Chapter eight

Kamara

The next morning, pushing the memory aside. The backup had arrived by four in the morning.

Now, sitting in the car, I kept my eyes on the road ahead, pretending I wasn’t aware of the silence pressing between us. I was going to college, anywhere that wasn’t near him. I couldn’t spend another minute close to this man, not with the weird thoughts my brain had started to form while we were locked together.

It was the stress, I kept reminding myself. Just stress.

“I won’t be able to pick you up today,” Jace said as soon as the car stopped in front of the gate. “I’ll send in someone else.”

“Huh? No, you shouldn’t.”

I blinked. “Huh? No, you shouldn’t.”

He didn’t turn around, just adjusted the gear like he hadn’t heard me.

I wasn’t fond of the idea of having a bodyguard never had been, but the thought of some random stranger shadowing me made my stomach twist. At least with Jace, I knew what kind of walls I was dealing with.

“Why no?” he asked finally, glancing at me through the rearview mirror.

“Why no?” he asked, looking at me through the rearview mirror.

Why no..? I thought for another second. “I can get home myself.”

He raised an eyebrow, as if mocking me with the outcome of the last time I chose to go somewhere by myself., I’d ended up drugged and unconscious.

He didn’t have to say it. The look in his eyes through the mirror said enough.

“I’ll send someone in,” he repeated.

I stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut, not sparing him another glance.

He was even more controlling than my father despite talking so little.

The morning breeze hit my face as I walked through the gates, pretending I didn’t feel his eyes still on me. The car stayed parked for a few seconds before driving off, the low hum of the engine fading behind me.

I let out a long breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. My chest still felt tight. It always did after being around him for too long, like my body didn’t know if it wanted to punch him or… something else entirely.

The courtyard was already crowded. Students moved in groups, laughing, chatting, living their carefree lives while mine was being micromanaged by two men who thought they knew what was best for me.

“Kamara!” Valerie’s voice cut through the noise. She waved from the steps, coffee in hand, her usual bright energy practically glowing. “Hey, you’re early. Miracles do happen.”

“Barely,” I muttered, adjusting my bag as she fell in step beside me.

Her smile faded a little. “You didn’t answer my calls last night. What the hell happened? You texted me at two in the morning saying someone drugged you and then disappeared. I almost called the cops.”

I sighed, pressing my lips together. The memory flickered — the noise, the drink, the darkness, and then Jace’s voice dragging me back to consciousness. “Yeah. It got bad,” I admitted quietly. “But I’m fine now.”

“Fine?” Valerie hissed. “You got drugged at a party, Kamara! You should’ve told me—”

“I did,” I cut in sharply. “And that’s exactly why I didn’t want to go in the first place. You kept saying it would be fun, remember?”

She winced, guilt flashing across her face. “Okay, fair. I didn’t think it’d turn into that.”

“Neither did I.”

“Neither did I.”

For a few seconds, we walked in silence. The sound of shoes scraping against tile and laughter echoing from the far end of the quad filled the awkward gap between us.

Valerie bit her lip. “Still… I’m really sorry, Kam. I should’ve stayed with you. If I’d known—”

“Don’t,” I said softly. “It’s done.”

Her eyes lingered on me, studying the quiet that followed. “Was he the one who found you?”

I didn’t need to ask who he was. “Yeah.”

“Jace?”

I nodded. “Dragged me home too.”

She frowned. “I swear, that man’s made of stone. You’d think saving you would at least earn him a smile.”

I shrugged. “That’s just him. Cold, silent, and painfully dutiful.”

Valerie’s smirk returned, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Painfully hot too, if you ask me.”

I rolled mine. “I didn’t.”

She laughed, bumping my shoulder playfully, and just like that, the heaviness lifted, at least a little.

•~~•

By midday, I’d almost managed to convince myself that everything was normal again.

Almost.

Classes blurred together, and when the final bell rang, I packed up slowly, dragging my feet. The sun was dipping low by the time I reached the courtyard again.

Brian was by a bench and I turned instantly, hoping he hadn’t noticed me.

No luck. “Kamara!”

Great.

He jogged over, his expression sheepish. “Hey. Can we talk?”

“I have somewhere to be,” I muttered.

“Just a minute.” He stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “Please.”

I sighed, folding my arms. “Fine. One minute.”

He ran a hand through his hair, looking genuinely uneasy. “Look, about the party… I’m sorry. I didn’t know what was in that drink. Someone must’ve—”

“I’m not doing this,” I cut in. “You don’t have to explain. It’s over.”

“It’s not,” he said quickly. “I mean — it doesn’t have to be. I just— I feel bad, okay? Let me make it up to you.”

I stared at him. “Make it up to me? How exactly?”

He hesitated, then smiled, that same boyish grin that used to make half the girls in class lose their minds. “Dinner. A proper date this time. Just us. My place. No crowds, no loud music. Just… a do-over.”

I blinked, unsure whether to laugh or walk away. “You think dinner erases being drugged?”

His smile faltered. “No. I just thought maybe you’d want a normal night. A calm one.”

I exhaled, glancing away. Every part of me screamed no. But another, smaller part, the one that hated being told what to do, especially by Jace, whispered why not?

“What time?” I heard myself ask.

“Eight,” he said quickly, relief flashing across his face. “I’ll pick you up.”

I hesitated. “Your place?”

He nodded. “I mean I’ll pick a place.” He smiled. “Promise it’ll be different this time.”

I didn’t promise anything back.

The sky had darkened by the time I reached the gates and the last of the students walked out in twos and threes. I was half-distracted by my phone when I spotted the black car parked just outside.

So much for “sending someone else.”

I slowed, recognizing the sharp, familiar lines of the vehicle before I even saw him.

Jace.

He was leaning against the car, one hand in his pocket, his head tilted slightly toward the ground. I walked closer, clutching my bag tighter.

“Your driver’s already here,” Brian called behind me with a teasing grin. “Guess I’ll see you at eight, then.”

I nodded with a smile, walking back to the car.

Had he heard? For some reason it felt uncomfortable.

When u reached my door, I waited for him to step down to open it like he usually did, however he didn’t.

“Get in,” he said when I stood there for another minute.

His jaw was locked in a tight position. Nothing cool about his expression.

Yeah, he had definitely heard.