Chapter 60 That's Cheating

Chapter 60 That's Cheating
The evening air was crisp as the six of them left the buzzing energy of the Dining Hall behind. Instead of heading straight back to the Wing, they drifted toward the ancient stone bridge that overlooked the valley. The sky was a deep, bruised purple, and for the first time in weeks, the weight on their shoulders felt manageable.
Echo and Willow walked slightly ahead, their arms linked. The golden light from the Academy windows reflected in the dark water below.
"I’ll be honest," Echo said, her voice unusually soft. "When my father first told me I had to take over the Oversight Committee, I hated it. I thought I was being sent here to babysit a sinking ship while the Sterlings and Dorsets tore each other apart."
Willow nodded, leaning her head on Echo’s shoulder. "I was terrified. I just wanted to hide in the conservatory and pretend none of the scandal was happening. But seeing those kids tonight... seeing them actually eat and laugh because we held the line? I’m glad I stayed. I don't think I could have lived with myself if I’d walked away."
"We’re the ones who get to fix it," Echo replied firmly. "And that’s a better legacy than just a name on a building."
Behind them, Puck was walking with his hands in his pockets, glancing over at Franklin. The townie had a look of newfound respect on his face.
"Hey, Dorset," Puck said, bumping Franklin’s shoulder. "I gotta say... I was impressed back there. I’ve seen a lot of legacy guys crumble when things get social, but the way you stood up for Leo? You didn't just defend him; you claimed him. That took guts in a room full of vultures."
Franklin slowed his pace, his eyes dropping to the stone path. He looked over at Leo, who was walking quietly beside him, the moonlight catching the silver thread of his sweater.
Franklin stopped walking, causing Leo to stop too. The others drifted a few paces ahead, giving them a small pocket of privacy on the bridge.
"Leo," Franklin started, his voice a little less certain than it had been in the Dining Hall. "I hope it was okay... what I said back there. Calling you my boyfriend. I realized afterward that I just said it without asking you if you were ready for that kind of target on your back."
Leo looked up at him, his breath hitching. The fierce protector from the Dining Hall was gone, replaced by the boy who was still learning how to be himself. Leo reached out, his fingers finding Franklin’s in the dark.
"I was stunned," Leo admitted, a shy, radiant smile breaking across his face. "Mainly because you hadn't said it before—especially not like that, in front of the whole world. But..."
He leaned in, his ears turning a bright, unmistakable pink even in the moonlight. "Yeah. That’s exactly what I am. I liked hearing you say it."
Franklin let out a breath he seemed to have been holding since lunch. He didn't say anything else; he just leaned down and kissed Leo’s pink-tinged ear before pulling him into a side-hug, keeping him tucked close as they hurried to catch up with the rest of their dysfunctional, chosen family.
The labyrinth path was silver in the moonlight, a winding trail of ancient stone that had seen centuries of rigid tradition. But tonight, the "Big Six" were rewriting the rules of the walk.
Though Echo, Dean, Franklin, and Willow had all officially graduated the previous spring, the graduation caps were packed away, replaced by the heavy responsibility of the McFarland Oversight Committee. Echo’s father hadn't just asked them to stay; he had begged them to be the surgeons who cut the rot out of the Academy. They could have moved on to high-society lives or prestigious internships, but they had chosen the "Open Door" and the messy, beautiful work of reconstruction.
In the shadows of the maze, they weren't the Oversight Committee or the heirs to fallen empires—they were just young adults finally learning how to breathe.
Dean had Echo perched on his back in a classic piggyback ride, her legs kicked out and her usual administrative bun coming loose. Every time Dean hit a bump in the path or fake-stumbled, Echo’s sharp, melodic laughter echoed off the hedges. The girl who spent her days staring down the Headmaster was currently burying her face in Dean’s shoulder, her arms wrapped tight around his neck.
Behind them, Willow and Puck were the image of town-and-gown harmony. They were swinging their joined hands high between them, a rhythmic, playful motion that perfectly matched the lighthearted chatter they were sharing about the town’s upcoming spring festival.
Bringing up the rear were Franklin and Leo. They walked in a synchronized, slow stroll, each with a hand tucked firmly into the other’s back pocket—a quiet, intimate tether that kept them anchored to one another.
"You're actually a really good walker, you know that?" Franklin teased, nudging Leo with his hip. "Most people get lost in the labyrinth the first ten times. You’ve got the internal compass of a homing pigeon."
Leo laughed, the sound bright and clear. "I spent years hiding in the corners, Franklin. You learn the shortcuts when you're trying to avoid people. It’s a lot nicer using them to stay with you."
Franklin squeezed his hand inside Leo's pocket, pulling him a fraction closer. "No more hiding. From now on, we only take the center paths."
They circled the koi pond, the orange fish surfacing like ghost-light in the dark water. As they looked at each other—the piggybacking Sterlings, the swinging townie-legacy pair, and the quiet strength of the Dorset-scholarship couple—the weight of the embezzlement scandal felt miles away.
The scandal had torn the school apart, but it had stitched them together. It had forced the McFarland, the Sterling, and the Dorset to look at the townies and the scholarship kids and realize they were all part of the same heartbeat.
"Hey!" Puck shouted back at them, pointing toward the glowing windows of the Wing in the distance. "Last one back to the 'Garden of Thanks' has to file the Dorset tax returns tomorrow!"
"That’s cheating, Puck! You don't even have to do the filing!" Echo yelled from Dean’s back, her voice filled with a joy that the Academy hadn't heard in years.
With a collective surge of energy, the six of them broke into a run—a chaotic, laughing blur of chosen family, heading back to the "Open Door" where the tea was waiting and the world was finally starting to make sense.