapet Nova's words ," he is dangerous" Then I froze.

Because suddenly, it hit me—

Leo left his jacket at my place.

The same jacket.

The one with the gun.

Shit.

My heart dropped to my stomach as panic clawed its way up my throat. That gun… it was real, not some toy.

And it was currently sitting in my closet , hidden behind my old winter clothes.

What if someone found it?

What if my sister found it?

I could already imagine the chaos, the yelling, the questions I'd never be able to answer.

Why was there a gun in my room?

Whose was it?

What the hell was I doing hiding it?

I pressed my palms to my face, trying to calm myself down, but the fear kept getting louder in my head.

Leo hadn't even mentioned the jacket this morning. Did he forget about it?

Or was he waiting to ask me when no one was around?

And then something else hit me harder

Why the hell does Leo have a gun?

Was he... involved in something shady?

Was that why he always had this mysterious, dangerous vibe?

Suddenly, the door creaked behind us.

Leo walked in like a storm—confident, unreadable, and unfortunately shirtless again, thanks to gym class.

His gaze locked onto mine. My heart? Immediate traitor.

"Oh," he said, smirking, "am I interrupting your group gossip session?"

Jace growled. "Yeah, walk away before you get interrupted... by my fist."

Leo smiled lazily. "Cute. But sorry, princess, I don't scare that easy."

Tension crackled like fire. But me? I just wanted the floor to eat me whole.

Because whether I wanted to or not…

my eyes had already drifted back to that tattoo.

Nova's sharp eyes locked onto me the second Jace finished talking.

She narrowed them slightly, tilting her head in that way that said she was putting two and two together—and damn it, she was.

Of course.

Nova was the only one I'd ever told—about the rose tattoo on the guy who had saved me that night.

And now, with the way I suddenly went stiff the moment Leo walked past... she knew.

Her brows rose slowly, knowingly, but she didn't say a word. Just smirked a little, like she was silently whispering:

"So it was him, wasn't it?"

I avoided her gaze like it burned.

Tension lit the room like dry air meeting fire.

Zim folded his arms. Aven glared. Even Nova tensed beside me.

But me?

I just wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Because as much as I tried not to—

my eyes had already drifted to that tattoo again.

That same rose.

The one carved into my memory from that terrifying, hazy night.

The one I now knew belonged to Leo.

I felt Nova's knowing glance without even looking.

Leo caught me staring.

And then he smiled—slowly, like he'd been waiting for this moment.

"See something you like?" he teased, cocking his head.

"I see a walking ego with no shirt," I muttered, heart pounding like a war drum. "Not impressive."

"Keep staring and I might start charging you."

"Keep standing there and I might actually throw up."

He grinned wider. "Still feisty. I missed this."

My jaw clenched.

I hated that he could get under my skin so fast.

But I hated more that a tiny part of me… didn't really hate it at all.

The bell rang.

Everyone started grabbing their bags, but my hands were frozen on my desk.

Leo had left.

Just like that. No explanation. No glance back.

But the smirk he left behind still lingered in the air, wrapping around my lungs like a vice.

I could feel Nova watching me.

I kept my eyes down, pretending to pack slower than usual—but who was I kidding?

The moment the others stepped out, Nova yanked my sleeve and dragged me toward the nearest empty classroom.

She didn't even wait for the door to close properly before turning on me.

"I knew it," she said sharply, folding her arms. "It was him, wasn't it? The guy who saved you that night."

I gulped.

"Nova—"

"The rose tattoo, Kael. You told me. Only me. And now every time you look at Leo, it's like someone unplugged your brain."

"I—It's not—"

"Don't lie to me."

Her eyes weren't angry. Just… scared. For me.

"I don't get it," she said softer. "Why would Leo of all people be there that night? What is he hiding? And why the hell did he have a gun in his jacket?"

I stayed quiet.

Because how was I supposed to explain the whirlwind inside my head?

That Leo—my supposed enemy—had saved me.

That I had found a literal gun in his jacket just hours ago.

That every time he walked into a room, my heart did stupid backflips I didn't ask for.

Nova sighed and stepped closer, her voice a whisper now.

"Kael, I don't trust him. Not even a little. And you—"

She pointed at my chest. "You're starting to look like you might."

I shook my head. "I don't. I swear I don't."

But even as I said it, I wasn't sure if it was a lie anymore.

Just then, my phone buzzed. A message.

From an unknown number.

> "Nice job hiding my jacket.

Next time, don't touch the inside pocket."

– L

I froze.

Nova saw the way my face went pale. "What is it?"

I turned the screen toward her slowly.

Her eyes widened.

"He knows you found it."

My hands started to tremble.