At the prestigious IronCrest Academy, James must conceal their true identity to infiltrate the elite school on a little-known chess scholarship. But in a place teeming with bullies and romantic distractions, how long can James' secret stay hidden?
View MoreAs I approached Peter's room in the infirmary, my mind was a jumble. Wanda just waved me through, hardly looking up as I carried a couple of slices of pizza to Peter. Pushing open the door, I found him sitting up, looking markedly better than the last time I was here. Both of his eyes were finally open, and the bruise covering the entire side of his face was finally fading to almost nothing. "Hey, you're looking a lot better," I remarked, genuinely relieved to see him recovering. "Thanks, dude. I feel much better, thankfully. My parents were threatening to come get me if I didn't get out of this bed soon. So, they're letting me go back to class... and even to practice tomorrow," Peter responded. I handed him the pizza, and he started eating it immediately. The food here was torturing him here, too. I wondered if anyone else was bringing him stuff to hold him over like they were me. Surely they were. "You made the team?" This was a new development. I looked for his name on the
After the exhilarating class with Mr. Sherman, we all trudged back to the dorm through the thick blanket of snow that had started to settle more deeply around the campus pathways. Jules wrapped his arm around me, joking as he pulled me close, "You did awesome today, shorty. Are you sure you're not from some super secret southern monster-hunting family or something?" He meant it in jest, but it struck a nerve closer to home than he could have realized.He kept his arm around me the rest of the way, guiding me in and around the snowy paths as the other guys tossed snowballs at one another and played like little kids in front of us. As we approached the dormitory entrance, I awkwardly shrugged off his arm. "Hey, look... I didn't get lost in the snow... that's like snow 0, me 10 now." I caught Kris giving us a strange look from a few steps away. It reminded me that he had tried to put his arm around me earlier. What was that about? One thing I didn't realize about male camaraderie is
My first French class at Ironcrest was with Alec, Kris, and Bear. I spotted Bear taking a seat at the back of the room. Based on our brief but practical Russian lessons, I started towards him, hoping to partner up.Kris intercepted me with a playful block, grinning broadly. "Nope, you're with me. I'm the only lonely one in here," he declared with a playful pout.He wasn't lying. Across the room, Alec had already claimed a seat beside Nick, leaving Kris evidently solo until my arrival. Reluctantly, I followed him to his desk, a little disappointed but curious about what dynamic Kris would bring to our partnership. I wanted to learn here but wasn't sure Kris was the best partner to help me comprehend something. This was one place where his constant playfulness seemed like it would cause more issues than anything else. As the class commenced, I was quickly wrapped up by the vibrant energy of learning a new language. The teacher, a vibrant woman with a sharp accent, launched into a re
The early morning chill had yet to dissipate when I jolted awake, anticipating the usual rush to class because I had overslept. Still half-asleep, I shuffled out of bed, reaching for my jersey to throw on over my dark-colored undershirt from last night. That's when Alec, already more alert and upright as usual, threw me a curveball. "No dude, it's Wednesday. You gotta wear the uniform today." Another rule I had yet to catch. The constant onslaught of Ironcrest's regulations seemed endless, and I still fumbled through most of them. And there I was, unprepared to change into my uniform shirt in front of Alec. Alec, noticing my hesitation, nonchalantly added, "I'll tie your tie, don't worry," before returning his gaze to his book. It seemed he was back to his usual self. Very observant and precise. Though it was odd he had waited around for me to wake up. Usually, when I woke up this late, he was already long gone. Our conversations and bonding over yesterday's issue over practic
