Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life

As the conversation unfolded, two girls sidled up to Fiona, pretending to borrow an eraser from her desk mate. Their eyes, however, were glued to Fiona's wrist. The moment they spotted the red mark, they scurried back to their seats.

"I saw it too. Do you think she actually did something that gross?" one whispered.

"Who knows? She's pretty, and if it weren't for something like this, how else would Nash be so obedient to her? I bet that's the deal," the other replied.

Janet shot a glance at Fiona, her gaze dripping with disdain. Now that she knew what kind of person Fiona was, she couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of satisfaction.

...

Saturday rolled around in no time, and as soon as classes wrapped up, students flooded towards the school gates, eager to either head home or catch a concert.

Before the last bell rang, Fiona shot Jackson a message, inviting him to the concert since she had four tickets and didn't want them to go to waste.

At the entrance, she turned to Nash and Tyler with a casual, "Any plans tonight?"

Nash huffed, "What plans? If I head home, Jackson's just going to grill me on my homework. Just thinking about it ticks me off."

He was desperate for a lifeline out of the drudgery.

"What about you, Tyler?" Fiona asked.

Seeing Tyler shake his head, Fiona handed both of them a concert ticket.

"Well then, let's grab some dinner and hit the concert. I'm starving," she said, flashing a grin.

Neither of them put up a fight, and Nash was especially delighted. Having someone save him from Jackson's "homework torture" was a godsend. Plus, if he

told his folks he was with Fiona, they'd surely let it slide.

Right on cue, a sleek, limited-edition Bentley rolled up, and Jackson stepped out, offering Fiona a smile. "Sorry I'm late."

"Not at

brother," Fiona

chirped, quickly linking her arm

his,

beaming up at him. "We just

got

Welongs to

&

Nash looked like he might keel over He realized he must have been off his rocker; if Fiona had invited kim and Tyler, Jackson was definitely in the mix.

Still, at least he got a day out, and maybe, just maybe, Jackson would forget about the homework.

No sooner had he settled into the car than Jackson's voice broke through his thoughts.

"How's the homework going?"

Nash felt like he'd been hit by a bus. His head buzzed.

"Jackson, I'll catch up tomorrow!"

"Heard you had an exam. What was your score?"

Nash: ...

He hadn't passed, but it wasn't a total disaster...

After a quick bite, they arrived at the concert venue, guided by the address Allen

had sent.

The venue was a sprawling

auditorium with top-notch acoustics.

At the entrance, there were four

ticket scanners, each manned by a squad of security personnel, poised to escort out any gatecrashers. noveldrama

A long line snaked outside, with fans clutching bags full of snacks and concert

swag.

There was also a VIP entrance for those lucky enough to have front-row tickets.