Chapter 12 12
Kimberly’s POV
He held my gaze, “I’m not like you,” he said finally.
I stared at him. “That is a bit vague. What do you mean by that, are you trying to mock my background?” I started to get agitated, maybe he was reminding me of how rich he was.
“Kimberly, it is definitely not that.”
Frustration flared immediately. “Then get straight to the point already.”
“I am not just normal like you. Please try to understand,”
“How do you expect me to understand such a confusing statement?” I shot back. “After I lose my mind trying to figure you out?”
His jaw tightened slightly, but he didn’t look away. “I don’t expect you to figure it out.”
“Do you?” I challenged.
“It wasn’t supposed to involve you,I just couldn't control myself around you.”
That made me still.
“Involve me in what?” I asked, slower this time.
“I don’t know everything,” he admitted, and that was new, him saying he didn’t know something. “But I know enough to know that if I…” he hesitated, then continued, “…if I marked you, then I made a mistake.”
“Stop saying that like I’m supposed to understand it,” I said, irritation slipping back in. “What does that even mean? Marked me how?”
His eyes dropped for a second, like he was thinking, then lifted again. “It means you might be connected to me now. In a way you weren’t before.”
My stomach tightened slightly. “Connected?”
He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair again. It was the first time I’d seen him this off.
“It’s not something that was supposed to happen,” he said.
I shook my head, stepping back, trying to put space between me and everything he wasn’t saying. “This is too much,” I muttered. “I don’t even want anything to do with you anymore.”
I turned, heading for the door. I didn’t get far.
His hand caught my wrist again, not rough, but firm enough to stop me. I stilled, tension rising instantly as I looked down at where he held me, then back up at him.
“Don’t touch me.” I frowned.
“Just listen,” he said, his voice quieter now, but there was something underneath it that made me pause despite myself. “I know this doesn’t make sense. I know I’m asking you to accept something without explaining it. But I will figure it out.”
“That’s not good enough,” I said, though the edge in my voice had softened just slightly.
I searched his face, trying to find something solid in what he was saying, something that didn’t feel like another half-truth.
“Then I nodded once, more to myself than to him. “Fine,” I said quietly. “I’ll give you time.”
His grip finally loosened completely.
“But if you keep doing this, if you keep shutting me out, then I’m done for good.” I added, stepping back.
“i won’t let it get to that.”
That made me pause. “You sound very sure.”
“I am.”
We left not long after that. The ride back was quieter than before, but not in a calm way, more like both of us were thinking too much to speak. When he dropped me off, neither of us said much. Just a look, a brief pause, and then he was gone.
I didn’t sleep well. I kept having recurring nightmares. Which was strange because I wasn't the one to have such nightmares. I tossed and turned and I was drenched in my own sweat.
The next morning didn’t feel any better.
School was louder than usual, the energy different the second I walked in. People were talking more, moving faster, gathering in groups like something important was about to happen.
“What’s going on?” I asked the first person I recognized.
“You don’t know?” she said, already halfway turned away. “The student body announcement. They’re revealing the new president today.”
Great. Just what I needed. More unnecessary popularity drama.
I made my way to the assembly hall with everyone else, the noise building the closer we got. By the time I stepped inside, it was already packed, students filling rows, voices overlapping, anticipation hanging thick in the air.
I slipped into a seat near the back, scanning the room without thinking.
London was easy to find. He has always been easy to find, he loved the attention. Plus, I heard some whispers about the position being given to the most popular person, which isn't shocking. But It would be better to give it to someone that can actually lead, and not a bully like London. I thought about how he would make my life more miserable if he got into the position. He sat in the front row, looking so confident. Like the outcome was already decided and he was just waiting for it to be announced.
People around him leaned in, talking, laughing, already treating him like he had the title.
My eyes shifted before I could stop them.
Julian sat a few rows away, his wheelchair positioned neatly, his posture as composed as ever. Just him, like none of this mattered.
The announcement started.
Speeches first. Long ones. About leadership, responsibility, tradition. I barely listened. My focus drifted between the stage, London’s calm confidence, and Julian’s stillness.
Then the final moment came.
“The results are in,” the speaker said, voice carrying across the hall. “After careful consideration and review, we are ready to announce this year’s student body president.”
The room went quiet.
Completely. You could feel everyone holding their breath at the same time.
“The new student body president is—”
“Julian Alexander.”
For a second, nothing happened. Like the entire hall forgot how to react.
Then the noise hit. A wave of chaos, both confusion and a round of applause. Voices rising, questions spilling out, heads turning toward him all at once.
I couldn’t, I just sat there enjoying the show. Watching London’s embarrassment brought great joy to me. I wasn't even paying attention. Even when everyone’s gasps became louder and silence followed.
When I turned my gaze to see Julian’s shock for winning. My eyes immediately widened in shock.
Julian wasn't sitting any longer, he was standing on the pulpit.