She gave them everything. Now they want to take it all away.
Monday – Principal Carter's Office
Hunter sat in the stiff chair across from the desk, his bruised knuckles resting on his thighs, his jaw tight.
He didn't flinch when the door opened, and Eden was led in by the school counselor.
She looked pale.
Still beautiful. Still defiant.
But pale.
Principal Carter barely glanced at her before launching in.
"You are both here to answer for the disruption caused Friday afternoon, the physical altercation between students, and the—" she paused, as if the next words physically pained her "—the inappropriate conduct caught on school property."
"Inappropriate?" Hunter said, leaning forward. "You mean the photo someone took without consent? That kind of inappropriate?"
"Mr. Hayes—"
"That's what you want to talk about? A blurry photo and not the fact that someone invaded our privacy?"
"You were in a classroom."
"Locked. Empty. No students. No class."
"Still school grounds."
Hunter exhaled through his nose, every word he held back clawing at his throat.
Carter turned to Eden next. "Miss Blake, I'm disappointed. This behavior is not only unacceptable but also a violation of our code of conduct. I expected better from you."
Eden's mouth opened, then closed again. Her voice was gone.
She wasn't scared.
She was furious.
And it showed in the quiet clench of her fists.
"You suspended a boy last year for leaking a video of a girl changing," she said slowly. "But now that it's me in the photo, and it's just a kiss, suddenly I'm the one who's crossed the line?"
The silence in the room turned heavy.
"Watch your tone," Carter said sharply.
"No," Eden snapped. "Watch your bias."
The counselor stirred. "Let's keep things calm."
"Don't tell her to calm down," Hunter said. "She's the only one here not pretending this isn't about power and appearance."
"You're on scholarship, Mr. Hayes," Carter said coldly. "And on probation after the fight. One more incident, and you're off the team. Permanently."
Hunter's jaw clenched. "So I'm supposed to sit back while people call her names? Touch her locker? Whisper when she walks by?"
"If you want to stay on the ice, yes."
"Then I'll skate in hell instead."
The principal stood. "That's enough. You're both suspended for three days. Effective immediately."
"What?" Eden said.
"Pending review. A formal hearing will be scheduled next week."
Hunter stood slowly, towering over the desk. "You can try to separate us. But we'll still be standing together."
Carter didn't reply.
She didn't have to.
The damage was already done.
---
Outside the Office
They walked in silence.
No handholding this time. No stolen glances.
Just the heavy air between them, pulsing with anger and something else, neither of them could name.
Finally, Eden stopped.
"I thought I was ready for this," she whispered.
Hunter looked at her.
"I thought I could handle the rumors. The teachers. The judgment. But it's not just them anymore. It's everything. It's the walls. The noise. The way I look in the mirror and don't recognize myself."
"You're still you," he said.
She turned to him. "Then why do I feel like a story someone else is writing?"
Hunter stepped closer and lowered his voice.
"Because you gave them your truth. And they want to twist it."
He lifted her chin gently. "So don't let them."
She nodded once, slowly.
"I won't."
Perfect. Let's continue with Chapter Seven: The Threat Behind the Desk —
Part 2: The Whisper War and the Ghost from His Past.
We'll dive into Eden's rising defiance, the threat from Liam, and the first glimpse of a figure from Hunter's buried history — the kind of tension and twist that keeps readers addicted and turning pages deep into the night.
Tuesday – After Suspension
Eden didn't sleep much that night.
Her body was warm from Hunter's arms, but her mind felt like a battlefield — replaying hallway whispers and cruel screenshots over and over again.
By morning, she'd decided: if they were going to talk about her anyway, she'd give them something worth talking about.
She showed up at school the next day in a tight black turtleneck, chin held high, eyes lined with defiance. Technically, she was suspended. But she wasn't here to attend class.
She was here for war.
---
English Wing – Room 12B
Mrs. Salter, her literature teacher, was sipping coffee and grading papers at her desk.
Eden walked in and closed the door behind her.
Salter didn't even look up. "You're suspended. You shouldn't be here."
"I know."
"Then leave."
Eden didn't move.
Instead, she placed a folded piece of notebook paper on the desk.
Salter raised a brow and unfolded it. One sentence.
"I hear she spread her legs faster than she opened her books."
Salter's expression didn't change.
But her eyes flickered.
"That was written on the board during third period yesterday," Eden said. "And when I asked who wrote it, someone said your name."
"That's a lie."
"I didn't come here to accuse you."
"Then what?"
"I came to warn you," Eden said quietly. "Next time I hear my name in your mouth, I won't bring paper. I'll bring the school board."
A long pause.
Then Eden turned to leave.
Before she reached the door, Salter called after her.
"You're not the first girl he's ruined."
Eden froze.
"What?"
Salter didn't answer.
Eden's heart pounded.
She walked away without another word — but the sentence clung to her all day like smoke.
Later That Afternoon – Hunter's Apartment
"You think she meant Liam?" Eden asked, curled up on his couch, her knees tucked under her hoodie.
Hunter shook his head slowly. "No. She was talking about me."
Eden turned to him sharply.
"What?"
"I told you I've hurt people before."
She studied his face.
"Hurt how?"
He swallowed hard.
"There was a girl. Last year. It was supposed to be a dare. Just a stupid hockey bet. I kissed her. Nothing more."
"And?"
"She told the school I pressured her."
Eden's chest tightened.
"Did you?"
"No. But I didn't defend her either. I let the team laugh. I let her drop out."
He turned away.
"I've been trying to outrun that since."
Silence.
Then Eden moved closer.
"I'm not her," she whispered.
"I know."
"But I need to know you won't run from me."
"I'm done running."
He pulled her into his lap, forehead pressed to hers.
"I'll burn this whole damn school to the ground if they come for you again."
She smiled.
A sad, sharp kind of smile.
"Then you better start stacking the matches."
---
Evening – Outside Eden's House
She got out of his car, still feeling the imprint of his hand on her thigh, the softness of his kiss on her neck.
But before she reached the door, a voice cut through the dark.
"I knew you'd crawl back to him."
She turned.
Liam.
Leaning against her porch, phone in hand.
"What do you want?"
He stepped closer. Too close.
"Just a warning," he said, showing her the screen.
A video.
Blurry, shaky. Taken through blinds.
Of her in Hunter's apartment.
Of her… riding him.
Her breath caught.
"How—?"
"I'm not the only one who hates seeing you happy," he said.
Eden's blood went cold.
"Delete it."
"Make me."
She stepped forward, eyes blazing. "I'm not scared of you anymore."
"You should be," Liam whispered. "Because next time, I won't just leak it. I'll send it to your dad."
He walked away, his laughter echoing into the night.
And Eden? She stood there frozen, one truth screaming louder than any fear.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.