My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153 Chloe Holding The Blue Ink

“Which table?” Ryder asked. His voice bounced off the cinderblock walls.

I pointed to the back corner near the large windows. “The circular one.”

I broke into a sprint. My sneakers squeaked against the polished linoleum. I reached the blue plastic table. I stopped.

The tabletop was bare.

The black leather planner was not there.

My stomach plummeted. The remaining hope in my chest turned to lead. I dropped to my knees. I crawled under the table. I ran my hands over the sticky linoleum floor. I searched for the dark leather cover. I checked the surrounding chairs. I checked the gaps between

the table legs.

Nothing.

Ryder walked up behind me. He surveyed the empty space. He did not offer useless comfort. He moved into action.

“Check the trash cans,” he ordered. “I will check the lost and found box in the main office.”

I nodded. I pushed myself off the floor. I ran to the nearest gray plastic trash bin. I pulled the heavy lid off. I dug through the discarded food wrappers, the empty milk cartons, and the crumpled napkins. The smell turned my stomach, but I ignored the nausea. I needed the

college-ruled paper.

I emptied three different trash cans. I found broken pencils. I found torn homework assignments. I found zero planners.

Ryder returned from the main office ten minutes later. His hands were empty. His expression looked grim.

“The box is empty,” he reported. “The administration clears the lost and found every Friday afternoon. They throw the unclaimed items

away.”

“It is gone,” I whispered. I leaned against the cold cinderblock wall. My legs felt weak. The exhaustion from the sleepless night and the massive adrenaline crash hit me at the same time. “Someone took it. The contract is out there.”

Ryder closed the distance between us. He placed his hands on my shoulders. He forced me to look at him.

“We will handle it, he promised. The fierce, unyielding devotion burned in his hazel eyes. “If someone exposes the paper, I will take the blame. I will tell Principal Miller I forced you to sign it. I will protect your scholarship.”

1 will not let you take the fall,” I argued. “We drafted the rules together. I signed my name by choice.”

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13:50 Fri,

Chapter 153 Chloe Holding The Blue Ink

“My future does not matter, Raisa. Yours does.

(ε

75

The raw sacrifice in his words shattered the remaining ice around my heart. He was willing to burn his own life to the ground to keep my path clear. He was willing to face the wrath of the Steinmann board to save a girl from the East Side.

A sudden noise broke the silence of the cafeteria.

The heavy double doors at the front entrance swung open.

Ryder dropped his hands from my shoulders. He stepped in front of me, shielding my body with his massive frame. He shifted into a

defensive stance.

A group of girls walked into the room. They wore matching crimson and gold cheerleading uniforms. They carried heavy duffel bags. The

weekend practice squad.

They stopped in their tracks. They stared at us standing in the shadows of the back corner.

One girl stepped forward. She separated herself from the group. She dropped her duffel bag onto the linoleum floor. The loud thud echoed

through the massive room.

She had blonde hair pulled into a high, tight ponytail. She wore the captain’s varsity jacket over her uniform. Her blue eyes locked onto mine, bypassing Ryder completely.

Chloe.

My former best friend. The girl who shared my middle school secrets. The girl who traded my loyalty for a spot at the top of the Crestview social ladder. The girl who whispered the cruelest rumors in the B-wing hallways.

She did not look surprised to see us in the empty cafeteria. She expected us. She knew we would come back for the missing item.

Chloe lifted her right hand.

She held a small, familiar object. The dark cover looked worn. The edges of the paper stuck out from the sides.

My black leather planner.

My breath caught in my throat. The panic surged back, hotter and more intense than before.

Chloe tapped the leather cover against her chin. A slow, wicked smile stretched across her mouth. The expression lacked any trace of the girl I used to know. It was calculated. It was triumphant. It was lethal.

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