His new stepsister His biggest threat (Claire and Elijah) novel Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Claire’s POV**

As dawn broke the following day, an unsettling realization settled over me like a heavy fog.

Elijah was uncharacteristically silent, an impenetrable wall of quietude enveloping him.

At dinner the previous night, he had maintained his usual icy demeanor, but now, at school, he hardly uttered a word to anyone. There were no playful jabs exchanged with his teammates, no sharp quips echoing down the hall, and certainly no trademark smirk as he navigated through the throng of students. Instead, he moved through the corridors like a thundercloud, his jaw clenched tight, eyes cast downward, deliberately ignoring the murmurings that trailed in his wake.

And it seemed that the entire school had taken notice.

Naomi, blissfully unaware, was her usual self.

She bounded up to me at my locker, arms overflowing with colorful notebooks and highlighters, her face radiating with a contagious enthusiasm. “Okay,” she chirped, her grin wide enough to rival any holiday celebration. “Round two! I wrote a new one. It’s even better than the first!”

I stared at her, disbelief flooding my senses. “Naomi, no.”

Her expression fell instantly, confusion knitting her brow. “What do you mean, no?”

“I mean I’m done with this,” I replied, shoving my math book into my bag with more force than necessary, the sound echoing against the locker walls. “If you want to play secret admirer, that’s on you. But you’re the one who’s going to have to slip your own notes into his locker.”

Naomi blinked, her shock evident. “Claire, come on. You live with him! You’re the only one who can get close without raising suspicions. If I try, they’ll know I’m up to something.”

“Then let them know,” I snapped, the frustration boiling over. “I’m not taking the fall for you. Not again.”

Her jaw tightened, and for the first time since I had met her, the usual sunshine in her demeanor flickered and dimmed. “You’re supposed to be my friend.”

“I am your friend,” I shot back, my voice dropping to a rough whisper, thick with emotion. “That’s precisely why I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s not safe. It’s—”

“It’s what?” she pressed, her tone sharp.

I hesitated, grappling with the truth that threatened to spill out. How could I explain the suffocating pressure of Elijah cornering me, the relentless torment from Jessica and her crew, and the way half the school viewed me as a pathetic outcast?

Naomi shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line of resolve. “Forget it.” In a swift motion, she crumpled the note in her fist, her frustration palpable, and stormed away, her ponytail swinging angrily behind her.

I let out a heavy sigh, resting my forehead against the cool, metallic surface of my locker. My chest felt constricted, as if I had traded the lightness of air for the weight of concrete.

Then, like a dark omen, came the sound I dreaded most: laughter.

Jessica.

She and her entourage descended upon me, heels clicking on the linoleum floor, their eyes glinting with malice. Jessica’s smirk was sharp enough to cut through the thickest tension in the air.

“Well, well,” she drawled, folding her arms across her chest, a predator sizing up her prey.

I inhaled sharply, bracing myself for the barbs I knew were coming.

“Whatever the hell you did to Elijah, you need to undo it. Now.”

I blinked, caught off guard by her directness. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb with me.” She leaned in, her overpowering perfume invading my senses. “Why is he so broody? Why isn’t he talking to anyone? Why is he strutting around like he’s ready to snap someone in half? That’s not the Elijah I know. That’s you. Somehow, you’ve messed him up, and I’m betting it has everything to do with your little stunt yesterday.”

I stared at her, genuine confusion swirling within me. “I didn’t do anything.”

Jessica scoffed, rolling her eyes with exaggerated disdain. “Please. He never shuts up when I’m around. Now he won’t even look my way. So whatever pathetic little thing you pulled, you’d better fix it. Got it?”

Her friends erupted into giggles, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of mockery. “Poor Jessica.” “The stepsister curse.” “Guess she’s more trouble than she’s worth.”

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