The red ink still stained Alex's thoughts.
Even after Lynn had fallen asleep on a call with him that night — her voice soft, her walls momentarily lowered — the message burned at the back of his mind:
> "You think the past is the problem. It's not. The future is. And it's already begun."
Someone was watching them. Not just judging — targeting. And whoever it was, they knew enough to strike when it would hurt most.
The next morning, Gallagher slipped a folder into Lynn's locker between class periods. No name. Just a navy blue file with a silver sticker on the front: "FOR HER EYES ONLY."
Lynn opened it during Chemistry, hiding it behind her textbook. Inside were photos — not just of her and Alex, but of other couples. Notes. A few class schedules. Even Sera's locker combination.
"What is this?" she whispered to Dianne beside her.
Dianne leaned over, eyebrows raised. "Looks like someone's collecting secrets."
Gallagher passed her a note during lunch:
Meet me behind the gym. 4 p.m. Come alone.
Meanwhile, Sera was unraveling in silence.
Everything she had built — her reputation, her subtle control over the social web of Crown Ridge — was slipping like sand through her fingers. Lynn had proven unbreakable. Alex was harder to ruin than expected.
And now there were new players on the board. Whoever ran the anonymous "Crimson Mask" account on the Crown Ridge Secrets forum was digging deeper than even she dared to.
And it was not her.
"Are we sure it's not Jordan?" Fresa asked.
Pauline shook her head. "Too emotional. This is calculated."
Serenity chimed in, "If they have a second file… we need to know what's in it."
At 4 p.m. sharp, Lynn met Gallagher behind the gym. He was already waiting, arms folded.
"What's going on?" she asked.
He passed her another envelope. This one marked: "Alex. Maplewood. Confidential."
"I never told you this," Gallagher began, "but I used to have a cousin at Maplewood. She was in the same grade as Alex. She told me things."
Lynn's heart pounded. "What kind of things?"
He opened the file. Newspaper clippings. A suspension notice. A picture of Alex bruised, standing in the principal's office.
"She said he saved someone," Gallagher continued, "but there's more to it. There was a second fight. Covered up."
Lynn stared at him. "Why are you showing me this?"
"Because someone else is digging too. And they're not going to show you the truth. Just the part that breaks you.
That night, Serene barged into Lynn's room with a furious look.
"Jamy showed me a message," she hissed. "Some anonymous person sent him a voice recording of Alex."
Lynn turned pale. "What kind of recording?"
"It's… intense. He's yelling. At someone. Could be a teacher."
Lynn grabbed her phone, dialing Alex immediately. He picked up on the second ring.
"Hey," he said. "I was just thinking about—"
"There's a voice recording," she cut in. "From Maplewood. Jamy got it."
Alex was silent for a beat. "Then it's starting."
"What is?"
"The part where they try to make you afraid of me."
While Alex met Lynn the next morning in the library to talk through the fallout, Sam and Harden were on the hunt.
They tracked down the Wi-Fi logs from the school's anonymous forum — thanks to a little hacking help from Gallagher's cousin.
"It's not Sera," Sam said, reading the source IP. "It's someone in Block B."
Harden glanced at him. "Who lives in Block B?"
Sam's face fell. "Jordan. And Jenifer."
After school, Lynn stormed into the art studio. Jordan was alone, painting a red flower that looked suspiciously like blood.
"Why?" she demanded.
He didn't even flinch. "Why what?"
"You sent that file. You're trying to ruin him."
Jordan turned slowly. "Because he doesn't deserve you. I do."
Lynn's voice cracked. "No. You don't."
She left without waiting for more
That night, Lynn overheard something that chilled her.
Down in her father's study, Suzie was speaking in hushed tones to a stranger on the phone.
"Yes, we've started the campaign," Suzie whispered. "The boy has a record. It's only a matter of time before Lynn realizes she's betting her name on a ghost."
Lynn's breath caught.
She'd suspected Suzie hated her. But this?
This was war.
The next morning, John Kay called Lynn into his office.
He held a thick folder in his hand — the same file Gallagher had shown her.
"I didn't raise you to throw away the Kay name," he said.
Lynn stood tall. "You didn't raise me at all."
His eyes narrowed. "If you continue to see him, I'll cut you off."
She didn't blink. "Then cut me."
And she walked out.
That afternoon, Alex found Lynn sitting on the stairs behind the theater.
"They want to tear us apart," she said softly.
He nodded. "Then we make a pact."
She looked at him.
"No more secrets," he said. "We tell each other everything. No matter how ugly. No matter how dangerous."
She held out her pinky. "Deal."
He linked his with hers. "Deal."
And when they kissed this time, it wasn't just passion — it was defiance.
That night, every phone in Crown Ridge lit up with a new post from "Crimson Mask."
> "The game has changed. You wanted the truth? It's coming. Chapter by chapter."
And attached was a photo no one had seen before.
Alex.
Maplewood.
Standing over a boy on the ground — fists bloodied.
And behind him... a figure in the shadows.
Watching.
Smiling.