Two Hearts for the Broken Girl – Chapter 2
(Jasmine's POV)
...
By the time we reached class, the entire school already knew.
Whispers chased me down the hallway like shadows.
"Did you see Alex?"
"Raymond almost punched him."
"Over her?"
Over me.
I slid into my seat by the window, pretending to focus on the gray sky outside. Rain clouds gathered, heavy and threatening—just like the tension sitting two rows behind me.
Alex.
I didn't have to turn around to feel him. His presence was intense, controlled... like a storm pretending to be calm.
And then there was Raymond.
He took the seat beside me without asking.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
Three simple words. No audience. No performance.
I nodded. "I'm used to it."
His jaw tightened. "You shouldn't be."
Before I could respond, a chair scraped loudly across the floor. The sound sliced through the classroom.
Alex.
"If she says she's fine, she's fine," he said, voice cold.
Raymond didn't back down this time. "You don't get to decide that."
The teacher walked in before it could explode, but the air stayed thick. Heavy. Unspoken.
And for the first time, I realized something terrifying—
This wasn't just about protecting me.
It was about claiming me.
Lunch was worse.
Kimberly wasn't loud today. She was quiet.
And that scared me more.
She watched from across the cafeteria, her perfectly glossed lips curved into a slow smile. Not anger. Not embarrassment.
Calculation.
When I stepped outside for air, my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
I hesitated... then opened it.
"Stay away from them. Or the fire that took your parents won't be the last one."
My blood ran cold.
No one at school talked about the fire.
No one.
My hands started shaking.
"Jasmine?"
I turned. Alex.
He must've followed me.
"What happened?" His eyes scanned my face, sharp and alert.
Before I could answer, Raymond appeared behind him, breathing slightly hard like he'd rushed.
"Why do you both keep doing that?" I snapped, emotion cracking through me. "Following me like I'm some... some responsibility!"
Silence.
Alex stepped closer. "Because you're in danger."
The words hit harder than the message on my phone.
"How would you know that?" I whispered.
For a split second, something flickered across his face.
Guilt.
Raymond noticed it too.
"What do you know, Alex?" Raymond demanded.
The wind picked up around us, leaves swirling at our feet like the world was bracing for something bigger.
Alex looked at me—not at Raymond.
"At the fire... I was there that night."
My heart stopped.
"What?" I breathed.
"I saw someone run out of your house before the flames spread," he said quietly. "I didn't tell anyone. I thought it was nothing. I was wrong."
The world tilted.
Someone ran out?
That meant—
It wasn't an accident.
Raymond stepped forward, protective energy radiating from him. "And you're just saying this now?"
"I didn't want to drag her into something dangerous," Alex shot back.
"It's already dangerous!" Raymond snapped.
My head spun. The message. The fire. The way Kimberly smiled.
This wasn't high school drama anymore.
This was something darker.
Something planned.
And somehow... both of them were already tangled in it.
I looked from Alex to Raymond, my heart splitting in ways I didn't understand.
One carried secrets.
One carried comfort.
But both looked at me like they would burn the world down if it meant keeping me safe.
The question was—
Would the truth burn us first?
And somewhere across campus, Kimberly stood by the window, watching us.
Smiling.
To be continued...