By evening, Halecrest had moved on to its next obsession.
Rina wished she could say she was surprised.
She sat on the low stone wall near the library, sketchbook open on her knees, pencil hovering without purpose. The quad glowed gold under the setting sun. Groups of students laughed, sprawled, flirted. Life continued as if nothing had cracked open yesterday.
Her phone stayed face down.
She didn’t want to know what was trending now.
She didn’t want to see her name used like currency.
She told herself she was safe here. Neutral ground. Public. Calm.
That lie lasted until she felt it.
The attention.
Not loud. Not invasive. Focused.
She looked up.
Dylan Maddox stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets, posture easy. He wasn’t staring. Not exactly. But he was watching, the way so
