"What did you say?" Jimmie''s gaze turned icy as he heard Lue''s demand. Beg him?


    “Beg me, and I''ll move," Lue repeated, feeling a surge of defiance. After being antagonized by Melvin, she was in no mood to back down from Jimmie. She was spoiling for a fight now.


    The tension between Jimmie and Lue had always simmered beneath a surface of forced cordiality for Juniper''s sake. Now, with her not around, the gloves were off.


    "Are you sure about that, Mr. Langley?” Jimmie asked, stepping out of his car. He walked up to Lue and gripped the motorcycle''s handlebar, his eyes glinting with a cold light.


    "Of course." Lue wasn''t about to let Jimmie push her around again. Such an irritating pretty boy!


    “Fine,” Jimmie said with a humorless smirk. He turned slightly, pulling his phone from his pocket. "In that case, I''ll have to tattle."


    Tattle? Lue narrowed her eyes, watching him.


    "I was on my way to bring Juniper a snack..." Jimmie said slowly, scrolling through his contacts with a theatrical slowness. "I guess I''ll have to call and tell her I can''t make it."


    A snack? Juniper, the little foodie, valued food and money above all else. If she was the reason her snack was dyed, she''d definitely hold it against her.


    "Jimmie, have you been weaned yet?" Lue sneered, though her confidence was wavering. "Still running to tattle?"


    "Are you going to move or not?" Jimmie held up his phone, his thumb hovering over the call button on Juniper''s contact.


    "You..." Lue wanted to stand her ground, but she knew she was no match for Juniper if she got angry. Fine. She''d get back at Jimmie another day.


    "You win," Lue growled. She kicked her bike into gear. Before speeding off, she shot Jimmie a middle finger and yelled over her shoulder, “You''re not looking so good, Mr. Tate! Maybe you should see a doctor about that. Looks like a... vitality issue."


    Jimmie''s face turned pale with rage as he watched Lue disappear. Seriously, what kind of friend was that? Was Juniper blind?


    ...


    Meanwhile, in the other car, Melvin sat in the driver''s seat, ncing at J, who sat primly beside him, her hands folded on her knees.


    "I heard you also got an offer from Era University," Melvin said, trying to make conversation. "What did you major in?"


    "Law," J replied, sitting up even straighter with a respectful smile. In her eyes, Juniper''s three brothers were practically her elders. Her mother had drifted it into her that since Juniper was so good to them, she had to be exceptionally polite to Juniper''s family.


    "You don''t have to be so tense," Melvin said with a gentle smile. "You can just think of me as... a friend."


    He didn''t dare say ''brother.'' He wasn''t sure he could handle it if that came true.


    J justughed nervously, not


    daring to respond. They made awkward small talk for the rest of the ride. When they finally reached her house, J thanked him profusely and practically bolted from the car.


    She didn''t take a full breath until she was safely inside.


    "J, what''s wrong?" Saskia Payne asked,ing out of her room.


    "Werent you at Mr. Schwaret


    birthday party with Juniper? I


    saw


    Mr. Steele''s car downstairs, Did he


    bring you home?"


    "Yeah," J nodded, gulping down a ss of water. "Sitting in a car with Mr. Steele


    is just so stressful."


    “Why?” Saskia asked, puzzled.


    “He looks...” J took another drink, trying to calm her racing heart. "He looks exactly like my homeroom teacher."


    Her teacher was notoriously strict and demanding, especially with top students like her. He had been J''s nightmare for all three years of high school.