006

Astrid’s POV

I couldn’t find him.

He was not in the hallway outside my first class nor was he near the hockey rink where he usually lingered like he owned the ice even off it.

He was also absent at lunch where the team normally gathered in loud, chaotic clusters that were impossible to miss.

Ocean Rhett had vanished, leaving no trace and somehow, that made everything worse because while he was nowhere to be seen, I was suddenly everywhere.

Eyes followed me down corridors. Whispers rose and fell behind my back like waves crashing against rocks.

I heard my name more times in one day than I had in the entire semester.

“Astrid… isn’t that her?”

“That’s the girl Ocean claimed…”

“Did she really dump Reis?”

“No, I heard she cheated…”

Fiddling with my fingers, I walked faster, my shoulders tight and my gaze glued to the floor like if I refused to acknowledge them, they might disappear.

My skin felt too tight and too hot despite the cold air conditioning humming overhead.

Every laugh sounded like it was directed at me and every glance felt like a spotlight.

This was exactly what I had been afraid of.

Ocean had turned me into a headline.

By the third period, I wanted to scream, by lunch, I wanted to disappear and by the time the final bell rang, my nerves were so frayed that I felt like I was one wrong word away from shattering completely.

Still no sign of him.

Which was ridiculous because he was the one who had declared so casually and arrogantly that he would pick me up at eight.

As if I had agreed.

With my bag slung over my shoulder, I walked toward the dorm slowly, my thoughts louder than the chatter around me.

Maybe he had changed his mind.

Maybe this whole thing had just been some twisted joke.

Maybe…

No.

Ocean didn’t look like someone who joked without purpose.

That thought sent an uneasy shiver down my spine.

By the time I reached the dorm building, exhaustion dragged at my limbs. All I wanted was silence and a shower then I would hide under my blankets and pretend none of this had happened.

But unfortunately, I got the opposite.

When I pushed open the door to our room, I was expecting emptiness but she was there.

“Astrid!” Dawn shot up from her bed like a rocket.

She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, her eyes wide with excitement like she had been waiting for me all day.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, rushing toward me. “Tell me everything.”

“Hi to you too.” I blinked.

She grabbed my arms before I could even drop my bag. “You and Ocean Rhett. Are You Dating?”

Her voice cracked on the last word as my head immediately started pounding.

“We’re not dating,” I said automatically.

“That is not what it looked like this morning,” she shot back.

I sighed, stepping away and dropping my bag onto the floor with a dull thud. “It’s complicated.”

Dawn gasped dramatically. “It’s always complicated when it’s hot.” She smacked her lips, crossing her hands on her chest.

“Dawn.” I groaned.

“What?” she said innocently.

Dragging in a deep breath, I ran a hand down my face.

“After… everything with Reis… Ocean started pestering me about some fake relationship thing.”

Her eyes lit up like fireworks as she leaned forward. “FAKE DATING?” she squealed.

“Lower your voice.” I winced.

She ignored me completely, already bouncing with excitement. “This is amazing, this is literally the best trope ever.”

“It’s not a trope,” I muttered. “It’s my life.”

“Same thing,” she said breezily.

Sitting there, I couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief.

“I told him no,” I added firmly.

“You told Ocean Rhett no?” She gasped, surprise marring her features.

“Yes.”

Dawn squinted at me like she was trying to solve a math problem. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes!”

“Because most girls would…”

“I am not most girls.” I cut in, trying not to raise my voice.

“Clearly.” She mouthed.

Exhausted, I collapsed onto my bed, groaning into my pillow. “He’s manipulative, annoying and smug.”

“And hot, you missed that,” she added and

I threw a pillow at her which she caught effortlessly.

“So what’s this I hear about a date tonight?” she asked casually, like she wasn’t about to combust from excitement.

I froze.

God, why will Ocean go around announcing a date I never agreed to.

Tugging my hair, I mumbled, “I never said yes.”

“But he asked.” She pressed.

“I said no.”

“But he insisted.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going.”

“You’re totally going.”

“I am absolutely not going.”

She hopped off her bed and marched toward my closet like a general heading into battle. “We need outfits.”

Furious, I sat up immediately. “No, we don’t.”

“Yes, we do. Because if Ocean Rhett is taking you out, you are not wearing your oversized sweaters.”

“I like my oversized sweaters.”

“They do not scream revenge glow-up, Astrid.” She shot back.

“I don’t want revenge.” I whispered, trying not to lose my mind.

Once again, she ignored me completely, pulling hangers off the rack with ruthless efficiency.

“This one,” she muttered, holding up a dress.

“No.”

“What about this?”

“No.”

“Astrid.”

“I said I’m not going!”

She turned toward me slowly, placing her hands on hips. “You’re scared.”

“I’m not scared.”

“You’re terrified.”

I opened my mouth to argue and then closed it again.

Because maybe she wasn’t entirely wrong.

Ocean had a way of making everything feel unpredictable and dangerous.

“I just think he’s messing with me,” I said quietly with a shrug.

Dawn softened slightly. “Why would he?”

“Because he hates Reis.”

“And?”

“And I’m convenient.”

She walked over and sat beside me. “Or maybe,” she said gently, “he sees something in you.”

“Yeah, a weapon for his twisted idea whenever Reis is in the picture.” I huffed, falling back on my bed.

“You’re impossible.” I heard her say but I didn't respond.

Time slipped by without me noticing.

We talked or rather, she talked and I tried to pretend my heart wasn’t racing every time I glanced at the clock.

I told myself I wasn’t waiting, that I was just aware.

At exactly eight o’clock, my phone buzzed in my hand making my breath catch in my throat.

Dawn gasped like she had been electrocuted. “IS THAT HIM?” She shrieked.

Wiping my forehead with the back of my palm, I swallowed hard, staring down at the screen.

Of course it was Ocean.

My heart hammered as I opened it.

Should I come into your dorm to pick you up or are you coming to meet me? - Ocean.