Chapter 5: The Wrong Set of Hands

I pulled the heavy black hoodie over my head, letting the thick cotton swallow my soaked shirt. The scent of winter air and tobacco instantly wrapped around me, a warm shock to my shivering skin. I yanked the collar up high, checking the locker mirror to make sure the dark bruise on my neck was completely buried under the fabric.

"Rough morning, huh?"

I jumped, my locker door nearly slamming shut.

Mason was leaning against the metal locker right next to mine, his arms crossed over his athletic build. He wore a loose gray jersey, his bright eyes fixed right on my face. When he saw me startle, he smiled, a deep dimple appearing on his cheek.

"Mason," I breathed, my heart still racing from the courtyard disaster. "You scared me."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to," he said, shifting his weight. He leaned in closer, his head tilting as he examined my flushed cheeks. "I saw what happened out there with Maria. That was totally out of line."

"It's fine. I'm fine," I muttered, staring down at my wet sneakers.

"It's not fine. She’s a bully, Ivy," Mason said softly. He reached out, his fingers gently brushing against my forearm. His touch was warm and completely different from Leo's rough grip—it was careful, steady. "Are you really okay? You're shaking."

"Just cold," I lied, keeping my hand pressed firmly against the high collar of Leo's hoodie. "The coffee was freezing."

"Let me make it up to you," Mason said, his smile returning, warm and genuinely kind. "Come out to lunch with me. There’s a diner just off campus. Hot food, no Maria, and definitely no spilled drinks. What do you say?"

I hesitated, my throat tight. "I don't know, Mason. I should probably just go straight to my next lecture."

"Come on, Ivy," he pressed, stepping a half-inch closer, his eyes locked onto mine. "One lunch. You need to get out of this building anyway. Let me buy you a burger."

My face warmed under his gaze. He was being so nice, a total contrast to the humiliation I had just faced outside. But as I opened my mouth to answer, a cold prickle of awareness washed over my skin.

I looked past Mason’s shoulder, my eyes traveling down the long, narrow locker hallway.

Standing about twenty feet away by the water fountain was Leo, alongside his other friend, Jax. Jax was talking, holding a basketball under his arm, but Leo wasn't listening to a single word.

Leo was staring straight at us.

His jaw was locked so incredibly tight that a sharp muscle was violently twitching in his cheek. His hands were shoved deep inside the pockets of his dark jeans, but the fabric was pulled taut, his knuckles visibly bulging and white against the denim. His eyes were burning, fixed directly on Mason's hand, which was still resting gently against my arm.

"Ivy?" Mason asked, his voice pulling my attention back. "You still with me?"

"Yeah," I whispered, my eyes darting back to Mason, though my entire body had gone completely rigid. "Yeah, I'm here."

"So, is that a yes to lunch?" Mason smiled down at me. He raised his hand, his fingers moving slowly as he reached toward my face. "You've got a stray piece of hair right here."

He extended his arm, his fingers gently catching a loose strand of hair near my cheek, slowly tucking it behind my ear. His thumb lightly brushed the edge of my jawline.

Across the hallway, a massive crash echoed through the corridor.

Leo had launched himself forward, slamming a metal locker door shut with so much raw, explosive force that the glass in the nearby notice board rattled violently in its frame. Jax jumped back, his basketball dropping to the floor with a loud bounce.

The entire hallway went completely silent. Leo stood frozen by the dented locker, his chest heaving, his dark eyes cutting straight through the space between us like a knife.