"I warned you once not to look back... But here you are, tempting me again to ruin your happily ever after with her."
My words hung heavy between us, but his smirk only deepened as he leaned in, so close our lips nearly touched. "Maybe I like the ri...
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The final notes of the applause still lingered in the air as I straightened my shoulders, pulling myself back into the role I'd worn like a second skin for years. It was time to resume my duties as Vice President of the Student Council.
The day was far from over, but something about the atmosphere felt... different. Lighter, almost, like the weight on my chest had been lifted just a little. I hadn't expected to feel this way.
I wandered through the school grounds, my footsteps falling in rhythm with the hum of student voices, each one louder than the last as they rushed through games and performances.
It was a chaos of laughter and movement—alive, bright, and free. And somehow, it felt like I wasn't quite a part of it. I could almost see myself as an outsider, someone just passing through, a specter moving along the edges of their world, observing but never truly belonging.
But maybe that was the point. For this fleeting moment, I wasn't bound by my mother's control or the constant surveillance of my family's legacy. It was as if I had slipped free, just for a little while.
Then, I heard it. Heard Wallace's voice, raw and tender, that seemed to echo through my mind.
His song had wrapped itself around me, pulling at my insides in a way I couldn't quite explain.
It wasn't just the sound of his voice—it was the way it had shaken something deep inside me. The way his words had felt so real, so unguarded.
For a moment, I had glimpsed the rawness of who he was beneath all the rumors, the tough exterior he tried so hard to keep up.
I kept replaying his performance in my head, and each time, I felt that strange mix of awe and something... else.
I couldn't help but think about the way his gaze had lingered on me when he finished, heavy with something I couldn't name. It had made the walls around my heart seem a little thinner, a little easier to breach.
Then I realized, he's never looked at me that way before.
But why? Why now?
I was still the same person I'd been yesterday, still the same daughter, the same perfect heir to Dream Catcher. I still had a role to play.
And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe Wallace had seen something in me that no one else had.
Or maybe it was just me being foolish, reading into things that weren't there.
But the way his eyes held mine... it had felt real. It had felt like a crack in the facade we both wore.
And I wasn't sure but... I felt like there was something between us that wasn't there before.
When the awarding ceremony began, I was already lost in my thoughts, but I snapped back to reality as Wallace and Audrey stepped onto the stage to accept their first-place award.
