Love against vengeance

Chapter 2

‎Caroline didn’t return to school as the girl who hid in the art room. She spent the weekend cutting her hair into a sharp, sophisticated bob and traded her oversized flannels for clothes that screamed for attention but whispered for respect.

‎On Monday morning, she didn't head to the library. She headed to the weight room.

‎She found Jax Miller mid-bench press. He was a balance of concentrated violence and muscle, his face reddened with effort. His friends—clones of privilege and arrogance—stood around him, laughing.

‎She waited until he racked the bar and sat up, wiping sweat from his forehead with a towel. He looked up, and for a second, his predatory gaze faltered. He didn’t recognize her—not as Carl’s sister. To him, Carl was just a ghost he’d stepped on.

‎"Can I help you?" Jax asked, his voice a low drawl that made Caroline’s skin crawl.

‎"I'm Caroline Vance," she said, leaning against the squat rack with a practiced nonchalance. "I’m the new lead editor for the Crestview Chronicle. I’m doing a series on 'The Burden of the Crown.' I want to interview the boy who carries the weight of this school on his shoulders."

‎One of Jax’s friends, a tall kid named Mark, snickered. "The burden of the crown? That's some Shakespearean crap, Jax."

‎Jax didn't laugh. He looked Caroline up and down, his eyes lingering on the sharp line of her jaw. He was used to girls giggling or flinching. He wasn't used to girls who looked at him like he was a specimen under a microscope.

‎"An interview?" Jax stood up, looming over her. He was a head taller, radiating heat and a scent of expensive cologne and sweat. "Why would I want to talk to the school paper?"

‎"Because," Caroline said, stepping into his personal space, "everyone knows what you do on the field. I want to write about who you are when the lights are off. Unless, of course, there’s nothing there to write about."

‎The challenge landed. She saw the flick of interest in his dark eyes—the spark of a bored predator seeing a new kind of prey.

‎"Fine, Vance," Jax said, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face. "You want the story? You can have it. But I don’t do interviews in the library. Meet me at 'The Pit' after practice."

‎"The Pit" was a local dive bar that ignored ID laws for the rich kids of Crestview.

‎"I’ll be there," Caroline said.

‎As she walked away, she felt his eyes on her back. Her stomach stir with a mixture of disgust and a dark, cold thrill. Step one was complete. She was in his orbit. Now, she just had to wait for the gravity to pull him down.