Chapter 4 - First Day

Vera's POV

His head snapped toward me just for a second. Then he looked back at the road.

He held the steering wheel so tight I was sure the poor thing might break.

"I just asked you a question."

His jaw moved, and that was it. No words, no explanation… nothing. Like I wasn't in the same space with him.

I raised the sandwich close to my mouth, and took a long, dramatic bite.

Crunch.

I chewed loudly with my eyes fixed on the side of his face the entire time.

Still nothing.

"So..." I stretched the word out slowly. "I guess whatever you guys had is either complicated or you're ashamed to talk about her."

The engine hummed, the tires rolled steadily over the road. And Liam kept driving like my voice was just background noise.

I swallowed and rested my back on my seat.

"What's her name again?"

I tapped my chin with a serious look, pretending to think hard.

"Hmmm..."

"Oh. Right." I clicked my fingers. "Sarah."

Screech!

The car jerked so hard the tires made a loud noise against the road. My body moved forward but thankfully, the seatbelt grabbed me and pulled me back.

I blinked not once but twice.

Then I turned my head toward him with shock on my face.

“What the heck!”

His face had gone completely hard, the kind of hard that didn't invite questions.

"Don't." The word came out rough and forced. He turned and looked me in the eyes.

"Talk about anything else. Anything, but not Sarah."

"Why?"

Neither of us looked away. The air inside the car felt smaller suddenly.

"If you would like to find your way to school yourself," he said in a low voice, "say her name one more time."

My eyes narrowed. His gaze stayed locked on mine, controlled anger burning just beneath the surface while pure curiosity burned behind mine.

‘What was it about this girl? What had she done to him?’

Because Liam was always in control but the simple mention of her name turned him into a different person like something beneath that cool face still hadn't healed.

A muscle moved in his jaw. Then his eyes moved to look back at the road, and started the car again without another word.

We sat in complete silence for the rest of the ride.

I took a big bite from my sandwich and stared out the window.

The surprising thing was I didn't feel offended. I should have been. He had basically threatened me and gone mute.

But I understood what it felt like when someone brings up a person you are trying to forget. A person whose name alone was enough to ruin a perfect normal day.

Yeah. I understood that more than I wanted to admit.

I looked down at my half eaten sandwich.

I couldn't take the silence anymore.

"If you're not going to tell me about your ex girlfriend..." I started slowly, then left the sentence hanging.

I stretched my hand carefully across the space and let my fingers land softly on his lap. My palm muscles went rigid instantly.

I moved my thumb in a slow circle against the fabric of his pants slow and careful.

His eyes left the road for just a second. They dropped to my hand, then lifted back to meet mine.

Good. I had his attention now.

"...then what about us?"

The words came out softer than I planned... It was like a whisper.

His eyes shifted to look at me, just once, but I caught it. That small crack in his composure.

His grip turned firm around the steering wheel, and then he took in slow deep breaths. He looked at the road again and said nothing.

But he didn't move my hand either.

I waited for his response. Then the car began to slow and it came to a stop.

I immediately looked out the window. My eyes went wide.

We were already here.

Students moved along clean pathways lined with trimmed hedges and small green trees. The buildings didn't try too hard to impress, they didn't need to.

Everything looked expensive the way old money always does.

Near the center stood the largest building on campus, bold silver letters fixed across the front.

HAYWORTH ACADEMY

My mouth slowly fell open in realization. "Your dad owns this school? Just how much money does your father have?"

Beside me, Liam stretched his hand to the backseat and was about to grab his bag. "You don't want to be late on your first day."

Not an answer again, not that I was expecting one though. But I was already learning that Liam had a talent for avoiding questions. He deflected them the same way he drove.

I sighed and pushed my door open.

Cool morning air touched my face the moment my feet touched the ground. And then, I felt something was off.

People were staring, a lot of them dressed in uniforms that looked expensive. Most students slowed their steps while some stopped walking.

‘Is this really how they react when they see a new face?’

Then I heard the driver's door close behind me, and just like that, the attention shifted. Every single head turned toward Liam.

And suddenly it all made sense.

He stepped away from the car the way he did everything else, without effort. The school practically opened itself up for him.

Students moved without being asked. Conversations paused and eyes followed.

Then he stopped and turned his head slightly, his eyes settling on my face with a quiet question in them.

‘Why aren't you moving?’

I rolled my eyes and started walking. We moved through the compound together and the whispers followed us like a second shadow.

"Who is she?"

"Are they together?"

"Didn't he just break up with Sarah?"

"But they always ended up back together."

Students weren't even pretending not to stare. From their reactions alone, one thing was clear.

Liam wasn't just popular here, he was important.

I was picking up my pace to catch him when I saw her.

Red hair, perfect make up and absolutely perfect timing… like as if she had been waiting to see him.

Sarah.

She stood near the edge of the pathway with two girls close beside her, her eyes fixed on Liam from the moment we stepped into view.

"He gave her a ride. He never gives just anyone a ride."

"Do you think he's actually over you this time? Like... seriously over you?"

The words hit Sarah visibly. Something shifted in her expression, her smile pulling tight at the corners.

Then her eyes moved and it landed on mine.

Our gazes stayed on each other for quite a while. I kept my face still. She doesn't seem to recognize me, and thank God for that.

Then she smirked.

The kind of smirk that had probably crushed girls far more confident than me.

"Not this one."

She looked away, her attention returning to Liam like I wasn't even worth the time.

The nerve.

Something hot moved through my chest, annoyance, and something sharper. Something that felt a lot like a challenge.

I looked at her. Then at Liam. Then back at her.

A slow smile spread across my lips and said in a low voice.

“Watch me have him all to myself.”

I walked faster until I was walking side by side with him. Students kept staring, kept whispering and some talked out loud. And strangely, It didn't bother me at all.

"I think I'm going to enjoy my new school."

Liam's head moved sideways and he gave me a quick glance. A small smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth but was replaced with no expression a second later, then he faced forward again.

We walked through one of the main hallways together. The floors were polished clean, sunlight pouring in through tall glass windows. Framed photographs and achievement plaques covered the walls on both sides.

We got to the end of the hallway, Liam turned left and I followed. A few steps later, we stopped in front of a wooden door with a small gold plaque beside it.

Administrative Office.

Liam looked at me. "Go in."

"Why…"

The door opened before I could finish my sentence.

A woman stood in the doorway looking elegant and composed with a smile on her face that was warm and professional at the same time. Her eyes moved to Liam first before they rested on me.

"You must be Vera.”