To be her

Chapter 6:

(Her pov)
"Carnations, Crushes, and Chaos"

"Good evening, class." Mr. Luke's voice boomed through the room like a gavel striking wood, devoid of warmth or encouragement. "For the next six months, you'll be interning in a company's law department. By June next year, I expect a detailed report on what you've learned. Submit your company preferences by next week."
That was it. No pleasantries. No soft landing for the bombshell he'd just dropped. Just cold, hard facts, delivered with the detachment of someone handing out verdicts.
"A torture session, as usual," Jane muttered, slumping deeper into her chair as though she could hide from the news.
Zoey snorted, twirling her pen between her fingers. "You mean our entire law school experience?"
Unlike them, I felt my heart race—not in panic, but in exhilaration. Real lawyers. Real cases. A chance to prove that the years of sleepless nights and endless case studies were worth it.
"Thoughts, Mal?" Zoey asked, her eyes narrowing in curiosity as though she already knew what I was about to say.
"I'm excited," I admitted, unable to stop the grin threatening to take over my face. "But we've got to secure a firm first."
Zoey leaned back in her chair, her lips quirking up in a way that usually signaled impending chaos. "Exactly. And that's the tricky part. Tell you what—come over to my place. We'll strategize and research together."
"That's a great idea," Jane interjected, her eyes gleaming with a sudden spark of mischief. "Plus, we'll finally get a good look at Mal's hot neighbor."
The grin dropped from my face like a gavel hitting the block. "Oh, for the love of—"
"Wait." Jane turned to me, her interest piqued. "You have a hot neighbor? Since when?"
Zoey's laughter bubbled up before I could stop her. "Since she went on a date with him."
"It wasn't a date!" I snapped, my cheeks heating as the words came out sharper than I intended. "It was just a walk around town because he's new, and—"
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Jane teased, leaning closer like she was about to uncover some grand secret. "But the question is, is he hot?"
I groaned, wishing I could melt into the floor. "Can we not—"
Zoey smirked, cutting me off. "Hot enough to make you wonder if he's secretly Mr. Bliss."
I blinked. "Who?"
Jane gasped like I'd just confessed to a crime. "Mr. Bliss! The artist? His paintings sell for millions. Millions, Mal!"
"And you think my neighbor—who, by the way, barely knows how to work a coffee machine—is Mr. Blissed?" I shot back, raising an eyebrow.
Zoey shrugged, unfazed. "Stranger things have happened. Let's go already. We've got research to do, hot neighbors to interrogate, and assignments to survive."
The three of us barely made it to my car before Denial and Zayn appeared out of nowhere, cutting us off like they'd been lying in wait.
"Where are you ladies going?" Denial asked, his smirk lazy and infuriating as he leaned against my car door.
"To Mal's place," Zoey said, her tone breezy.
"For what?" he pressed, though the glint in his eyes told me he already knew the answer.
"Mr. Jim gave us an assignment," Zoey replied. "We have to find a law firm and intern there. It's supposed to help us gain experience or whatever."
"Sounds serious, princess," Denial said, his eyes locking on mine. His smirk deepened, daring me to respond.
I crossed my arms. "Move, Denial."
"Whatever you say, princess." He stepped aside, his smirk lingering like a bad aftertaste.
By the time we reached my house, I was ready to collapse. But the moment we stepped inside, something stopped me in my tracks—a bouquet of white and red carnations on the front porch , their scent unmistakable. A small, cream-colored note peeked out from between the petals.
Jane was on it in seconds. "Whoa. These are from him, aren't they?"
"Who?" Zoey asked, leaning over Jane's shoulder.
Jane unfolded the note, reading aloud: "Glanville." She turned to me, her grin wicked. "This just got interesting."
Heat rushed to my face, and I focused on untangling my scarf. "It's not what you think."
"Oh, it absolutely is," Zoey said, her voice dripping with mockery. "The guy who didn't go on a date with you just happens to remember your favorite flowers and sends them? Totally normal behavior."
"It's not a big deal," I muttered, but my voice lacked conviction.
"Mal," Jane said, stepping closer with an expression that was half-amused, half-scrutinizing. "Sweetie, you're blushing so hard you're practically glowing. Just admit it—he's got you hooked."
My patience snapped. "I hate both of you."
Zoey grinned, unfazed. "Oh, don't worry. We love you enough for the three of us. Now spill—what's the story with Mr. Carnations?"
And just like that, my hopes of escaping their teasing went up in smoke.