Before it gets worse...

Seraphina's POV

The Blackhawks building would have to wait. After encountering Adrian's security guard for the second time, I wasn't so sure I wanted to sneak in and confront him alone.

After a lot of contemplating, I finally settled on going back to the dorm with my head down, replaying the strange encounter with the guard. 

Who could have possibly told him who I was? 

Three years ago, the scandal with what Adrian had done to me had been handled so quietly that nobody even used my real face on the news.

What if it was Adrian? No, he had pretended not to know me earlier. 

I sigh defeatedly, by the time I arrived at the dorm, my head was beginning to ache at the thought of everything going on.

I sat on my bed, staring at the water stains on the ceiling. I had no idea how long I was sitting there when the door suddenly burst open.

Sane stormed into the room completely breathless, she dropped her bag on the floor and held her chest tight. “Seraphina!” She shrieked, making me wince at the sound of her voice. “Where did you rush off to? I kept calling you countless times.” She crossed her arms against her chest.

“I just needed air.” I kept my eyes on my knees. “The place was too crowded.” I forced a small smile.

It was partially true and Sane seemed to believe it. She let out a deep sigh of relief before picking her bag from the floor. “Next time, send me a text before going AY, I almost thought you were kidnapped.”

I chucked at that and she gave me a warning glare before walking into the bathroom.

**********

Morning came so fast, I barely had any sleep, I kept thinking of worse case scenarios in my head. 

What if I confront Adrian and I get shot by his security teams?

No, no, no.

They couldn't possibly hurt someone in broad daylight right? But there was no telling what those people could do.

By the time I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my head, Sane was already dolled up and was chewing the end of a pen while scrolling through her phone.

“Did you check your email?” She asked. “ Mentorship pairings came out last week. They're on the student portal.”

“I can't log in.” I rubbed my damp hair with the  towel. “Something is  wrong with my account.”

“Oh.” She set the pen down. “Well, you'll find out this morning anyway. Everyone would be meeting in Hartley Hall.” She groaned and let her head fall back. "I wish we would be paired together since I'm in my third year. I would've been the best mentor you ever had.”

“Lucky for me, then.”

“Don't be smart.” But she was smiling.

Hartley Hall was a cavernous lecture room, already loud with students. 

Tables had been pushed into clusters, and a banner was raised above the stage read 

PEER MENTORSHIP RESEARCH PROGRAM: RIVALRY WEEK JOINT SESSION.

Sane had explained on the walk over that this year both the Wolves and Blackhawks athletes would be taking part in it.

I stopped just inside the door, and my eyes swept the room before I could stop them.

Navy jackets. Black-and-crimson jackets. Players leaned against the walls, laughing, tossing a water bottle between them.

 Somewhere behind me a girl shrieked at a joke, and my shoulders jumped, but there was no sight of Adrian.

I checked the stage, the back rows, the exits. I searched every tall figure that came through the doors.

 If he was here, then he would be wrapped in dark jackets as he usually does but there were none.

“Seraphina Vale?” A woman at the registration table called out, she was holding a clipboard. “Table six”

I wove through the crowd, still glancing over my shoulder. Table six sat by a window with a laptop and two chairs. 

A young man already occupied one, leaning back with an ankle on his knee, while scrolling through his phone.

He looked up the moment he noticed me approaching and I stopped in my tracks.

The dark hair, the same warm brown eyes of yesterday was staring right back at me with an amused expression.

“You're my partner?” I asked, not bothering to hide my dissatisfaction.

“Looks like it.” Rhett stood up halfway through. He pressed his hands at the edge of the table to steady himself before he recovered with a small smile. “Rhett Kingston. We didn't introduce ourselves yesterday.” 

I rolled my eyes and took his hands. “Seraphina Vale.” I murmured back.

“Vale…” he mouthed silently before nodding. 

We sat down and he angled the laptop so we could both see from it. 

 I skimmed through the project briefly without absorbing a word. A full semester. Two meetings a week. A shared thesis on scholarship athletes and retention.

I kept scanning the hall over his shoulder without really meaning to.

“He isn't coming,” Rhett said quietly without looking up, his eyes fixed on the laptop's screen.

My head snapped towards him and I swallowed hard,  “Who?”

“Whoever you're looking for.” He scrolled down the page absentmindedly “The Blackhawks' mentors signed in an hour ago. Their captain's pairing was moved to a private session.”

My throat tightened. Was I that obvious? 

When the session finally ended, the crowd spilled toward the exits. I stayed in my chair with my hands flat on the table. 

The truth was as plain as the screen in front of me. I wouldn't reach Adrian by waiting, and I wouldn't reach him alone.

 The one person who could get me close was sitting across the table, packing his bag.

“Rhett.” I called before I could talk myself out of it.

He glanced up at me, his eyes brows narrowing slightly. “This project matters more to you than it does to me,” I said carefully. “Doesn't it?”

He went still, and for a moment I thought I'd miscalculated. Then he set the bag down. “It's mandatory. It counts toward my eligibility. So, yes.”

“Then here's my offer.” I kept my voice level despite how hard my heart was slamming against my chest. “I'll do the work. Every Tuesday, every Thursday, no excuses and in return, you get me close to the Blackhawks. Quietly.”

I waited for his questions to start pouring in.

 *Why? What do you want with them?* I had three lies already prepared for whatever he was going to ask.

“Okay.” He shrugged lightly and pulled out his phone, his eyes focusing on something else before returning back to meet mine.

I stared at him in confusion, “Wait, that's it?”

"You'll tell me when you're ready." He hung his bag over his shoulder slowly before turning to face me. “I'm not one to pry. Tuesday, I'll send you the location.” He said and was already turning away.

When I suddenly remembered that I haven’t gotten his number yet. 

“You don't have my number” I quickly stopped him.

He mouthed an oh, before holding out his phone. I quickly typed it out and he sent me a text which I saved before watching him disappear through the door.

Everything happened so fast, I couldn't even tell if I was doing the right thing or getting myself into a much bigger problem. 

I was about sliding my phone into my pocket when it suddenly buzzed, for a second I thought Rhett had sent the location.

“So soon.” I muttered before opening it.

An unknown number was staring back at me on the screen.

UNKNOWN: Leave Westbridge if you know what's best for you.