I trudged up the steps to where Alec was sitting, the cold metal of the bleachers biting through the fabric of my pants as I sat down next to him."Hey man," I ventured, breaking the silence.Alec grunted a "hey," not bothering to look at me. His eyes fixed on the emptying rink. Something was off. I could feel the energy of his foul mood radiating from him. "Did I make you mad or something? You know I don't want your position, right?" I added, hoping to lighten his mood or at least get him to talk.He huffed. "Yeah, I know."His answer left me more bewildered than reassured. What was his problem then? We shared a room. I didn't want our relationship to be strained, especially not when I was just starting to fit in. "What did I do to upset you then?" I pressed.Alec turned to look at me, his expression hard to read. "I'm not upset at you," he finally said."Then what is it, Alec? You're acting so strange now," I pushed, not ready to drop it. There was something more going on with him,
As I walked back to the dorm with the box in my hand, a wave of anxiety washed over me. The box's contents felt like a ticking bomb. "Hey guys, where are you all headed?" I stammered out, trying to sound casual as Kris, Bear, and Alec intercepted me in the stairwell. "Back to bed," Kris replied with a lazy grin. "I'm ready to crash again." Bear grunted in agreement, the sentiment clearly mutual. Alec, who had been silent up until now, eyed the box under my arm with suspicion. "And where are you going with that?" he asked. I scrambled for a plausible excuse. "Oh, I was just heading back to change for class... This? It's just some extra stuff the nurse insisted I have, you know, with me being so new and not used to the weather and all..." The words tumbled out in a hurried jumble, sounding less convincing than I'd hoped. Alec squinted slightly, clearly not buying it. "Why are you going to class?" he asked. "Because I don't want to get in trouble?" I replied, the question sounding
The moment the power cut out, Adrien sighed, leaning back on his bed. "Great," he muttered. "Shit," I swore under my breath, realizing I didn't have my flashlight. "I didn't bring my flashlight. If they see me in the stairwell without it, I'll get demerits, won't I?" "Just stay in here," Adrien replied. "You're okay." His words seemed to carry a double meaning, like he really didn't want me to leave. We talked for a while longer until the conversation faded into comfortable silence. I felt my eyes getting heavy, the adrenaline from the earlier game finally wearing off. Before I knew it, I was asleep on his spare bed, the storm outside still howling against the windows. It was exceptionally odd how comfortable I felt in his room immediately. I jolted awake the following day. A sudden noise, or maybe just a bad dream, pulled me back to consciousness. I was warm, almost overheating. I sat up, pushing the pile of blankets off me. Adrien must have piled every blanket he had on me
"Hey," Adrien breathed out, his eyes widening a fraction. "I was wondering if anyone was still awake. Come talk to me." Swallowing hard, I stuttered, "Well, I need to shower…" He looked at the communal shower room with evident disgust written across his face. "I bet it is nasty as hell in there right now. Just shower in my room," he suggested quickly, leading the way. We walked down to the floor below, and he opened the door to a room much larger than any student accommodation had any right to be. Arms wrapped tightly around my chest, I followed him inside, my teeth practically chattering from nerves more than the cold. "You cold?" Adrien asked, eyeing me curiously. "Yeah, I'm Southern, remember?" I tried to joke and deflect. Adrien chuckled. "Yeah, it's pretty clear every time you open your mouth." I excused myself, claiming I needed another jacket, but I returned to my room to put on my binder. I tiptoed around a still-sleeping Alec, quickly pulling the binder over my head. T
Back in the locker room, the energy was insane. The boys were still riding high from the win, hooping and hollering, slapping each other on the back like they'd just won the Stanley Cup. Adrien was the center of attention, basking in the team's praise. The pre-game resentment I'd noticed had vanished. Everyone was on his side now. I was starting to understand why he could brush off the negativity. It wasn't ego...it was confidence, the kind that came from knowing you were the best. Cam strolled in and pulled Thomas into the hallway. My curiosity got the better of me, so I edged toward the door, pretending to be engaged in a conversation while I strained to hear what was going on. Cam's voice was sharp and angry, echoing through the corridor. He was berating Thomas for letting me get hit by the opposing team. Cam was really laying into him, calling him useless and incompetent for not protecting me like he should have. What the hell? Why was Cam suddenly concerned about me? This w
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