* That day earlier*

As the door creaked open, Hazel stepped into the dimly lit math lab, her heart pounding with excitement. She scanned the room, her eyes adjusting to the low light as she searched for the mysterious eavesdropper.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a figure huddled in the corner of the room, their back turned towards her. Hazel's pulse quickened as she approached, her steps cautious yet determined.

"Who's there?" she called out, her voice echoing in the empty room.

The figure stiffened at the sound of her voice but made no move to turn around. Hazel's curiosity grew, and she quickened her pace until she was standing directly behind the mysterious intruder.

With a sudden burst of courage, she reached out and grabbed the person's shoulder, spinning them around to face her.

To her shock and horror, she found herself staring into the wide-eyed gaze of Olivia, her fellow classmate.

"What are you doing here?" Hazel demanded, her voice tinged with both fear and anger.

Olivia's expression remained unreadable as she met Hazel's gaze. "I could ask you the same question," she replied cryptically.

Hazel's mind raced as she tried to make sense of Olivia's presence in the math lab. Could she be the one behind the ominous message to Grace? Or was there something more sinister at play?

Before she could question Olivia further, the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears. With a sense of urgency, she grabbed Olivia's arm and pulled her towards the door, their escape hastened by the fear of being caught.

As they slipped out of the math lab and into the corridor beyond, Hazel couldn't shake the feeling that they had stumbled upon something far more dangerous than they had bargained for.

**
As Lucas waited anxiously inside the math lab, his mind raced with worry for Grace. He knew she was capable of defending herself, but the thought of her facing danger alone filled him with dread.

With each passing minute, his concern grew, and he cursed himself for not being able to warn her sooner. He pounded on the door with all his might, hoping against hope that someone would hear his cries for help.

But as time ticked by and no one came to his aid, Lucas felt a sense of desperation creeping in. He glanced at his watch repeatedly, willing the minutes to pass faster so he could finally reach Grace and warn her of the danger that lurked in the shadows.

Hours seemed to stretch into eternity as Lucas waited inside the locked door, his heart pounding in his chest. Every sound made him jump, every shadow seemed to hold a threat. But still, he refused to give up hope.

Finally, as the sun began to set and the school day drew to a close, the door of the math lab creaked open, and Lucas's heart leaped with relief. The students of the math club emerged, their voices echoing in the empty hallway.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lucas dashed out of the lab, his feet pounding against the tiled floor as he raced towards Grace. He knew he had to find her and warn her before it was too late.

He shouted , " Thank you" on his way.

With each step, his determination grew stronger, his resolve unwavering. He would not rest until Grace was safe from harm, no matter the cost. And as he finally reached her side, he knew that together, they would face whatever dangers lay ahead.

**

The echoes of scuffling feet and muffled shouts still reverberated in the gymnasium, the aftermath of a heated altercation. Grace stood amidst the lingering tension, her fists clenched and her breaths heavy as she tried to process the chaos that had unfolded moments before. Unbeknownst to her, someone approached from behind, his steps masked by the residual commotion.

As his arms wrapped around her, Grace's instincts flared, her muscles tensing as she prepared to defend herself against the unknown assailant. Adrenaline surged through her veins, her heart racing as she readied herself for another confrontation. But before she could react, a husky voice cut through the silence like a lifeline.

"Are you okay?" Lucas's words, laced with concern, hung in the air, his tone a stark contrast to the turmoil of the recent altercation. Grace's breath hitched as recognition dawned, the tension in her body slowly melting away as she realized the identity of her unexpected assailant.

With a sigh of relief, Grace relaxed into his embrace, the warmth of his presence washing over her like a soothing balm. "I'm fine," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, the weight of the recent events still heavy on her mind.

Lucas, his worry evident in the furrow of his brow and the tightness of his grip, held her close, a silent reassurance amidst the chaos of the gymnasium. He had been concerned for her, his search for her amidst the chaos a testament to the depth of his feelings.

Just as the weight of his thoughts threatened to overwhelm him, the gym door burst open with a resounding bang, breaking the fragile silence of the moment. Sebastian, entered with a flourish, his boisterous voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

"What's going on here? Action? Drama?...Romance?" Sebastian's words hung in the air, his teasing tone adding a touch of levity to the solemn atmosphere. With a start, Lucas broke the embrace, stepping back with a hint of unease, his gaze shifting to meet Sebastian's with a mixture of apprehension and resignation.

The gymnasium buzzed with remnants of the earlier commotion as Sebastian, still processing the scene before him, blinked in confusion. Before he could gather his thoughts, Kai emerged from the storage room, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he greeted Sebastian.

"You missed the fun," Kai exclaimed, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. Sebastian's lips curled into a smile in response, his confusion momentarily forgotten amidst the camaraderie of his friends.

