Never Just Friends

Elordi’s Revelation

The next morning, the weight of the previous night still pressing heavily on her shoulders, Hanna met Elordi in the quiet courtyard behind the school. It was one of those places where the world felt a little smaller, and the noise of the school faded into the background. But today, even the familiar surroundings did little to calm her racing heart.

Elordi was leaning casually against a bench, his usual smirk nowhere in sight. Instead, his expression was surprisingly serious, a rare sight for the usually playful and unpredictable Elordi.

“You look like hell,” he said, studying her with a slight furrow in his brow. His tone was different—less mocking, more concerned.

Hanna didn’t have the energy for pleasantries. She was done pretending everything was fine. “Someone’s watching me,” she said bluntly, holding out her phone to show him the messages and the photo of Finn in the parking lot.

Elordi took the phone without hesitation, his eyes scanning the images. His jaw tightened as he looked over the messages, his expression darkening. It was clear he understood the gravity of the situation.

“This isn’t Ciara,” he said after a long pause, his voice low and serious.

Hanna’s stomach twisted. “I know,” she said, frustration creeping into her voice. “So who is it?”

Elordi looked away for a moment, and Hanna could see the wheels turning in his mind. There was something about the way he hesitated that made her uneasy. When his gaze finally met hers again, it was colder than she had expected.

“There’s someone who worked with Ciara,” he began, his voice rough with the weight of unspoken history. “Someone who did her dirty work when she needed it done. I thought they’d stay out of this after everything went down with her, but it looks like they’re stepping in now.”

Hanna felt a shiver run down her spine. “Who?” she demanded, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elordi’s smirk returned, but it was sharper, colder than before. It was the kind of smirk that made her skin crawl. “Let’s just say they make Ciara look like a warm-up act.”

Hanna’s heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know who this person was, but at the same time, she needed answers. Desperation clawed at her. “Who is it, Elordi?”

He sighed, pushing himself off the bench and looking around, as if making sure no one was listening. When he spoke again, his voice dropped to a near whisper. “Her name is Alexis. She’s a ghost, more or less. Always in the background, pulling strings, getting things done that Ciara couldn’t or wouldn’t do. She’s ruthless. And I’m guessing she’s decided to finish what Ciara started.”

Hanna felt like the ground had shifted beneath her. A new player was in the game, someone more dangerous, more calculating than Ciara. Alexis was an unknown, and the idea of going up against someone like her felt like the beginning of an entirely new nightmare.

“What does she want?” Hanna asked, her voice trembling despite herself.

Elordi’s expression hardened. “Power. Control. And she won’t stop until she gets it. But she won’t go for the obvious threats. She’ll play the long game, pull you in with manipulation, and when you least expect it, strike. And when she does, you won’t see it coming.”

Hanna swallowed hard. She had thought she was fighting a battle with Ciara. But now, it seemed the war was just beginning. Alexis was the wildcard, and no one knew just how deep the rabbit hole went.

“What do I do?” she asked, her voice small as she felt the weight of everything pressing down on her.

Elordi’s gaze softened for a moment, a flicker of something like empathy crossing his face before it was replaced by his usual cold, calculating expression. “You keep fighting. You don’t let her control you. And you don’t back down, not now. Not ever.”

Hanna nodded, her heart heavy with the realization that her fight wasn’t over. It was just beginning.

As Elordi turned to leave, Hanna stood frozen, staring at the phone in her hand. The new threat had just been revealed, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for what came next. But there was no turning back now.