Chapter 6

My chest did not calmed for the entire rest of the morning.

Even though first period ended without any drama, my body stayed completely on edge. Every time someone opened a door loudly, my shoulders flinched. Every time a phone buzzed on a nearby desk, a horrible surge of panic shot straight down my spine, making me think Nathan had finally hit send. I spent three hours staring blankly at the chalkboards, taking notes I could barely read because my fingers kept trembling around my pen.

And I can’t even understand any lessons taught today.

By the time the noon bell rang, the hallways exploded into chaos.

Loud laughter, slamming lockers, and the heavy smell of fried food poured out from the cafeteria. Most of the student body was crowding into the main hall or heading toward the glass viewing stands near the arena to watch the players skate. I could hear their loud voices echoing off the tall ceilings, but the thought of stepping into that crowded cafeteria made my stomach turn upside down.

If I went in there, Nathan might see me. He might force me to carry his tray. He might sit at my table just to slide his phone across the wood and whisper another threat into my ear while his friends laughed.

I could not do it. My body physically refused to move toward the cafeteria.

Instead, I tucked my crushed brown paper bag lunch under my arm, pulled my gray hoodie hood up over my messy dark hair, and slipped out through the heavy side doors into the cold afternoon air.

The school grounds were almost empty. A sharp breeze swept across the open grass, biting through my thin sweater, but I did not care. The cold felt good. It helped clear the suffocating heat trapped inside my head.

I walked fast, keeping my eyes locked on the grass, heading straight for the far corner of the campus field.

Standing alone near the perimeter fence was the giant oak tree.

It was massive. The trunk was thick, rough, and dark, covered in deeply carved bark that looked older than the school itself. People said the tree had been growing on this field long before Fiat Locke Academy was built. Most students ignored it because it was too far away from the main buildings, but to me, it was everything.

It is my sanctuary. It is the only spot on this entire miserable campus where I did not have to look over my shoulder every three seconds.

I sank down onto the cool grass at the base of the trunk, pulling my knees tight against my chest like a shield.

I leaned my head back against the solid wood, letting out a breath so long and shaky it felt like I had been holding it in since seven o'clock this morning. Above me, the massive canopy of green leaves rustled softly in the wind, blocking out the bright sun and casting a vast, peaceful shadow over me.

Out here, I could pretend I was not Niel the target. I could pretend I was not the guy carrying a terrifying secret on a phone in someone else's pocket. Out here, I was just invisible, just like I wanted to be.

I uncrushed my paper bag with my numb fingers, pulling out my dry sandwich. My throat was so tight from anxiety that trying to swallow even a small bite felt like trying to swallow a rock. I just sat there, chewing slowly, staring out at the empty green field and listening to the wind.

I just sat here for a moment, and the peace finally settled in, when the sound of dry grass snapping behind me hit my ears like a gunshot.

My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it made me gasp. My whole body went stiff, my hands tightening around my sandwich until the bread crushed in my grip. Blood rushed into my ears, loud and deafening.

Nathan. My brain screamed it instantly. He followed me out here. He found me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for a hand to grab my hood or a kick to hit my side.

"Ah... sorry," a voice spoke from the other side of the tree trunk. "I did not mean to startle you."

I froze.

It was not Nathan. The voice was deep and steady, but it carried a soft, polite warmth that no one on the hockey team had ever used to me. It was gentle.

I did not move an inch. I stayed glued to my side of the tree, my heart still hammering wildly against my sternum as the shadow of the broad wood kept the stranger hidden from my view.

"I can move somewhere else if I ruined your spot," the voice added softly from behind the bark. I heard the rustle of a heavy jacket as he adjusted his position. "I really did not think anyone was out here."

My mouth felt completely dry. I forced my throat to work, keeping my voice quiet so it would not tremble.

"It is fine," I whispered into the wind, wrapping my arms tighter around my knees. "As long as you stay on that side of the tree... you are not disturbing me."

A small, pleasant laugh echoed through the thick bark behind my head. It was light and genuine, entirely free from any cruel mockery.

"Fair enough," he said smoothly.

I heard the crinkle of a fresh paper wrapper as he opened his own lunch on his side of the trunk. For a couple of minutes, neither of us said a word. The wind kept blowing through the high branches, dropping a dry brown leaf right onto my shoe.

I stared at the leaf, my pulse slowly dropping from pure panic down to a dull, aching throb. He was still standing or sitting right behind the same tree, separated from me by only a few inches of wood, but he had not tried to peek around. He had not made a joke about me hiding out in the grass. He was just... letting me be.

"So," the guy spoke up again, his voice relaxed and casual. "What brings you all the way out here anyway? Is the cafeteria too loud today, or do you just really like old trees?"

I looked down at my crushed sandwich, my fingers picking at the crust.

"I just needed some peace," I admitted softly to the empty field in front of me. "This is pretty much the only peaceful place I can ever find in this whole school."

The stranger went quiet for a moment. The soft rustling of leaves filled the silence between us.

"Yeah," he said quietly, and for the first time, his tone sounded deeply understanding. "I get that. This school feels really loud. Heavy, too. Sitting out here... it actually feels like you can finally take a real breath."

I blinked, staring at the bark beside my shoulder.

A real breath. That was the exact thought I had every single time I ran out to this tree.

"I am Owen, by the way," he said from behind the wood. I could hear the gentle smile in his voice as he introduced himself. "I am a new student here."

"I am Niel," I replied softly, my voice barely louder than the wind.

"Nice to meet you, Niel," Owen said warmly. "So, do you come out here every single day for lunch?"

"Most days," I murmured, taking a small, slow bite of my sandwich. It tasted a little better now that my chest was not squeezing so tightly. "Whenever I can get away."

"Well," Owen said, his heavy back leaning gently against his side of the tree trunk, making the wood hum softly against my own back. "If you do not mind sharing the shadow, maybe I will stick around over on this side. It is pretty rare to find someone who actually appreciates a quiet spot."

I looked up at the sunlight filtering through the green leaves above us.

I still had not seen his face. He was just a friendly voice on the other side of a giant old tree, completely hidden from my view. But for the first time in months, the heavy, suffocating feeling in my stomach did not get worse when someone sat close to me.

"Sure," I said quietly, leaning my head back against the rough bark. "You can stay."

And as the wind blew across the field, we sat together in the shade of the old oak tree, separated by wood and silence, but for once, I did not feel like I was running for my life.