CHAPTER EIGHT

HADES

I watched as Lara and Gianna turned to leave, their steps light on the gravel path. Gianna was laughing at something, her voice carefree, but I could see that Lara was still distracted, her mind clearly elsewhere. I didn’t know why it bothered me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. There was something about her that made me feel like she was the only person in this school who wasn’t pretending.

I leaned back against the stone bench, hands shoved deep into my pockets, the faint smell of cigarette smoke hanging in the air. It did little to calm the nerves crawling under my skin. My thoughts were all over the place. I didn’t do well with people, and yet every time Lara glanced in my direction, something shifted in me that I couldn’t explain. It wasn’t like I wanted her attention, but I couldn't stop wondering why she made me feel so... uneasy.

I exhaled sharply, trying to shake off the feeling. I didn’t need to be worrying about this. I didn’t need to be worrying about her. But as soon as I thought I had pushed it all aside, I saw her stop.

I cursed under my breath.

She turned around and hesitated, clearly caught between walking away and coming back. Her eyes were hard, determined. I could already feel the shift in the air as she started walking toward me.

Gianna and Marcus looked up in surprise, not expecting this turn of events. Their confusion only added to the tension hanging thick around us. I stood still, leaning against the bench, trying to look uninterested. But I couldn’t help but notice the fire in Lara’s eyes as she stopped right in front of me.

“What’s your problem?” she asked, her voice cutting through the quiet, direct and challenging.

I didn’t flinch. I raised an eyebrow, trying to mask the irritation building inside me. “Excuse me?”

She stepped closer, her expression growing even more irritated. “You’ve been acting weird. Quiet. Detached. I don’t get it.”

I stared at her, the words she’d just said bouncing around in my head. What did she want from me? We’d barely spoken. So why was she standing here acting like I owed her some kind of explanation?

“Maybe I just don’t feel like talking,” I said, my voice a little rougher than I intended. “Is that a problem for you?”

Her eyes flashed, and I could see the anger bubbling up beneath the surface. I wasn’t afraid of it. In fact, it was almost familiar. I’d dealt with worse. But I wasn’t going to make this any easier for her.

She crossed her arms. “I don’t know what your deal is, Hades, but you don’t get to come in here and act like some lone wolf, shutting everyone out like they don’t matter. That’s not how it works here.”

I felt a sting at her words. Shutting everyone out. Maybe that’s exactly what I was doing. But I wasn’t about to admit that to her. She didn’t deserve an answer. Not from me.

“You don’t know anything about me,” I spat, my jaw tightening. “So don’t act like you do.”

She didn’t flinch. She didn’t back down. Instead, she narrowed her eyes even further, as if trying to figure out the walls I had built around myself. I wasn’t in the mood to let anyone break them down. Least of all, her.

“You’re right,” she said, her tone quiet but steady. “I don’t know anything about you. But when you act like this, it’s hard not to wonder what’s going on in that head of yours.”

I stood there, silent, not sure how to respond. I didn’t want to talk to her. I didn’t want to explain myself. But her words hung in the air, heavy and piercing, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t know how to push them away.

Marcus’s voice cut through the moment, breaking the tension like a sharp knife. “Well, this is... entertaining,” he said, flicking his cigarette to the side and giving a casual nod toward me.

Gianna glanced between the two of us, her eyes flicking from Lara to me. “Okay, so... what now? Are you two gonna keep going at it or what?”

I could hear the amusement in her voice, but I wasn’t in the mood for their games. “This is none of your business, Marcus,” I growled, not wanting to engage with either of them.

But Lara spoke again, her voice quieter this time, almost like she was done playing the game. “Maybe not. But if you want to keep pretending you don’t care, that’s fine. Just don’t do it around me.” She turned, her footsteps light as she walked back toward Gianna and Marcus.

I watched her walk away, feeling an odd weight in my chest, like her words had struck somewhere deeper than I wanted to admit. I didn’t understand why she cared, why she thought she could challenge me when she didn’t even know me.

“You're gonna have to talk to her sooner or later,” Marcus said, flicking the last bit of his cigarette to the ground with a small smirk.

I rolled my eyes, trying to brush off the annoyance that was still simmering inside. “I don’t need to talk to anyone.”

“Well,” Marcus stretched, cracking his neck, “she doesn’t seem like the type to leave things alone. You’re in for a fun ride, Hades.”

I looked over at Gianna, who was eyeing me curiously. She raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for me to say something. But I wasn’t ready. Not yet.

“I’m not here for fun,” I muttered, more to myself than to anyone else.

I stood up, shoving my hands back into my pockets. I could feel the weight of the conversation hanging in the air, but I didn’t know how to deal with it. Maybe Marcus and Gianna were right. Maybe I was just being stubborn. But for now, keeping everyone at arm’s length felt like the only way to survive this place.

And yet, somehow, that felt like the hardest part of all.