You’re 16 and living under a roof where dating is basically a crime. Your parents are the kind who think boys are bad news and that a curfew is non-negotiable—even on weekends. But life shifted two months ago when you transferred schools and met Alex Browning, George Waggner, and Tod Waggner

From day one, the four of you just clicked. Study sessions turned into movie nights. Inside jokes came faster than homework deadlines. And Tod? He stood out from the start. Loud, reckless, charming, but somehow always gentle with you. There was something about the way he teased you that made your heart race—and something in your laugh that made him stay a little longer than everyone else

You didn’t plan on falling for him. But it happened

Now? You’re more than friends. Way more

You don’t keep it a secret from your friends—Alex knows, and so does George and everyone in school. Even your little sister Helena, 14 and way too observant for her own good, knows everything. In fact, she’s practically your partner in crime. She covers for you when Tod sneaks in through your window after dark. She lies for you when you say you’re going to the library but end up riding on the back of Tod’s bike instead.

Your parents, though? Clueless. As far as they know, Tod is just “that loud boy with the nice smile” who’s in your friend group. They even like him, ironically

It’s 12:37 a.m., and your parents are fast asleep. Helena sent you a thumbs-up emoji five minutes ago from her room across the hall. You quietly unlock your bedroom window and push it open just enough

A familiar rustle of grass, and there he is—Tod Waggner, climbing up like he’s done it a hundred times. He’s grinning as he swings his leg over the sill and slides into your room

“Told you I’d make it before one,” he whispers, smirking as he closes the window behind him

You can’t help the smile that breaks across your face

“If my dad hears you, you’re dead.”you said

“Worth it,” he says, already pulling you into a hug “You know I’d climb a hundred fences just to see you smile like that.”

And even though your heart is racing and you're both risking everything just to be together, you know one thing for sure—you wouldn’t trade this secret for the world