by Se

wo: The G

a warning. The note was still crumpled in her hand, but now it felt like a

f not to look over her shoulder. The hallways felt suffocating, the air thi

e. Quiet. She wasn't supposed to be the girl everyone was talking a

ide with a practiced smile. It was hard to ignore the tense silence that seemed to follow

the weight of the stares. It wasn't just about the accident anymore. They all knew the rea

was an inconvenience he had to acknowledge. Ivy hated the way he said her name. T

ear the back, her eyes immediate

sat there. Of

id. He was

n his face. He didn't turn to greet her, didn't even look in her direct

anced himself from her after that night. Th

, there

There was something about him-something dangerous. His reputation preceded him. The bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, the one who'

but his presence made the air seem heavier, darker. Asher didn't say a word, but

e said lowly, his voi

ay everyone else did. There was something unnerving about the familiarity in

, her throat

tead, he turned his attention to the front of the room, but I

returning to the text, the warning she had just receiv

the past? Someone who kne

ld gather her things, Asher's voice cut t

e they're talk

fr

avering from her face. His words were casu

Ivy asked, he

barely-there smirk. "Everyone's been whispering. Gue

beat. The last thing

f to ask, though her sto

d, he pushed his chair back with a scrape, stand

t wasn't just the message or the students' whispers. It was him-

en it

oah. It

as avoiding her. He kn

roving she could stay out of trouble, that she hadn't realized she w

tever it was-

no choice