Chapter 2 LOVE LETTER

CHAPTER TWO

RILEY MOORE

The atmosphere in the school felt different when I stepped inside. I felt every eye on me, and at first, I thought it was because I had added pink highlights to my blonde hair. But the more attention I got, the more convinced I became that something else was going on.

“Riley?” Bianca called out, making her way through the sea of students toward me.

“Hi.” I felt awkward because of the stares we were receiving and only gave her a small wave instead of the usual hug I greeted her with every morning.

“What’s going on?” I asked, noticing the stares and whispers around us.

The students of Royal High were acting like they knew a secret about me that I wasn't aware of.

Bianca’s eyes were wide with panic as she frantically dug through her backpack. “You haven't seen it, have you?”

My face pulled into a frown, and I gripped the handle of my bag tighter. “Seen what?”

I was convinced it was just another silly rumor about me that was causing an uprising in school. It wasn't the first time something like that had happened. I could still vividly remember a senior spreading rumors about me hooking up with him in my sophomore year and how my name had been on everyone’s lips before Brian had to step in and clear my name.

I was about to walk away when Bianca pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. The moment my eyes scanned the contents, every bit of color drained from my face.

I recognized the handwriting, the highlights, and the little heart shapes I had drawn around a name every time I wrote it.

“How?” My fingers shook, and my suddenly sweaty palm stained the paper. “How did this get out?”

I tried to keep the tears from falling, but they had a mind of their own. They slipped out and fell onto the paper until I could barely make out the words I had written in secret.

I had sworn to keep the pages of my diary safe, and the last time I checked, it had never left the four walls of my bedroom. But here I was, staring at a photocopy of a ripped page from my diary. And not just any page, but the one I had tried to pull a Lara Jean from To All the Boys I've Loved Before and used to write a love letter to my crush.

“Riley.”

I froze when I heard my name, terror making my whole body shake violently.

“What is this madness?” Brian yelled, storming over to me and throwing another piece of my letter at my feet.

I scrambled to pick it up, flushing with embarrassment at my situation. Stacy stood a few feet back from the small circle of spectators that had gathered to witness my humiliation, disappointment written clearly across her flawless face.

I crumpled the papers in my hands, hoping this was simply a nightmare I would wake up from. But when I took a good look around my surroundings and saw the same photocopies plastered across every corner of the school, I knew this was unfortunately something I couldn't live down.

“I can explain,” I whispered, my own voice sounding foreign in my ears. “It was a mistake.”

“Really, Riley? That's your excuse? You're fucking pathetic,” he hissed.

I flinched, cowering back a little. Brian had never spoken to me that way before. He had always treated me with care and patience, almost like an older brother would.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, mumbling profanities under his breath. “I am your brother. Your mother is married to my father. I am your best friend's boyfriend. Yet, you ignored all of that and sent me a fucked-up love letter. What was your aim? Why did you post a copy all over the school? Were you hoping this ridiculous act of yours would make you pitiful enough to be loved by me?”

My lips quivered, and every word he spoke felt like an arrow shot straight through my heart. I couldn't find it in me to defend myself or explain that I wasn't behind this madness.

“I'm sorry, Brian.” I managed to choke out the words, the disgusted looks from the students around me enough to make anyone wish the ground would open up and swallow them.

“I'm not the one you should apologize to.” He gestured toward Stacy, who stood next to the crowd with her eyes fixed on me.

I was unable to hold her gaze. The guilt of lusting over her boyfriend while lying to her face was eating me alive.

Everyone was waiting for me to apologize to my friend. Before I could speak, a voice rose above the commotion, loud and confident.

“There would be no need for Riley to apologize to Bianca. The letter wasn't addressed to you, was it?”

My head snapped toward the voice, a gasp leaving my lips and those of a few other students.

Jaxon Fisher walked out of the crowd, as proud and confident as he had ever been. The crowd parted for him like he was a king walking among his subjects.

Jaxon Fisher was the hockey captain and heartthrob of Royal High. With his gorgeous face, perfect body, and unbeatable academic and sports records, he was the dream of every girl in the school. Every girl except me, who had eyes for my stepbrother. Unfortunately, I couldn't stand Jaxon. Not just because of his cocky nature and the fact that he had a new girlfriend every week, but also because he was the rival of the person I was in love with: Brian.

“Riley wrote the letter to me.” He smirked as he walked over and wrapped his hands around my waist.

I frowned, unable to wrap my head around the turn of events. Jaxon sensed my confusion and pinched me lightly, snapping me out of it. He gave me a pointed look and my mind drifted back to the conversation we had earlier. This was the surprise he talked about. He had known this would happen and wanted to help me.

I would have shrugged his hands off on a regular day, but I stayed still, masking my confusion with confidence. I knew this was my only chance to get out of this mess, so I played along.

“He's right, Brian. I've been trying to tell you that I didn't write it to you. It was meant for Jaxon.”

Brian’s eyebrows shot up. I knew he didn't believe our ridiculous lie.

“Oh, please.” He scoffed, folding his arms across his chest.

I shifted my weight from my right leg to my left, nervous that he wouldn't buy my bluff. But when Jaxon pulled out the original copy of the ripped-out page from my diary, I almost lost my composure.

How did he get his hands on it?

“Like I said.” He flashed the colorful note around like a trophy so everyone around us could see it. “It was my letter. I don't know what makes you think she wrote it for you. You're not that good-looking or important.”

Brian clenched his fist, his pointed gaze shifting from me to Jaxon. I knew he was raging. There was no one he hated more than Jaxon, and in his mind, I had gone and messed with his arch nemesis.

“She wrote to me. It was my name on the letter.” He almost yelled.

Maybe it was the way Brian acted like he was disgusted by the mere fact that I could be in love with him. Maybe it was the humiliation I'd faced today. Maybe it was my need to make Brian jealous. Whatever the reason, a sudden surge of confidence took over me.

I interlinked my fingers with Jaxon’s and leaned against his shoulder.

“I call him Brian. His middle name is Brian. I've been writing letters to him for a while, and I didn't want anyone to know about our relationship since you're rivals. I used his middle name in case someone read the letters by mistake.”

Silence fell over the hall as everyone tried to take in the information I'd just dropped. My heart was pounding wildly in my chest as I waited for his response.

“Since you don't believe us, we'll help you make up your mind,” Jaxon said.

Before I could process what his words meant, he turned me so that I was facing him. I looked up at him just as he dipped me, bent down, and pressed his lips against mine in a slow, controlled kiss.

So there I stood in the hallway of my school, more than half my weight resting on Jaxon, kissing the rival of the person I actually loved.

And the only thing running through my head was that this was a very messy way to start senior year.