I stood there, frozen.
Maybe I saw it wrong. Maybe it was a mistake. An angle, a trick of light, something, anything that wasn't real.
But her hand was still resting on his arm.
And he was still kissing her.
The courtyard spun with noise; laughter, footsteps, wind tearing through the trees. But all I heard was the sound of my own heartbeat.
I tried to move. To say her name. To walk up to her and demand an explanation.
But my legs wouldn't listen.
By the time I finally took a step, she was already gone; swallowed by the crowd, by her new world that didn't seem to have a place for me anymore.
I told myself it meant nothing. Maybe he forced it. Maybe she was shocked.
But I'd seen her eyes before she turned away.
She wasn't shocked.
She wasn't angry.
She just looked… resigned.
If there had been even a hint of resistance, if she'd pushed him away, even for a second, maybe I would've done something stupid.
I'm not the kind of person who fights, but I swear I could've broken his jaw if she'd looked like she wanted out.
But she didn't.
And that's what broke me.
The not knowing.
The stillness.
The way she stood there and let it happen, like it was something she'd already accepted.
I didn't know who he was, or why she was with him.
But I knew one thing for sure, I needed answers.
Because the Lena I loved wouldn't do this.
She couldn't.
Something must've changed.
Something must've made her.
So I took a shaky breath, told myself I'd find her tomorrow, and walked away before the cracks in my chest could spread any further.
⟡ ✧ ⟡
I was halfway across the courtyard, still replaying that kiss in my head, when I heard them.
Laughter. The kind that already has a target.
"Hey, you the scholarship kid?"
Four boys. All polished shoes and expensive watches that probably cost more than my rent. I didn't answer, and that was my first mistake.
Whether it's Willbrook or New York, my amazing power to attract the meanest kind of people to me will always be there.
I kept walking, pretending I didn't hear.
But they were in no mood of giving up. They circled me like wolves.
"So, you're the charity case everyone's talking about?" one sneered, shoving me lightly in the chest. Just enough to make my balance wobble. My duffel bag slipped from my arm, papers scattering like frightened birds.
Another boy kicked at them, sending a few flying farther. "Careful, man. He might sue us for damaging his poverty."
They laughed.
I looked around for a way to get out, ignoring them, but the words kept coming.
Comments about my clothes, my accent, how I looked like I'd wandered in from a different world, which technically, I had.
A fist brushed my shoulder. Harder this time. I stumbled forward. They laughed, loud and cruel, each jibe cutting deeper than the last.
Then one of them said it.
"Guess Lena upgraded, huh?"
Something in my chest snapped tight.
My hands curled into fists, trembling with heat and frustration. I wanted to hit him, wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. But then I froze.
What the hell did he mean? Lena? How do they even know about Lena and my relationship? I just arrived here and don't know a single soul here, except Lena. And yet, somehow… they knew.
That's when I heard another voice behind them.
Sharp. Cool. Like ice across my skin.
"Wow. Didn't realize bullying was an extracurricular here."
They turned.
A girl. Messy ponytail, combat boots, black jacket, hands tucked into her pockets. She walked straight to them, smirk curling her lips like she owned the place.
"Go on," she said, pulling out her phone like she was recording, "keep talking. I'm just deciding which one of you looks worse on camera."
The boys went quiet. One muttered something about her being crazy. Another kicked at my papers, then they all walked off, pretending they had somewhere important to be.
I bent down to gather my poems. She crouched too, grabbing one before I could.
"You didn't have to," I said quietly.
She shrugged. "I didn't do it for you. I just hate idiots. Oh, let me introduce myself. I'm Alice Brooks. Business major. And you?"
"Ashton Bennette. Literature."
She raised a brow. "Literature? So you're one of those 'I'll live on poetry and instant noodles' types?"
I almost smiled. "Pretty much. My mom probably chose Business for me before I was even born, but… she's not around anymore. So, I get to choose."
Alice tilted her head, studying me for a beat longer than comfort allowed.
"And you chose words over money. Brave or stupid… I haven't decided yet."
"Probably both," I said."
The one who gave me the courage to do that… was Lena.
When Alice stood, she held up the paper. "You write poetry?"
"I try," I muttered.
"Good," she said, handing it back. "Then at least one of us has a purpose."
And just like that, she turned and walked off, leaving me there, surrounded by crumpled pages and the faint scent of peppermint and rebellion.
I didn't know it yet, but that was the day I met the only person who'd ever stand next to me without asking for anything in return. Even when I didn't deserve it at all.
⟡ ✧ ⟡
By lunch, I'd already heard his name five times.
"Samuel Blake's new car looks insane."
"He's the Blake heir, right? The construction company guy?"
"He's in the business program. Top of the class. Total perfection."
The way people said it, Samuel Blake, it sounded less like a person and more like a title.
I didn't think much of it, until I saw Lena later that evening, stepping into that same sleek black car I'd heard about.
She didn't hesitate when she opened the back door and stepped inside.
The driver's side? He was there.
Samuel Blake.
Everything about him screamed effortless power; the kind of boy who never worried, never faltered, never looked like he belonged anywhere but on top. Dark hair perfectly gelled, clothes of the latest fashion, a faint smirk that could disarm anyone in its path. His eyes flicked to me for a second, cool, amused, like he'd been expecting me all along.
And suddenly, I understood. He was a man who could buy anything. Anything but respect, maybe. But love? That, apparently, had a price, and I wasn't sure I could afford it.
Lena slid into the car, the sunlight catching her in a halo of warmth. She didn't see me. She didn't look back.
The engine purred, the car rolled forward, and I was left standing on the sidewalk, frozen, heart hollow.
I watched until the taillights disappeared, swallowed by the city's blur of motion. My fists clenched at my sides. Part of me wanted to run after her, shout her name, demand an explanation. But the fear of being invisible, powerless, and too poor to matter held me rooted.
The campus was quiet now, except for the echo of a laugh that wasn't mine, carried away in Samuel Blake's wake.
I realized… some fights were already lost before I even knew they'd begun.