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Chapter 1 - CHAP-1:THE SHOW

Heaven's POV

"All done. What about you, Amber?" I said into my microphone, admiring the masterpiece in front of me.

"Done," I heard Amber's cold voice crackle through the speaker.

"Everything's clear on my si—Shit! Enemy incoming, repeat, enemy incoming. You need to get out. Over and out!" Seth's voice boomed in my ear.

I looked toward the front gate, where a security guard was headed straight for us.

"Amber, let's go!" I urged, sprinting in the opposite direction. We both ran toward the emergency exit.

"It's locked," Amber said, struggling to open the door.

"Hey, who's there? Stop right there!" the security guard shouted when he spotted us.

"Run!" I told her and bolted. I spotted an open door and dashed inside, quickly crouching behind a table—only to realize Amber wasn't with me.

Damn it, Amber.

"Amber, are you safe?" I whispered into my mic.

"Safe," came her calm reply.

"Where are you?"

"In the car."

"You left me?" I said, incredulous.

"You left me," she responded, her voice flat.

True.

"Enough, kitties. Heaven, you need to get out, or we're leaving you," Seth's voice thundered again.

"Hmm," Amber agreed.

Bitches.

I stood up from my hiding spot and cracked the door open to survey the situation. I could still hear the guard's voice echoing through the school halls. I turned back to think, and that's when I noticed the window was open. The room was on the first floor.

So, I jumped.

"That was a close call," I panted, catching my breath.

"You're back," Seth said—was that... sadness?

"You would've loved the show if I got caught. Unfortunately for you, I escaped," I shot back.

"Unfortunately," Seth muttered, clearly disappointed.

"Home," Amber reminded us, as usual, in a single word.

She dropped Seth off first, then me.

𝙉𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝘿𝙖𝙮

As I entered the school grounds, I spotted Seth and Amber deep in conversation. I quickly parked in the space next to Amber's car and walked over.

"I brought popcorn and gummy bears," Seth announced, pointing to his bag.

"Chocolates," Amber added.

"You're late," Seth said, glaring at me.

"What? I was busy saving the world from a broccoli monster," I replied.

"In your dreams," Seth said flatly.

"It had eaten you! I had to save you. You're my best friend! And Amber was—" I turned to Amber, who was munching on popcorn while watching us bicker.

"Continue. Free show," she said, still chewing.

"Guys, we're forgetting something. Let's move," Seth cut in before I could punch his smug face.

When we reached the lockers, a crowd had already gathered. Some students were snapping pictures of our masterpiece, whispering excitedly.

I gazed at my work. It looked even better than yesterday.

On the lockers was a cartoon drawing of a naked man covering his junk with a cowboy hat. The resemblance to our principal was... undeniable.

Pride swelled in my chest. I mentally patted myself on the back. Now, we wait for the authorities.

"What is going on here? Oh my god!" Mrs. Preston gasped. "Someone call the principal!"

Finally.

I saw Leo and his little group walk in.

"Seth, pass me the gummy bears," I said, eyes locked on the scene. As he handed them over, Principal Thompson pushed through the crowd.

His expression went from stunned to furious as he stared at my beautiful art.

All those art classes finally paid off.

"Put your phones away now, or they'll be confiscated. Go to your respective classes!" Mr. Thompson barked.

"Get the staff to clean this up immediately and find out who's behind this disgraceful act!" he snapped while turning away.

"Sir! We found something!" a staff member called out, catching his attention.

"What is it?" Thompson asked, turning back.

The staff member held up an ID card. Mr. Thompson's face darkened. If you looked closely, you might've seen steam coming from his ears.

"Leo Jayden. To my office. Now," he ordered, disappointed in his model student.

It didn't take a genius to figure it out—the ID was Leo's.

"What the heck?" Ezra, Leo's best friend, shouted. I turned to look at Leo.

He was already staring at me. His face was as expressionless as ever, but his eyebrows were slightly furrowed—a sure sign he was pissed.

As he walked toward the principal's office, he kept his glare fixed on me. In return, I stuck my tongue out.

What? I'm mature like that.

As we headed back to class, Seth asked, "How did Leo's ID end up there?"

"I may or may not have dropped it after I, uh, borrowed it from him and stuck it in my side pocket," I said, feigning innocence.

"You stole his ID," Amber stated matter-of-factly.

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