Elena's POV
Elena sat in the front office, pretending to look bored as the secretary gave her a long speech about the rules of Westbridge detention.
"…and next time, Miss Vincent, please remember we don't throw juice boxes at anyone, even if they're being rude."
Elena nodded solemnly.
"Yes, ma'am. It slipped."
The truth?
She didn't even like orange juice.
But if accidentally splashing it on a loudmouth boy in class meant getting a detention slip, the same detention Liam had that day, it was totally worth it.
When she walked into the dusty old classroom, she saw him right away.
Liam was slouched in the back, hoodie up, arms crossed. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world.
Too bad.
She smiled and made her way to the seat beside him.
He didn't look at her. "Seriously?"
"Hi to you too," she said cheerfully.
He sighed. "You're not supposed to be here."
"I got detention."
He gave her a side-eye. "What'd you do? Break a nail?"
She leaned in, voice low. "I hit someone. With juice."
Liam blinked. Then chuckled. "No way."
She grinned. "Way."
He looked like he wanted to smile, but then remembered he was supposed to be annoyed.
"You shouldn't waste your time on this. On me."
Elena's expression softened. "I don't think it's a waste."
That shut him up.
They sat in silence after that. The clock ticked slowly. The teacher at the front read a magazine, barely looking up.
Elena leaned closer, speaking softly. "Can I ask you something?"
Liam didn't answer, but she saw the way his hand twitched.
"…Who's Maeve?"
His head turned slowly. "What?"
"That girl. From the other day. With the lip gloss and murder in her eyes."
Liam sighed again. "She's… just someone from around here. We used to hang out."
"She likes you," Elena said, keeping her tone casual.
"She's not important."
"You sure?"
He looked her dead in the eye. "Yeah. Why?"
Elena shrugged, pretending not to care. "No reason."
But her heart beat a little faster.
She didn't know what she expected. But his answer made her stomach flutter.
Maeve was pretty. Loud. Confident. The kind of girl who fit into Liam's world.
Elena wasn't.
But still… he was here. Beside her.
And he hadn't told her to leave.
Not really.
Liam's POV
After detention, Liam didn't leave right away.
He hung back by the lockers, trying to figure out what the hell was going on with Elena Vincent.
She was supposed to be the type to ignore people like him.
She had money. Fancy clothes. That expensive perfume that still lingered even after she left a room.
But she'd chosen to sit next to him. Again.
Even after Maeve warned her. Even after the rumors.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
What was she doing?
"Yo." A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
It was Ben, one of the few guys Liam actually talked to.
Ben raised an eyebrow. "You good?"
"Yeah."
Ben smirked. "Saw you with St. Claire Barbie again."
Liam rolled his eyes. "Don't call her that."
Ben stared. "Okay… what's going on?"
"Nothing."
Ben laughed. "Dude. You never sit next to anyone. You never talk to anyone. And now she's getting detention just to sit beside you?"
Liam stayed quiet.
"You like her?"
Liam scoffed. "She doesn't like me."
Ben shrugged. "Maybe not. Or maybe you're just too stubborn to believe someone actually wants to be around you."
Liam didn't answer.
Because the truth?
He was stubborn. And maybe a little scared.
Elena was the kind of girl who didn't belong in his story. She belonged in fairytales, not detention halls. But she'd looked at him like he was worth listening to. Like he mattered.
And that scared him more than Maeve ever had.
Elena's POV
The next day, Liam didn't show up in class.
Elena kept glancing at the door, wondering if she'd pushed too far.
Did he regret letting her sit beside him?
Had she ruined something?
During lunch, she sat alone at the back steps of the gym, her sketchbook open but untouched. She couldn't stop thinking about his face when she asked about Maeve.
He hadn't been angry.
Just surprised.
Like he didn't expect someone like her to care.
And maybe that was the problem.
People didn't care about Liam. They feared him. Gossiped. Avoided.
But Elena remembered a different version of him.
One that had protected her. Loved her. Died too soon.
That Liam still existed somewhere inside the boy with the hoodie and sharp tongue.
She just had to reach him.
Liam's POV
He didn't skip class on purpose.
Well—okay, maybe he did.
But not because of her.
He just needed to think.
And he hated how being around her made him feel, like someone worth fighting for. Like someone who wasn't broken.
No one had ever followed him into detention before. No one had asked about Maeve without some kind of angle or gossip plan.
But Elena had looked… jealous.
And maybe it was wrong, but that made him feel a little good.
No one like her had ever looked at him like that.
And now? He wasn't sure he wanted her to stop.