~BOYS' SUITE- 9:30PM
As soon as they entered their suite room, Leo looked up from his phone and asked, "Where have you guys been all day?"
William flopped down onto the couch, exhausted. "We've been at the hospital with Minnie. She's getting surgery tomorrow."
Leo's expression turned concerned. "Is she okay?"
William nodded. "Yeah, she'll be fine. But we've been with her all day, making sure she's okay."
Oliver, meanwhile, had walked over to the kitchenette and was rummaging through the fridge. He didn't even acknowledge Leo's presence.
Leo raised an eyebrow, noticing Oliver's behavior. "Wow, someone's in a mood, You seem happy today." he said, making a remark about Oliver's obvious attempt to avoid him.
William shot Leo a warning look, but Leo just shrugged and walked over to Oliver. "Hey, man, what's going on? You've been acting weird for some time now."
Oliver sighed, finally acknowledging Leo's presence. "Just drop it, Leo. I'm fine."
Leo raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was off. "No, really, Oliver. What's going on? You can tell me."
Leo smirked at Oliver. "Come on, man, I know you're still hung up on Violet. You can't seem to get your head around the fact that she's moved on... with me."
Oliver's face turned red with anger. "Is there something you want to stir up, Leo."
Leo shrugged. "Hey, someone's got to keep things interesting around here. So, Oliver, I gotta ask... do you find it hard to get your head around the fact that Violet's with me now?"
Oliver's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about, Leo?"
Leo leaned in, a mocking tone in his voice. "I'm talking about how you can't seem to move on from Violet. You're still stuck on her, aren't you?"
Oliver slammed his fist on the counter. "That's it, Leo. Shut up."
But Leo wouldn't let up. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hit a nerve? You need to lose that attitude, dude. And by the way, you should lose your... ah... 'pride' over Violet. It's not worth it."
Oliver's anger boiled over. "You have no right to talk about Violet like that. She's not some prize to be won."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Then why are you still so hung up on her?"
William intervened, trying to calm the situation. "Hey, guys, let's not fight about this."
But Oliver and Leo were beyond reason. They were in the midst of a heated argument, with no signs of backing down.
And then, Leo dropped another bombshell. "And what about Snow? Having fun in there, playing games with her?"
Oliver's face turned beet red with rage. "That's it, Leo. You're going down."
Oliver's fists were clenched, and he took a step closer to Leo. "You're going to regret saying that, Leo."
Leo smirked, unfazed by Oliver's anger. "Oh, I'm shaking in my boots."
William tried to intervene again, but Oliver pushed him away. "No, William, stay out of this."
Leo took a step back, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, this is getting good. You're finally showing some emotion, Oliver."
Oliver's face was twisted in rage. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Leo. You're just trying to provoke me."
Leo shrugged. "Maybe I am. But it's working, isn't it?"
Oliver's anger boiled over, and he launched himself at Leo. But William was quick to react, grabbing Oliver and holding him back.
"Oliver, stop! This isn't worth it!" William shouted.
But Oliver was beyond reason. He was consumed by his anger, and he struggled against William's grip.
Leo, meanwhile, just stood there, a smug expression on his face. "You're so predictable, Oliver," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Just as the tension between Oliver and Leo was about to boil over, Oliver's phone rang, shrill in the silence.
The three boys gazed at the phone, and Oliver's eyes narrowed as he saw the name on the screen: Snow.
Leo raised an eyebrow, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Well, well, well. Looks like someone's got a secret admirer."
Oliver's face darkened, and he snatched the phone from the counter. "I'll take this outside," he muttered, already heading for the door.
William called after him, "Oliver, don't forget it's almost curfew!"
Oliver waved a hand over his shoulder. "I won't be long."
As the door closed behind Oliver, Leo turned to William with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Looks like Oliver's got a thing for Snow. Who knew?"
William rolled his eyes. "Leo, shut up. You're just trying to stir up drama."
Leo chuckled. "Maybe I am, but it's just so entertaining to watch Oliver get all riled up. He's so predictable."
William shook his head. "You're not helping, Leo. Oliver's already stressed out about Minnie's surgery tomorrow."
Leo shrugged. "I'm just saying, William, Oliver needs to get his priorities straight. He's still hung up on Violet, and now he's got feelings for Snow?"
William sighed. "Leo, you don't know what you're talking about. Just drop it, okay?"
But Leo just grinned. "Oh, I'm just getting started. This is going to be good."
As they stood there, arguing, the door to the suite opened and Oliver walked back in, his face still dark with emotion.
"Everything okay?" William asked, noticing Oliver's expression.
Oliver nodded curtly. "Yeah, everything's fine."
But Leo just raised an eyebrow, a knowing glint in his eye. "Save it, Oliver. We all know what's really going on here."
Oliver just ignored him and then headed straight to his room.
°°°°°°°
Snow drove through the morning traffic, anxious to get to her 10am class on time.
She had promised Minnie she would return to the hospital as soon as she could, and she didn't want to let her friend down.
As she inched along the crowded highway, she drummed her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.
Why did there have to be traffic now, of all times?
Just as she was starting to get frustrated, the traffic began to move, and Snow breathed a sigh of relief. She accelerated, eager to make up for lost time.
But as she approached the next intersection, her heart skipped a beat. She saw a figure standing on the sidewalk, watching her.
It was a man with a hoodie pulled up over his head, his face obscured by shadows. Snow felt a shiver run down her spine as their eyes met.
There was something unnerving about the way he stared at her, something that made her skin crawl. Snow quickly looked away, focusing on the road ahead.
But as she drove past the intersection, she couldn't shake the feeling that the man had been watching her, waiting for her.
She glanced in her rearview mirror, but he was gone, vanished into the crowd.
Snow took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She told herself she was just being paranoid, that the man was probably just a stranger waiting for a bus.
But the feeling of unease lingered, refusing to be shaken.
Snow's eyes widened in horror as she stared at the car driving alongside hers.
She couldn't believe her eyes - it was Mr. Bryan Smith.
She felt a chill run down her spine as she wondered how he had been released from custody.
Hadn't he been denied bail?
Snow's mind was racing with questions, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the road.
She kept glancing at Mr. Bryan's car, making sure he didn't notice her.
She breathed a sigh of relief when he turned onto a different street, disappearing from view. But the feeling of unease lingered, refusing to be shaken.
Snow's hands were shaking as she gripped the steering wheel. She couldn't believe that Mr. Bryan was out of jail, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was following her.
She quickly pulled over to the side of the road, her heart racing with fear. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number, her hands shaking as she waited for someone to answer.