At Luxford Academy, the elite boarding school for the ultra-rich, Adriana and Nicholas have been bitter rivals since childhood. Forced to live in the same dorm, their once-friendly pranks have escalated into daily clashes-sharp insults, constant bic...
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We were all gathered around the living room, scheming the latest prank on Theo, who was leaning against the counter, completely unaware of what was coming. Matteo, Dio, Drew, and I were tossing ideas around, while Rora just shook her head in disbelief.
"What if we fill his shoes with slime? He wouldn't notice until he's halfway out the door," Dio said, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
Theo perked up, narrowing his eyes at her. "Hey! You're not pranking me again, are you?"
Dio just grinned. "Who, us? Never."
Matteo smirked, playing along. "It's not like you didn't deserve it after what you did to Lia last time."
Rora chimed in, "She still hasn't forgiven you for that ridiculous glitter explosion, by the way."
As we debated which prank would be the most hilarious—and least likely to result in Theo freaking out—the soft ding of the elevator echoed through the penthouse. I didn't think much of it until Dom strolled in, all flustered and rambling, his voice cutting through the chatter.
"These idiots at the office, I swear," he said, not even looking up as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I give them clear instructions, and they still manage to mess up the entire shipment. Do I have to babysit everyone?!"
He barely even registered that he'd walked into a full house, too caught up in whatever corporate disaster he was dealing with. His rant continued as he paced into the room, not realizing that everyone had gone quiet, their eyes flicking between him and me.
Matteo leaned in, whispering, "Does this guy just come over unannounced or...?"
"Pretty much," I replied, smirking a little.
"Where's Zeus? I need to grab him and head back—" Dom trailed off mid-sentence as he finally noticed the room full of people. He stopped dead in his tracks, blinking at everyone like he'd walked into the wrong apartment.
"Oh... uh... hey?" Dom said, clearly thrown off. "Didn't realize you had company."
Drew, always quick to read a situation, looked at Dom for a moment, then over at me, and finally let out a thoughtful hum. "Am I tweaking or do you guys look alike"
I groaned inwardly, but I kept my face neutral. "Drew,please"
I'm gaslighting myself into saying we don't
Nick, who had been leaning against the kitchen island quietly watching all of this unfold, didn't say anything, but I could feel his eyes on me, observing every little detail. He hadn't said much all day, not since we all gathered at my place. I could tell the break was bothering him—it was clear from his silence, his closed-off posture—but he'd been keeping it together, mostly. Still, I knew it was getting to him. He hadn't even commented on Dom barging in like he usually would.
