Chapter Text
The popular quadro was sitting on a lunch table, talking about the newest gossip flying around.
A new website goes popular overnight — RidgeviewConfessions.com
new anonymous posts starts dropping. Fast.
At first, It was harmless — someone admitting they cheated on a math test, someone else saying they shat on the comfort room but they couldn't flush the toilet. But by third period, it's personal.
#45: “one of the Ridgeview quadro has a crush on one of the freak duo.”
Everyone's phones buzz. The cafeteria erupts.
Sota almost dropped his protein shake, Rou chokes on his fries, Emory freezes mid-sip of his strawberry smoothie.. and mei just.. smirks.
“Okay,” Mei says, voice dripping with curiosity.
“which one of you lovebirds is it?”
Sota snorts, trying hard to sound unbothered.
“Please, as if any of us would go for.. freaks.”
Across the cafeteria, Axel and Az are at their usual corner table — black hoodies, broken headphones, and an aura of don't talk to me unless you're existential. Axel doesn't even look up from his sketchbook, but Az grins when his phone lights up
“Oh my god,” Az says, laughing so hard he nearly falls off the bench.
Axel doesn't care, he just grinned and continued drawing.
Phone's lighting up, gossip whispering down the hall, the school's instagram story exploding with screenshots.
Mei filled with curiousity, “It's probably Rou, he has that hopeless romantic vibes.”
Rou gasps, his eyebrows raising. “Excuse me!?”
Sota snorts, “It's probably Emory, he blushes everytime Axel looks at him.”
Emory looks at him, “Nah, nah lad.. I do not-” Emory tries to fight back, his voice cracked.
Mei grins, “look, he's blushing right now.”
Sota flips his phone closed with a snap. “Whoever it is, they’re about to make this week entertaining.” He grins, but it’s the kind of grin that means he’s already plotting.
Rou turns quiet — too quiet. He’s biting his lip, scrolling through the comments under Confession #45. People are making lists, naming names, pairing up the Quadro with the Freaks like it’s a sport.
And under all the noise, Rou can feel his heartbeat in his ears.
Because the confessions isn't wrong..
Upon scrolling through his phone, he read a comment saying: “Literally, AzaRou is jus the best ship!”, someone replied to that comment saying “EmoLex the greatest ship of all times, I swear.”
“what the fuck is an EmoLex? it sounds like a watch brand. Y'kno? Rolex?” Mei tries to joke things off
“Mei shut up” Sota says, rolling his eyes.
Later, in the hallway, Emory bumps into Axel by the lockers. It’s one of those slow-motion moments — books fall, hands touch, eyes lock. Axel mutters a gruff, “Watch it,” but his ears are pink.
Emory stammers something about being sorry, then trips over his own words — and his own feet. Axel catches him by the elbow, steady and warm, the faint smell of cigarette smoke and mint gum between them.
“Maybe don’t sprint in the hall next time, Sunshine,” Axel says, smirking just enough to make Emory’s heart skip.
Emory knows something, for sure.. he fell. Deeply in love.
Meanwhile, Rou’s having his own crisis. Az keeps showing up wherever he goes — chemistry lab, art room, even detention (which Az doesn’t technically have but claims is “for research”). Az’s pranks are getting bolder too — a locker full of glitter, a frog in Rou’s bag, a note that says “you worry too much, pretty boy.”
Rou tells himself he hates it. He tells Mei, too. Mei doesn’t believe him for a second.
Rou can't do anything, but just fight the urge not to say rude things towards Az.
There's no way people ships me with this guy.. Rou thinks to himself
By the time the next post drops, the school is split between guessing which Quadro member it is and shipping everyone like it’s fanfiction.
#59. “The Freaks aren’t as freaky as you think. One of them’s got a smile that could ruin your reputation — and maybe that’s the point.”
Sota smirks when he reads it. “Looks like Ridgeview just got interesting.”
But what none of them know — not yet — is that the website isn’t just some random student’s prank. Someone’s watching them. Someone knows exactly who’s crushing on who, who’s pretending not to care, who’s hiding behind the perfect façade of popularity.
And by next week, another confession will drop — one that will turn the Quadro and the Freak Duo upside down.
#73. “Sunshine’s got a thing for Stormcloud.”
The cafeteria will go silent again. And this time, everyone will know exactly who “Sunshine” is.
The cafeteria erupts again — louder this time. Phones flash, whispers hiss through the air like static. Emory feels his whole face go hot. *Sunshine.* Everyone knows that’s him. Everyone.
Axel doesn’t even look up from his tray at first, but then Az elbows him so hard his fork clatters. “Dude. That’s you. You’re Stormcloud.”
Axel finally glances up — right at Emory, across the room. The noise fades around them for a second, just a heartbeat where it’s only the two of them. Emory’s eyes dart away, but it’s too late. Axel’s already smirking, the corner of his mouth quirking like he’s caught a secret no one else has.
“Stormcloud, huh?” Axel mutters, pulling his hood up. “Didn’t know I had a fan club.”
Az grins. “You wish.” But his gaze flickers to the Quadro’s table, where Rou is sitting stiff and silent, pretending to scroll on his phone while very clearly not blinking.
Sota, ever the drama conductor, is already leaning over the table like a cat with cream. “So… who’s our little Sunshine pining for? Emory? Mei? Oh wait—” he smirks, eyes flicking toward Axel and Az’s table. “Never mind. Guess we know.”
“Shut up, Sota,” Emory mutters, shoving his tray away. “It’s not— it’s just stupid.”
But Rou’s too busy trying not to look at Az, who’s currently doodling something on his hand with a Sharpie and pretending not to care. Mei’s watching the whole thing unfold with a mix of horror and fascination.
