Chapter 106: The Mean Girls
Evaline:
After Kieran dropped me off at the Academy gates, I thought I was finally going to have a moment of quiet.
It was Saturday night, and most students were off-campus or downtown, soaking in their few hours of weekend freedom. The dorms were nearly empty. My friends were out too as usual.
My head was throbbing from too much thinking. My heart was aching from too many conversations I didn’t want to have. And the weight in my chest... well, that was nothing new. Ever since I stepped into the Rogue Alpha’s world, it had become a constant companion.
I immediately headed for the showers. The hot water helped a little as it washed away some of the tension from my shoulders and cleared the fog in my head.
For a while, I just stood there with my forehead pressed against the tile, letting the water cascade down my back like it could wash away everything else too - River’s hatred, Kieran’s conflicted kindness, the tangled bonds with Oscar and Draven, and the ache of trying to be strong when I was so very tired.
But as always, peace didn’t last long in my world.
I barely stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped tightly around me, when I felt it.
The shift in the air.
The quiet that wasn’t just empty... it was intentional.
I reached for my clothes on the bench, but the sound of footsteps stopped me. Loud. Confident. Cruel. And then I saw her.