Date: September 14th
Time: 8:30 AM
Dear Diary,
Grayson. He’s the hardest one to figure out. He doesn’t tease like Aiden or bait me like Asher. He just watches—cold and calculating, as if he’s deciding what to do with me.
The others are loud, relentless storms, but Grayson is different. He’s the eye of the hurricane, calm but no less dangerous. I keep telling myself to stay invisible to him, but something tells me that’s not possible anymore.
-Lila
The next few days felt strangely quiet. Aiden and Asher were nowhere to be seen. I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or uneasy. Without them, school seemed less chaotic—but with Grayson being the only Cross brother present, it was as if an entirely different tension had settled over the halls.
Grayson didn’t speak to me all day. He rarely did. He just existed in the background, cold and brooding, a storm waiting to break. I told myself it was better this way—better to stay invisible to him. But that changed in the library.
I was sitting in my usual corner, attempting to study, when I felt someone step into my space. My heart immediately dropped. Slowly, I looked up—and there he was.
Grayson Cross. His dark eyes locked on mine, his presence so suffocating that I had to resist the urge to shrink back. He never came this close, never sought me out. Something was wrong.
“Grayson,” I said cautiously. “What do you want?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a piece of fabric. My stomach flipped when I realized what it was.
A bra. My bra.
He dropped it on the table in front of me, his expression unreadable. “You left this in your room.”
My mind raced, panic gripping me. “What—what the hell are you talking about?” I whispered, my voice trembling.
Grayson tilted his head slightly, his gaze unwavering. “I got it out of your room last night. While you were sleeping.”
Time seemed to freeze. My heart thundered in my chest as his words sank in. “What the hell, Grayson?!” I snapped, shoving my chair back as I stood. “You’ve been in my room?”
His expression didn’t change. If anything, he looked… amused. “You didn’t lock the window. Maybe you should start.”
I couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t teasing. This wasn’t a prank. This was something darker.
“You’re insane,” I said, snatching the bra off the table and shoving it into my bag.
Grayson smirked faintly. “Maybe.” Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned and walked away, leaving me shaken and more confused than ever.
By the time the last bell rang, I was still trying to make sense of what had happened in the library. Grayson’s words played on a loop in my head, each one making me angrier and more unsettled. I barely noticed the whispers that followed me as I walked through the halls—until they grew louder.
“Did you hear?” a girl said, not bothering to lower her voice. “Lila and Grayson. Can you believe it?”
“Ugh, she’s such a slut,” another one chimed in.
My steps faltered. I turned to see Tessa standing by her locker, her arms crossed and her smile as sharp as a knife. Her friends surrounded her, whispering and giggling as they looked at me.
“Tessa,” I said, my voice icy. “What are you saying about me?”
She smirked, stepping closer. “Oh, just that you and Grayson have been very close lately.” Her tone dripped with mock sweetness. “Isn’t that right? He’s been sneaking into your room, hasn’t he?”
My blood ran cold. How did she know?
“Don’t deny it,” she continued, her voice loud enough to draw the attention of everyone nearby. “Grayson told me all about it. Said you couldn’t keep your hands off him.”
“That’s a lie,” I snapped, my fists clenching at my sides.
“Really?” Tessa raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. “Because that’s not what everyone else is saying. Face it, Lila—you’ve been marked. You’re just the new toy for the Cross brothers to pass around.”
Laughter rippled through the crowd, and I felt my cheeks burn with humiliation.
“Stay out of my business, Tessa,” I hissed.
Tessa leaned in closer, her voice dropping. “You’re the one who should stay out of our business. Keep playing with fire, and you’ll get burned.”