Grave lessons

Kayla knew what she was doing.

She wasn't stupid. She saw the way Caston watched her, the way his entire body tensed every time she so much as looked in Liam's direction. And yeah, maybe she should care. Maybe she should stop pushing him.

But she wasn't going to.

Because the moment Caston started acting like he had some kind of say in her life? That was the moment she decided he didn't.

So when Liam slung an arm over her shoulder in the hallway after school, Kayla didn't move away.

And when Caston saw?

She felt the shift before she even turned around.

His jaw was locked so tight it looked painful, his entire posture rigid like he was barely keeping himself from snapping. The air around him felt charged, like a storm seconds before lightning struck.

And then—

He moved.

Not walked. Not approached.

Moved.

One second, he was standing several feet away, and the next—

Kayla was pinned.

Between the lockers and him.

Liam had barely opened his mouth to react before Caston shot him a glare so lethal it could've burned through steel.

"Walk. Away."

Liam hesitated—just for a second—then did exactly that.

Kayla glared up at Caston, shoving at his chest, but he didn't budge.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed.

His hands slammed against the locker behind her, caging her in. His breath was uneven, his blue eyes dangerous. "You."

Kayla's heart skipped.

She should be angry. She should tell him off.

But for the first time since this whole thing started—she didn't know what to say.

"You wanna push me?" Caston muttered, voice low, rough. "Fine. But don't act surprised when I push back."

Silence.

Kayla swallowed, but her throat felt dry. "You're being ridiculous."

"Am I?" His eyes flickered down to her lips for half a second before he leaned in closer. "Because I think you like this just as much as I do."

Her pulse slammed against her ribs.

Nope. No. Not happening.

She refused to acknowledge the heat creeping up her spine, the way her body betrayed her by freezing in place instead of shoving him away.

Caston scoffed under his breath. "That's what I thought."

Then, just as fast as he trapped her—he was gone.

Leaving Kayla standing there, heart racing, head spinning, and one terrifying thought running through her mind:

What if he's right?