September 2006 draped Eldenwood Academy in honeyed light, though the third-floor balcony where Vivian Vaughn lounged offered no reprieve from the lingering summer heat. One knee hooked backward over the wrought-iron railing, she sucked a cherry lollipop into sharp fragments, its saccharine burst barely cutting through her ennui. Below, the century-old elm tree stood sentinel, its shadow a cool bruise on sun-bleached cobblestones.
Crunch. The candy dissolved into grit between her molars.
"Yo Vivi! Scoping fresh meat?" Bryce Sterling materialized at her elbow, reeking of contraband cigars, Zane Blackwood smirking behind him.
Vivian didn't turn. "Smell like a back-alley ashtray, Sterl. Back. Off." Her gaze remained fixed on the courtyard, where two figures emerged from behind the elm's massive trunk. Scarlett Vaughn—her half-sister—clutched English Lit textbooks, ponytail swinging as she smiled up at the boy beside her with practiced demureness.
But Vivian saw only him. Adrian Stone. Even in regulation navy blazer and khakis, he moved like poetry carved from ice. Shoulders squared against the world, eyes fixed on some distant horizon only he could see. Beside Scarlett's eager chatter, his silence was a fortress.
"Damn, your sis cleans up nice," Zane murmured.
Vivian scoffed. "She'd faint if you breathed near her." Her chin jutted toward Adrian. "Who's Ice Prince?"
Bryce snorted. "Seriously? That's Adrian Stone. Junior class valedictorian. Front page of Eldenwood Gazette last week!"
"Like I read that snoozefest."
Suddenly, thunder split the air: "OFF THAT RAILING! NOW!"
Dean Thorne stormed the quad, megaphone trembling in his fist. "VAUGHN! STERLING! BLACKWOOD! RHODES! DOWN HERE!" The freshman quadrumvirate—Eldenwood's most notorious heirs of chaos—had been Thorne's personal curse since middle school.
Adrian and Scarlett paused mid-step as Vivian slid down the banister, landing barefoot on hot stone.
"Detention!" Thorne roared, jabbing a finger at Bryce's chest. "Who turned my colonnade into a damn lounge? Your fathers donate libraries for this?" His glare found Vivian, who was studying Adrian with laser focus. "STAND STRAIGHT, VAUGHN!"
Vivian snapped a salute. "Reporting, sir! Didn't smoke. They did." She pointed at Bryce, Zane, and Dylan Rhodes, now slouching behind her.
"Snitch!" Dylan hissed.
"Et tu, Vixen?" Zane kicked gravel.
Bryce glared. "Low blow, Vaughn."
Thorne aimed a kick at Dylan's shin. "Brooms! Colonnade! One hour! Every leaf, every gum wrapper—GONE!"
"Original punishment, sir," Bryce drawled.
"YOU!" Thorne whirled on Vivian. "Front steps! ALONE!"
But Vivian was already moving. She darted past Thorne, blocking Adrian's path with arms spread. "Hey, Stone!" Her voice dripped honeyed challenge. "Adrian, right? Let's grab coffee."
Adrian's eyes flickered over her—frost over volcanic rock—before sidestepping without breaking stride. Scarlett scurried after him, relief flashing across her features.
Catcalls erupted: "Oooh, Stone iced you, Vixen!"
Cheeks flaming, Vivian ripped the megaphone from Thorne's grasp. Her amplified voice shattered the quad's tranquility: "ADRIAN STONE! HEAR THIS! I'M CLAIMING YOU! STARTING NOW!"
Silence. Then bedlam. Bryce tackled her waist as Thorne bellowed. Zane wrestled the megaphone away while Dylan howled with laughter.
"INSOLENT CHILD!" Thorne's face purpled.
Vivian wriggled free, flashing a disarming grin. "My bad, Dean! Got carried away! Steps, right?" She dropped a mock curtsy. "They'll shine brighter than your bald spot!"
Bryce dragged her into the cloisters. "What the hell, V? Trying to get expelled before homecoming?"
Vivian shook him off, adjusting her plaid skirt. "Pfft. Your hero act needs work, Sterl."
Zane leaned against ivy-covered stone, smirking. "Since when do you chase guys? Especially frostbite risks like Stone?"
"Shut it, Z!" Vivian kicked his shin. "I'm hot, aren't I? He's just blind!"
Dylan doubled over laughing. "Epic meltdown! Thorne's gonna make us polish every damn gargoyle now!"
Bryce gripped Vivian's shoulders. "Seriously. The megaphone? Dad'll kill me if Thorne calls him."
Vivian shrugged free, marching toward the stairwell. "Meant every word. That boy's gonna be mine, or I'm not Vivian Vaughn."
"Gonna change it to Vanessa Nobody?" Dylan called after her.
"Screw you, Dylan Loser-Rhodes!" Vivian's voice echoed up the spiral steps.
Bryce stared after her, jaw tight. Zane lit a cigarette. "She's not serious... right?"
Bryce forced a laugh. "Nah. Viv's just... being Viv." But his knuckles whitened around the banister as Scarlett's tinkling laugh floated from an upper corridor.