Chapter 62: Fire & Finals

[JASMINE – POV]

Finals week at Kingston High was like a war zone—coffee cups, anxiety sweats, and everyone either crying or pretending they weren't.

But this year felt different.

Because while I was memorizing formulas and essay outlines, I was also dodging stares, blocking anonymous messages, and walking through halls where every whisper felt like a bullet.

Still, I held my head high.

Lucas studied with me every night, sometimes quizzing me between forehead kisses.

"You got this, brainiac," he'd whisper.

I wasn't just surviving. I was winning.

Even when Ayo tried to stir things up again—dropping hints in group chats, sending vague subtweets, smirking like he still had power over me—I didn't flinch.

Because this time, I had something stronger than fear.

I had truth. I had Lucas. I had me.

The real me.

[LUCAS – POV]

We were sitting in the library when Jasmine's phone buzzed again.

Anonymous number.

"Bet it's another message from someone too scared to speak up in real life," she muttered, silencing it.

I glanced over. "You want me to handle it?"

"No," she said, her voice steady. "I want them to see that I'm not the one who needs hiding."

I reached over, linked our fingers together. "Remind me to kiss you after every exam."

She smiled. "Only if you bring snacks."

Deal.

That week, Jasmine didn't just pass her exams—she crushed them.

And every time she walked into a room with her head high, people looked. Not with hate anymore.

With respect.

Because fire doesn't beg to be seen. It just burns.

And Jasmine?

She was blazing.