Episode 3: The Battle Lines Are Drawn

Skylar Hayes didn’t just want to win—she needed to.

Losing wasn’t an option. Not to him.

The moment Jaxon Carter put his name on the ballot, he became her number one enemy. And if he thought he could charm his way into the student council presidency, he had another thing coming.

Which is why, less than twenty-four hours after the candidate announcements, she was sitting in the library with her campaign team—Lily, her best friend and head of social media, and Ethan, her campaign strategist.

“We need to make it clear that I’m the only logical choice,” Skylar said, flipping through her perfectly organized notes. “Jaxon’s unpredictable. He’s only been here for a few months. He has no leadership experience.”

Ethan nodded. “True, but that’s also his appeal. People like new. They like change.”

Skylar groaned. “So what? I’m too reliable?”

“Kind of,” Lily said, chewing on the end of her pen. “Jaxon is exciting. He’s confident, mysterious, and—”

Skylar shot her a glare.

Lily coughed. “—overconfident and a total pain in the ass. Obviously.”

Skylar sighed, rubbing her temples. “We need a plan.”

Ethan smirked. “Already ahead of you.” He slid a folder across the table. “We’re going to highlight your achievements, push for more student involvement in decision-making, and—”

But before he could continue, Skylar’s phone buzzed with a notification.

A student poll had just gone live.

She clicked on it, heart pounding. It was an early prediction of the race. The results so far?

Jaxon: 52%

Skylar: 48%

Her blood boiled. He was leading?

“Absolutely not,” she muttered, standing up so fast her chair scraped against the floor.

Lily and Ethan exchanged wary glances. “Skylar, don’t panic. It’s just an early poll.”

“I’m not panicking,” she lied. “I’m taking action.”

And that’s how, twenty minutes later, she found herself standing in the middle of the quad, where Jaxon was casually tossing a football with a group of students, laughing like he wasn’t ruining her life.

She marched up to him, arms crossed. “Enjoying yourself?”

Jaxon caught the ball effortlessly, turning to face her with that damn smirk. “Immensely. Something on your mind, princess?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Noted.” He tossed the ball to a friend and gave her his full attention. “So, what brings you here? Checking out the competition?”

She scoffed. “Hardly. I just saw the poll.”

His grin widened. “Ah. So you came to congratulate me?”

Skylar took a deep breath. Do not strangle him in public. “The race isn’t over, Carter.”

“Oh, I know.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping just enough to make her stomach tighten. “But you’re worried, aren’t you?”

She hated how smug he was. Hated how he looked at her like he knew he was getting under her skin.

“I don’t get worried,” she shot back. “I get even.”

Jaxon chuckled, stepping back. “Now that is something I’d love to see.”

Skylar turned on her heel, walking away before she did something impulsive—like throw his stupid football into the fountain.

This wasn’t just an election anymore.

It was war.

—

To be continued…

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