By the end of lunch, the school has collectively decided that Emory and Axel are the new obsession. Every hallway whisper starts with their names. Someone even edits their yearbook photos together on the RidgeviewConfessions comment section with the caption #SuncloudForever #EmoLex
Axel acts like he doesn’t care. He goes through the day with his headphones in, leaning against lockers, eyes half-lidded with indifference. But later, when he finds a note in his locker — “Meet me at the rooftop after sixth period” — his heartbeat stumbles.
He goes.
And Emory’s there, pacing, sunshine nervousness practically radiating off him. “I just— I wanted to say sorry,” Emory blurts out. “For the rumor. I didn’t post it, I swear. I just—”
Axel crosses his arms. “You just what?”
“I just… think you’re not as scary as people say,” Emory says softly. “You’re kind of—” he hesitates, cheeks pink, “—nice. When you’re not glaring at everyone.”
Axel blinks, caught off guard. “You came all the way up here to tell me that?”
Emory shrugs helplessly. “Yeah. I guess.”
For a long second, Axel just stares at him — then bursts out laughing, real and rough and honest. “You’re unbelievable.”
Emory grins. “You mean that in a good way?”
“Maybe.” Axel’s voice drops lower, just a little. “Depends if you’re gonna stop apologizing and start talking like a normal person.”
Down below, in the art room, Rou and Az’s story is brewing its own chaos. Az has been sneaking around again — filling Rou’s locker with random doodles, each signed with a tiny, messy “A <3 R.” Rou’s pretending not to care, but he saves every single one.
After school, Rou corners Az behind the gym. “You think this is funny?” he asks, holding up the latest drawing — a cartoon of the two of them arguing.
Az grins. “I think it’s cute.”
Rou sighs. “You’re impossible.”
Az steps closer, smirking. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Rou looks away, heart hammering. “You’re such a pain.”
“Yeah,” Az says quietly. “But you keep talking to me.”
Up on the rooftop, Emory and Axel are still standing a little too close, laughter hanging in the air. Down by the gym, Rou and Az are closer than they’ve ever been, teasing turning into something softer.
And somewhere in the shadows, another confession is already being written.
#82. “Secrets spread fast in Ridgeview. But hearts? They fall faster.”
By the next morning, Ridgeview feels different. The air’s heavy — charged — like everyone’s waiting for the next confession to drop. Posters for the homecoming dance are taped across the hallways, but no one’s talking about that. It’s all #Suncloud and #FreakLoveGate.
Emory keeps his head down, trying to disappear between classes, but it’s useless. Every time his phone buzzes, he flinches. Axel acts the same as always — stoic, detached, walking through the crowd like the chaos doesn’t touch him. But he’s more aware now. Every time Emory walks into a room, Axel notices. Every time Emory laughs — soft, nervous — he feels something shift in his chest he doesn’t know how to name yet.
And Emory… can’t stop thinking about that rooftop. The way Axel’s laugh cracked his grumpy façade, the way the sunset caught the silver in his hair. He shouldn’t. It’s ridiculous. But every time he blinks, it’s there.
Down in the art wing, Rou’s trying to focus on painting for the upcoming exhibit. He’s good at this — clean lines, calm strokes — but he keeps looking up because Az won’t stop humming. The idiot’s sitting on the counter, spinning a paintbrush between his fingers, watching him.
“You’re off today,” Az says, smirking.
Rou doesn’t look up. “Maybe because someone won’t shut up.”
Az hops down, stepping closer. “Someone’s moody.”
“Someone’s annoying,” Rou fires back, but his voice cracks again.
Az laughs, low and easy, before flicking a dot of paint onto Rou’s arm.
Rou glares at him. “Did you just—?”
“Yup.”
Rou grabs a brush, swipes paint right across Az’s cheek. “Payback.”
For a moment, they just stare at each other — breathless, daring the other to move first. Then Az grins. “Cute.”
Rou’s heart trips over itself. “You’re insufferable.”
“Tell me something new,” Az says, already walking away, but Rou catches the faintest smile on his face.
They’ll never admit it — not yet — but something’s shifting between them too. Every argument, every prank, every sarcastic comeback is starting to sound less like rivalry and more like something else. Something slow, dangerous, magnetic.
By the last bell, rumors are already spreading again — that RidgeviewConfessions has been updated. Everyone crowds around their phones as the homepage refreshes.
#89. “Sometimes, rivals aren’t enemies. Sometimes, they’re just two people too scared to admit they care.”
Rou’s stomach flips. Across the hall, Az catches his eye — and for once, doesn’t look away.
Later that night, Emory’s sitting by his window, headphones on, “Dirty Little Secret” humming through the static. His phone lights up. A new message from an unknown number:
Axel: “You left your notebook on the rooftop. I’ll give it back tomorrow. Don’t be late.”
Emory smiles — small, nervous, warm. Maybe tomorrow doesn’t have to be as terrifying as today.
Across town, Rou opens his locker to find another doodle from Az — this one of two stick figures standing side by side, a heart drawn between them, half erased.
And under it, scrawled in messy handwriting: “For once, I’m not joking.”
Rou stares at it for a long time before closing the locker softly, a tiny smile tugging at his lips.
As the lights go out across Ridgeview, the confessions site blinks to life again. A new post appears — no tag, no number, no name.
“The truth’s coming. And it’s closer than you think.”
Somewhere, a phone buzzes.
Somewhere, someone’s typing the next secret.
And in the quiet between all the noise, the stories of Ridgeview — of slow burns, rivalries, and impossible crushes — are only just beginning.
End of Chapter One.