Chapter 10 - The Showdown
Ivy clocked the dude with the sun-kissed locks chilling under the tree from a mile away. "OMG, check out Mr. Bleach Blonde over there. So edgy, am I right? And that face? Straight-up Insta-worthy!"
"Legit, he's got that 'just stepped out of a fashion blog' vibe. Dunno if that's his real hair color, but who cares? He's rocking it. Dude's a total snack."
"Y'all for real? That's just some bad boy from Willowbend High. You know the type—blowing through their trust fund now, and when they're broke by thirty, they're sliding into DMs for a sugar mama."
"OMG, is that chick in our uniform heading his way? Are they, like, an item or something?"
"Who is she, though? Can't really see from here... Any of you know her?"
"Looks like she's from our class or something..."
Gossip flew left and right, each word a dart aimed at Ivy and Nolan.
Ivy, head down, played it cool, making a beeline for Nolan.
Nolan was all laid-back against the tree, a cig dangling from his lips, phone in hand. Catching some of the shade being thrown, he peeped up, smoke swirling around him, and there she was—girl looked straight-up delicate.
The chit-chat kept coming, but he was unfazed. A flick of ash, and he peaced out before she even got close.
...
Nolan was striding ahead, Ivy sauntering after him.
He led her to this sketchy alley by the school.
The alley was buzzing with some boys and girls just hanging. Ivy recognized a few from that gaming cafe standoff, the rest were new faces.
The whole scene screamed 'trouble'—the alley, the squad, the vibes.
"Frost's in the house!"
The call went up.
All eyes snapped to Ivy and Nolan. Ivy, not down for the spotlight, dipped her gaze.
That's when the entrance got rowdy. Ivy Sterling, posted up against the wall, peeped over and went stiff.
A couple of girls were hauling Brianna Caldwell and her squad into the alley.
"They're here," one of the girls announced, eyeing them, then hit up Nolan Frost, "Yo, Nolan, what's the play?"
Nolan Frost was fiddling with a smoke, playing it mysterious, his dark eyes locked on Ivy.
Everyone caught the signal and swung their attention to Ivy.
Ivy's hand was all tremors, lips tight, eyes flicking to Brianna Caldwell.
Brianna shot back a look, a cocktail of threats and barely-there fear.
Ivy's gaze was like a silent convo, sparking something in Brianna. She started thrashing, trying to break free from the grip on her.
The alley was buzzed with tension, everyone waiting for Ivy's next move.
"OMG, you guys, lemme spill the real tea. I'm Ethan Drake's bae. And if y'all think you can snatch me up like this, Ethan's gonna clap back hard, ya feel me?" Brianna was all bluster, trying to flex, but the crew in the alley just cackled like she was serving up stand-up comedy.
One of the chicks was like, "Yo, drop her wrists and let her hit up her man."
Brianna was lowkey freaking out, her fingers shaking as she fumbled with her phone, trying to hit up Ethan while the boys were throwing shade. She finally got through to him, right before it was about to go to voicemail.
