Something inside me tightened. But before I could fire back, Leo spoke again.
“Careful, Caroline.” His voice was velvet-wrapped steel. “You’re starting to sound like a sore loser.”
Her eyes flashed. But she didn’t push it. No one did when Leo gave a command like that—not even her.
She huffed, flipped her hair, and stormed off to a nearby table, where a few other shellacked blondes glared at me like I’d committed treason.
I swallowed and slowly turned toward Leo.
“Didn’t realize you were holding open auditions for your fan club,” I murmured.
He smirked, eyes gleaming. “Thought I’d try something new.”
And just like that, we were a group.
Me. Leo. Tristan.
The king, the jester, and the scholarship girl.
…heaven help me.
I didn’t want to sit next to him.
But Leo Holt had that effect. He didn’t wait for you to want. He justwas. In your space. In your daydreams. In your nightmares, if you weren’t careful.
He sat beside me like it was a throne and not a school chair, flipping his pen between his fingers and smirking like we were already mid-conversation.
Across from us, Tristan watched the two of us like we were the opening scene of a particularly juicy episode of reality TV. Popcorn energy. No shame.
“So,” Leo said, kicking his long legs out like he owned the floor under them. “What’s it like being the most talked-about girl on campus?”
I arched a brow, not looking up from my laptop. “Wouldn’t know. I don’t follow irrelevant accounts.”
Tristan gave a low whistle. “Damn. Round one to the scholarship girl.”
Leo’s grin deepened. “Touché. Though for someone trying to fly under the radar, you kissed me in front of, like, eighty people.”
“You kissed me,” I shot back, still not looking at him. “Let’s get our fairy tale facts straight, Prince Charming.”
Tristan laughed. “Yo, Ilikeher.”
“I never said I didn’t,” Leo said, low and smooth.
That made me glance up.
He was watching me. Not in a sweet, harmless way. In that slow-burn, scan-every-detail way that made your spine straighten and your stomach flutter like it forgot how gravity worked.
I blinked. “Do you flirt with all your group partners, or am I just that lucky?”
He smirked. “Only the ones who bite back.”
Tristan leaned in, whispering loud enough for us to hear, “This is so much better than Econ. Please keep going.”
I crossed my arms. “You know, I came here towork.”
Leo shrugged. “I’m multitasking.”
I narrowed my eyes. “So, let’s clarify this little group dynamic. You’re the jock. Tristan’s the jester. I’m the brain.”
