The next morning, Ezra felt like he was walking across a minefield—except the mines were people, and the explosion was always gossip.
Eyes followed him in the hallways, in the courtyard, in the lunch queue. Whispers coated the air like static.
Ezra skipped class yesterday.
He was with the new guy.
They kissed. On the roof.
Someone has pictures. Jun probably.
Is he finally not perfect?
Ezra kept walking like none of it mattered.
But it did.
Every stare felt like a pin against his skin.
When he stepped into the main foyer of the academic wing, the bulletin board had a new message posted. Typed. Anonymous.
DARE OF THE WEEK: Who will break first? Hoshino or Rivers?
Wagers now open. Winner gets backstage Winter Ball tickets and the student council's silence on your next five offenses.
Place your bets in the student council locker by Friday.
Ezra stared at it.
The words blurred for a moment before clearing like a punch to the gut.
His name was a wager now.
His dignity, a prize.
Behind him, Dominic swore under his breath.
"Jun," Ezra muttered. "That freak actually—"
"Not Jun," Dominic cut in. "Jun sketches with charcoal and string. He wouldn't touch a printer if it bit him."
Ezra turned, jaw tight. "Then who?"
"Your boyfriend."
"He's not—" Ezra caught himself. "Kai wouldn't humiliate me like that."
"You're giving him a lot of credit."
Ezra walked away.
He didn't know if it was rage or something else that made his chest feel tight. He just knew that someone was playing a game with his life, and if it was Kai, he wasn't sure if he wanted to win or burn the whole board.
Kai watched Ezra from the rooftop, just above the east quad. From here, he looked like a general pacing a battlefield—graceful, frustrated, beautiful in his agitation.
He liked that look on him.
Jun appeared behind him, holding a sketchpad and a thermos of bitter coffee.
"You know what they're saying," Jun said casually.
"I usually don't care," Kai replied.
"But you care now?"
Kai didn't answer.
Jun grinned, flipping his sketchpad around. On the page: a charcoal rendition of Ezra leaning against the window, framed by chaos. Behind him, a row of chess pieces—each one shaped like a student at St. Dismas.
"You're in love with him," Jun teased.
Kai rolled his eyes. "You say that every time I look at someone too long."
Jun raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but this time… you're staring like he's the only real thing in this whole painted hellhole."
Kai said nothing.
Jun took a slow sip. "So what's next? You going to seduce him into madness or just marry him and call it even?"
Kai smirked. "Depends which one breaks him faster."
Later that day, Kai slipped into the gym when it was empty, except for Ezra punching a training dummy like it owed him rent.
Each jab was clean. Precise. Beautifully angry.
Kai leaned against the wall. "Fighting invisible enemies now?"
Ezra turned, sweaty, flushed, golden under the overhead lights.
"I needed to hit something," Ezra muttered. "Guess you're lucky it wasn't you."
Kai stepped forward. "Why didn't you tell them to take the poster down?"
"Because they'd just make a new one."
Kai nodded. "Then fight back. I'll help."
Ezra narrowed his eyes. "You think this is a joke?"
"No. I think it's a game. And you're not used to losing."
Ezra scoffed. "Is everything a dare to you?"
Kai walked closer until they were chest to chest. "Only the things that matter."
Ezra swallowed. "Then tell me the truth—did you post that flyer?"
Kai stared at him. "No."
Ezra blinked.
"But I could've," Kai added, voice like silk. "If I wanted to shake you."
Ezra's hands curled into fists. "I'm not your toy."
Kai leaned in, lips just a breath away from Ezra's. "Then stop acting like one."
For a second, Ezra hated him.
Hated how close he could get.
How fast his body betrayed him.
How badly he wanted to cross the line again.
So he did.
He grabbed Kai by the shirt, yanked him forward, and kissed him hard—teeth against lip, rough and real. Kai responded immediately, his hands sliding around Ezra's waist, fingers gripping tightly like he was holding onto something breaking.
It wasn't sweet.
It wasn't tender.
It was war.
And it left both of them breathless.
Ezra broke the kiss first. His voice was hoarse. "I dare you to leave me alone."
Kai touched his bottom lip where it stung. "Then why do you look so scared I will?"
Upstairs in the psychology lounge, Ms. Lena Cross sat with Yuna, both of them watching the gym security feed on her laptop.
Yuna raised a brow. "So… we're not intervening?"
Lena took a slow sip of coffee. "They're not in danger yet."
"Yet," Yuna echoed.
Lena clicked the window shut. "Let them play. Maybe they'll figure themselves out before someone gets hurt."
Yuna shook her head. "Or maybe they'll take the whole damn school down with them."
That night, someone slid a red envelope under every dorm door.
No sender. No note.
Inside: a printed flyer.
Dare You to Death: Masquerade Ball
One night. One dare. One secret.
You get one dance. One confession. One choice.
Will you reveal the truth, or bury it forever?
Ezra stared at the invite like it might combust.
He already knew who was behind it.
And what Kai was planning next.