The eyes on me

Seraphina's POV

“Well, he is popular and everyone knows him.” I shrugged casually as the lies rolled out of my mouth, smoother than I wanted to admit. “Seriously Sane. He's on every screen in every restaurant in this city. You literally can't go a day without hearing his name.” I chuckled lightly, cleaning off invincible dust from my blanket. “It probably got stuck in my head.” I smiled.

Sane stared at me for more than a second without talking while picking at her scarf, and the silence that followed was deafening.

“Okay.” She murmured at last with a light shrug, then she slid down onto her pillow and pulled the blanket to her chin. “I'm always here when you need someone to talk to okay.”

“Okay, thanks Sane.” I murmured back and she hummed a response.

I glanced at the alarm clock and it was already 4:30 a.m.

I took a deep breath, knowing fully well I wouldn't be able to sleep any more.

*************

The next day, by ten o'clock am, the university quad was already crowded.

Most of the crowds were dressed in team jerseys, faces covered in paint of different teams colour or clothes that had the University’s wolf logo.

A large stage had been set up at the far end of the lawn, behind it was a massive screen with a large banner hanging above it.

RIVALRY WEEK: WOLVES VS. BLACKHAWKS.

I was wearing a simple gray sweater and jeans. My hair was tied neatly in a tight ponytail.

Sane linked her arm with mine as we walked into the crowd.

“Stay close to me. Freshmen can easily get lost in a crowd like this,” she said, pulling me away from a group of girls gathered around someone's phone.

“I'm fine,” I muttered, loud enough for her to hear above the noise from the crowd.

She exhaled lightly, giving me a small squeeze before letting go of my arms. Just then, the large screen suddenly lit up and the crowd erupted into cheers.

The Westbridge Wolves were making their entrance into the hall. 

They were dressed in matching navy-blue warm-up outfits, the players walked toward the stage, smiling and greeting the students who reached out to them.

I looked through the group, hoping I wouldn't see a particular face and thankfully, he wasn't there.

The players continued waving at the crowd while the girls around me screamed their names.

Then the atmosphere suddenly changed.

Loud boos and whistles came from the other side of the lawn. The Blackhawks had arrived.

Unlike the Wolves, they were wearing black and crimson outfits. They walked confidently through the crowd, enjoying the attention they were getting even though most of the students were clearly against them.

At the front of the group was a tall man with his jacket hanging over one shoulder. He smiled as the crowd booed him, looking completely unbothered by their reactions.

I felt a small bell ringing in my ears. 

Adrian Cross. Three years had passed, but I recognized him immediately.

He had changed a little. His shoulders were broader, his jaw more defined, and his hair was now shorter. 

He looked more mature than I remembered, but his confidence was exactly the same.

He raised one hand to acknowledge the crowd. Instead of being bothered by the insults, he seemed to enjoy them.

I stopped in my tracks. “Seraphina?” Sane called out to me, noticing that I was no longer walking.

I couldn't speak, the words stopped somewhere in my throat.

The noise around me seemed to fade as I stared at Adrian. My heart was beating so fast that I could hear it in my ears.

For a moment, I remembered that terrible night three years ago. The music, the closed door, and everything that had happened afterward.

Breathe…You knew this was coming. You prepared yourself for this.

One of Adrian's teammates bumped his shoulder and said something that made him laugh, he threw his head back before turning to look around the lawn.

His eyes moved across the crowd, passing the students, the stage, and the marching band.

Then they landed on me. His laughter stopped midway, his expression fell.

I couldn't tell what he was thinking as he stared directly at my face. Something flickered across his expression but it was gone before I could name it.

My hands suddenly felt cold and clammy. I wanted to look away, but I forced myself to keep staring at him. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me turn first.

Then he looked towards the stage and just like that, he completely ignored me.

I watched as he continued walking like he hadn't seen me at all. A girl wearing a Blackhawks jersey rushed forward, shouting his name but he ignored her as well.

“Hey, are you okay?” Sane whispered behind me. I jumped, almost startled. “You look pale, do you want to go back to the dorm?” She asked, her voice laced with concern. 

I turned to look at her, forcing a small convincing smile that I wasn't sure looked convincing.

“Yeah, I think I just need some air.” I swallowed hard and without waiting for her reaction, I started pushing through the crowd.

I had spent three years imagining what would happen when I finally saw Adrian again. I had imagined confronting him and telling him exactly what I thought of him. 

But this? Getting ignored? It was the least of my imagination.

I started moving through the crowd, pushing past students as I made my way toward the area where the players were being directed to the stage.

I didn't have a clear idea of what I would say to Adrian. I just wanted to get close to him. I wanted him to hear my name and know exactly who I was. I wanted to be sure that him ignoring me was a mistake. 

As I approached the stage, I noticed a restricted section separated from the crowd by ropes and metal barriers.

Several men wearing dark jackets stood in front of it. At first, I assumed they were event workers, but something about their appearance caught my attention.

They stood in a straight line, barely moving. Their eyes constantly followed the people around them, paying close attention to anyone approaching the restricted area.

They looked more like security personnel than ordinary event staff. I ignored my hesitation and stepped underneath the first barrier.

A hand immediately grabbed my elbow. “Restricted area, miss.”

I turned to face the man who had stopped me.

He was tall and broad, wearing a dark jacket zipped up to his neck. A small communication device was attached to his ear, with a thin wire disappearing beneath his collar.

His expression was calm, but his grip made it clear that he wasn't going to let me through.

“I just need to speak to someone,” I explained.

“Not today.” He released my elbow and gently directed me back toward the public area. “Mr. Cross isn't taking questions. Please enjoy the event.”

Mr. Cross. I didn't even tell him which of the players I wanted to speak with. I decided not to make a big deal out of it.

However, the way he said Adrian's name made me realize that these men were specifically assigned to protect him.

I opened my mouth to argue, but stopped when I saw Adrian climbing the stage steps.

Two more men in dark jackets followed closely behind him.

They surrounded Adrian, preventing anyone from approaching him.

I had known that someone like Adrian would have people protecting him, especially during a public event. But seeing how closely they watched everyone around him made me realize just how difficult it would be to get near him.

I had no chance of reaching him through them, feeling embarrassed, I stepped away from the barrier and headed toward the edge of the lawn.

I had barely taken ten steps when something made me turn around. The security guard who had stopped me was still standing near the barrier.

He wasn't watching the stage anymore, his eyes were fixed directly at me.

He raised one finger to the communication device attached to his ear and quietly spoke into it.

I slowed down, wondering why he was still paying attention to me.

Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and pointed it in my direction.

He took my picture!