ログインThe clock on the wall of the basement biology lab hummed quietly, the hands slowly ticking past 5:30 PM. The rest of the class had left over an hour ago, leaving me completely alone in the cold, sterile room. The air smelled sharply of rubbing alcohol and old chemical cleaners. I kept my head down, staring into the bright lens of the microscope, trying with everything I had to focus on drawing the plant cell structures into my spiral notebook. My mind was still spinning from Jax's warnings in the hallway earlier, making my hands shake every time I tried to line up the pencil.The sudden, heavy sound of wood sliding against metal cut through the silence of the room.My head snapped up instantly, my eyes darting toward the main entrance. The heavy wooden door had just closed, and the brass thumb-turn lock was twisted completely horizontal from the inside."Who's there?" I called out, my voice tight and thin as I stood up from my high metal stool. "The lab is closed to the public right
"Thanks again, Mason," I said quickly, my fingers tightening over the heavy stack of textbooks as I shuffled backward toward the glass entrance of the science hall. My heart was pounding against my ribs like an escaped prisoner, my mind still totally stuck on the sight of Leo crushing that soda can at the top of the stairs. "I can take them from here. Really. You should get to practice."Mason let his hand drop from my elbow, though his left-cheek dimple showed as he offered a warm smile. "Are you sure, Ivy? I can carry them right up to your classroom door. It's no trouble at all.""No, no, I'm totally fine," I insisted, my voice sounding a little too breathless, a little too frantic. I gave him a quick, tight nod, desperately trying to look natural. "You've already done way too much. I'll see you around, Mason.""Alright. Just remember what I said about Maria," Mason called out, taking a step back toward the quad. "If she steps out of line again, you tell me immediately. Don't handle
"Watch where you're going, freshman!"The sharp, mocking voice hit me at the exact same moment a heavy shoulder slammed violently into mine. The impact sent a painful shock straight down my arm, completely breaking my grip on the massive stack of library textbooks I was hauling across the green campus quad.The heavy volumes flew out of my arms, crashing loudly onto the damp grass and concrete path. Pages bent, heavy covers split open, and papers scattered in every direction under the bright morning sun."Oh, look at that. The little mouse dropped her cheese," Gloria jeered, stopping right in front of me with her hands on her hips. Meg stood right next to her, crossing her arms and letting out a loud, ugly laugh."You guys did that on purpose," I said, my voice shaking with a mix of fury and embarrassment as the students sitting on the nearby benches turned their heads, starting to whisper and snicker."Prove it," Meg sneered, deliberately stepping forward so her designer sneaker crus
"I’m not doing this anymore," I whispered to myself, my hand trembling as I reached for the heavy iron handle of the basement door.The clock on my phone screen lit up. 4:02 PM. I was two minutes late, and my chest felt like it was being crushed under a pile of bricks. I had left Liya back at the courtyard table with a terrible excuse about needing to run a quick errand at the student union building. The guilt was eating me alive, twisting my stomach into tight knots.I pulled the heavy door open.The air inside hit me like a physical wall. It was thick, boiling hot, and suffocatingly heavy with the sharp smell of old rust, hot steam, and dry, choking dust. The deep hum of the massive water tanks vibrated right through the concrete floor, shaking the soles of my sneakers. I took one step down the iron stairs, my fingers gripping the rusty handrail.Slam.The door snapped shut behind me, the heavy latch clicking into place with a loud, metallic echo.Before I could even blink, a massiv
"Over here, Ivy! I grabbed the table by the big tree!" Liya shouted, waving her hand high over the heads of the students moving through the crowded main courtyard.I forced my legs to move, my sneakers dragging against the gravel path. The afternoon sun was beating down hard on the concrete, making everything bright, but my insides felt completely frozen. I dropped my heavy backpack onto the wooden table between us, letting it slam down like a shield to keep some distance between us.Liya stopped flipping through her notebook immediately. Her eyes locked straight onto my face, then she looked down, her eyebrows knitting together. "Ivy? What on earth happened to you? Why is your hair completely damp at the ends?""Oh," I said, my voice coming out too fast, too sharp. I reached up instantly, my fingers clawing at the high collar of my oversized sweater, pulling the thick material up until it buried my chin. I had to make absolutely sure the dark purple mark Leo left on my neck stayed co
The wood of the restroom door did not just split. It exploded.The brass lock snapped clean out of the concrete wall with a loud bang, like a gun going off in the small room. Pieces of sharp wood flew through the air, sliding across the damp floor tiles. The heavy door hit the inside wall so hard that the long line of glass mirrors above the sinks rattled in their metal frames.Leo stood right in the middle of the broken doorway.His broad shoulders completely blocked the light from the hallway behind him. He was breathing hard through his nose, his chest moving up and down in sharp, angry movements under his black shirt. His knuckles were raw and red. His hands were curled into tight fists at his sides. He did not look down at the mess on the floor. He did not look at Gloria or Meg, who were frozen by the stalls. His dark eyes locked straight onto Maria’s hand, which was still raised in the air, just inches away from my cheek.Maria dropped her hand instantly.The angry purple color







