Chapter 45—The Bathroom Secret

Elara's POV

The entire school was outside for game practice, every house had their own area set up, and it was chaos in the best way possible. People were running all over the place, doing combat drills, practicing strategies, trying different combinations and seeing what worked.

You could feel the competitive energy from a mile away, that tension that came right before something big was about to happen.

House Blackwood had the combat zone. House Nightborne was doing all the running and agility stuff. House Ravencroft, was practicing formations.

It looked like they had been working on this for days, moving in synchronized patterns that probably took forever to get right. The other houses were scattered around doing their own thing, testing what would work best for them.

Freya was standing next to me watching the combat matches, analyzing every move like she was planning to steal them all and use them against people later. Leo was making jokes about the guy who kept falling on his ass during the agility course, and I was just trying to enjoy the madness of it all without getting caught up in the competitiveness that seemed to be spreading like a virus through the entire school.

"Did you see that?" Freya grabbed my arm, pointing at one of the girls from Blackwood. "She pivoted and threw him like he weighed nothing. That's a solid move."

"That's going to be harder to do on someone who's expecting it," Leo said, grinning. "Pretty move though, I'll give her that."

"Yeah but if they don't see it coming, it's devastating. If I can nail that move, I could take down anyone here."

"That's the spirit," Leo laughed. "World domination through surprise pivots very impressive."

Freya rolled her eyes at him. "You joke but I'm serious this is actually a good strategy."

I was listening to them banter about technique and strategy when my bladder decided it was time to abandon me completely. I told them I was going to the bathroom and headed inside before Freya could start drawing diagrams in the dirt or something showing exactly how she planned to use this new move against every single competitor.

The hallways were basically empty. Everyone was outside, so it was just me walking around in the quiet of the school, my footsteps echoing a bit against the tiles. I was almost to the bathrooms when I heard something from around the corner near the storage closet. Not voices exactly, just sounds. The kind that made me stop in my tracks and get curious in a way I probably shouldn't have been.

I peeked around the corner and nearly choked on my own breath.

There was Nyx, skirt shoved up around her hips, back pressed hard against the storage closet wall with her legs wrapped tight around Michael's waist.

He had her pinned good, one hand gripping her ass to hold her up while the other braced against the wall beside her head. His pants were down just enough, and he was thrusting into her deep and steady, hips rolling with that raw, desperate rhythm that left no doubt what they were doing. Nyx's head was tipped back, eyes half-closed, her mouth open in these soft, breathy moans she tried to keep quiet but couldn't quite manage.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders, nails biting through his shirt as she rocked against him, meeting every push like she needed it more than air. Michael buried his face in her neck, groaning low as he drove up into her again, harder this time, the wet sound of their bodies meeting echoing just a little in the closet.

Nyx bit her lip to stifle a sharper cry, her thighs trembling around him, but her hips kept moving, chasing that friction, her body arching into his with every slick thrust. They were lost in it, completely tangled up, sweat already glistening on their skin as he fucked her right there against the wall like they had zero time and even less shame.

I backed away fast before either of them noticed me, heart hammering, and slipped down the hall like I had seen nothing at all.

I actually used the bathroom this time because I needed the extra few minutes to think about what I had just seen and what it meant.

This was Nyx we were talking about. Quiet Nyx who barely said anything. Nyx who watched everyone and everything but kept her own life locked away and apparently she had been keeping Michael this whole time without saying a word to any of us.

When I came back out, I could hear Leo laughing about something from outside before I even got to the doors. He was making some joke that had Freya rolling her eyes.

The games were still going strong, people running around like their lives depended on it, and I just slipped back into place like I had never left.

I went back outside and settled in next to Freya and Leo like I had just taken a normal bathroom break.

The games were still in full swing, people were still running drills, and nobody had even noticed I was gone for like ten minutes. Freya was still talking about her pivot move, explaining some new strategy she wanted to try. Leo was listening like he actually cared about combat techniques, which he definitely did not.

I watched Nyx's spot where she should have been standing, waiting for her to show up. She had gone to pee earlier, or at least that's what she said. Now I knew she had probably gone to find Michael instead.

A few minutes later, Nyx appeared walking back toward us from the direction of the bathrooms, and she was adjusting her skirt as she walked.

I looked at her like I had seen nothing.