As the conversation shifted, Grace interjected with a quiet request, her voice tinged with weariness. "Maybe I should take some rest," she suggested, her eyes betraying the exhaustion that weighed heavily upon her. Sebastian nodded in understanding, his concern for her well-being evident in his expression.

Kai, offered a solution. "Let's get fresh and meet at yours. What do you say?" he proposed, pulling Grace into a one-armed hug. Grace returned the gesture with a faint smile, her eyes reflecting a hint of sadness beneath the surface.

Sebastian observed the interaction with a knowing glance, his intuition sharpened by years of friendship. "You hugged her. She allowed you to hug her. You two are something," he remarked, his tone teasing yet perceptive as he playfully punched Lucas on the shoulder.

Lucas recoiled slightly from the impact, his expression guarded as he attempted to deflect Sebastian's insinuation. "It's not like that. We are just friends," he insisted, his voice tinged with a hint of defensiveness.

But Sebastian was undeterred, his conviction unwavering. "Only friends, huh? I guarantee that you two are a thing. The crazy one," he declared with a laugh, his words trailing after Lucas as he made his exit from the gymnasium.

As the door swung shut behind him, the echoes of Sebastian's words lingered in the air, leaving behind a lingering sense of uncertainty and intrigue. For in the heart of their seemingly ordinary friendship, a spark had been ignited, one that threatened to ignite into something far more extraordinary.

**

Lucas raised his hand to knock on the door, his knuckles hovering inches away from the wooden surface. But before he could make contact, he hesitated, a sudden uncertainty gripping him like a vice.

"It's the fifth time, will you please knock?" Sebastian's voice broke through his thoughts, laced with impatience and amusement.

"I mean, I don't think th-" Lucas began to offer a feeble excuse, but his words were cut short by the arrival of Kai, their friend and accomplice in the night's clandestine activities.

"Hey, you two are already here," Kai greeted them with a casual grin, striding over to the door and rapping his knuckles against it in a confident rhythm.

Lucas watched as Kai's hand connected with the door, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Meanwhile, Sebastian's gaze bore into him with a mixture of curiosity and expectation, silently urging him to act.

As the door swung open, revealing the familiar figure of Grace, Lucas felt a rush of adrenaline course through his veins. He followed Kai and Sebastian into her apartment, his eyes scanning the space with keen interest.

The apartment was bathed in the soft glow of lamplight, the walls adorned with elegant grey hues that lent an air of sophistication to the room. Grace's living room exuded an aesthetic charm, with one wall adorned with an eclectic collection of paintings that spoke to her artistic sensibilities.

Kai entered the room with an easygoing demeanor, his presence filling the space with a sense of warmth and camaraderie. Sebastian, on the other hand, seemed to be studying Grace with a keen intensity, his gaze lingering on her with a mixture of curiosity and admiration.

Grace herself was a vision of effortless elegance, clad in high-waisted cargos and a simple black shirt that accentuated her slender frame. Her hair, still damp from a recent shower, cascaded in loose waves around her shoulders, framing her delicate features with a captivating allure.

As she moved gracefully around the room, retrieving soda cans from a mini fridge and distributing them among her guests, Lucas found himself entranced by her every movement. He was so lost in her presence that he failed to notice the flying can hurtling towards him, saved only by Sebastian's quick reflexes.

Sebastian's admonishment snapped Lucas out of his reverie, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment as he sheepishly accepted the can from his friend. "I didn't notice," he mumbled in response, his eyes still fixed on Grace's form.

Sebastian's teasing remark only served to deepen Lucas's embarrassment, his cheeks burning with a mixture of guilt and longing. He knew that his feelings for Grace were complicated, fraught with uncertainty and unspoken desires.

But before he could dwell on his emotions any further, Kai intervened with a gentle reminder. "You should treat your wound," he suggested, his gaze flickering to the faint mark on Grace's neck where she had been injured earlier.

With practiced ease, Kai retrieved a first aid kit from a nearby drawer and began tending to Grace's wound, his touch gentle and reassuring. As he worked, the tension in the room seemed to dissipate, replaced by a sense of calm and tranquility.

They spent the remainder of the evening in quiet companionship, the events of the night fading into the background as they lost themselves in conversation and laughter. But their moment of respite was short-lived, as the reality of their actions came crashing down around them.

The next day, they were summoned to the principal's office, their actions scrutinized and their futures hanging in the balance. Prefects arrived to escort them back to their apartments, their instructions clear: no interaction with anyone else, no discussion of the events that had transpired.

Grace's resolve remained unshaken in the face of adversity, her steely demeanor masking the vulnerability that lurked beneath the surface. But as she stood alone in her apartment, a solitary figure in a sea of uncertainty, a message appeared on her phone, a glimmer of hope in the darkness of the night.

"I am sorry," the message read, a simple yet powerful declaration that resonated with her in ways she couldn't explain. And as she pondered the sender's identity, she couldn't shake the feeling that their paths were destined to intertwine in ways she never could have imagined.