CHAPTER 3 - DOUBLE TROUBLE
1584 Words
Morning light slipped through my curtains, pulling me out of sleep earlier than I wanted. I groaned softly and turned to my side, hoping for a few more minutes of peace. No chance. Nugget was already awake, stretching beside me like he owned the entire bed.
“Must be nice having no responsibilities,” I muttered.
He blinked at me.
Traitor.
Downstairs, the smell of breakfast filled the house. My mom was already in the kitchen, moving around like she had been awake for hours.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” she said as soon as I walked in.
“Morning…” I replied, still half asleep.
She studied me for a second, then smiled knowingly. “You’re thinking too much again.”
I immediately pointed at her. “Mom, please stop analyzing me before breakfast.”
She only laughed and continued cooking.
After breakfast, I went upstairs to get ready for school. Simple outfit. Hair tied. Bag ready. Nothing unusual.
At least… I hoped.
Because after everything yesterday, I wasn’t convinced “normal” even existed anymore.
When I stepped outside, Lori was already waiting by her car. Leaning against it like she had all the time in the world.
“Finally,” she said the moment she saw me. “You’re slow.”
“I’m not slow. You’re just early.”
“Same thing.”
I rolled my eyes but got in anyway. The car door shut behind me.
Lori didn’t start driving right away. She glanced at me with that look. Curious. Suspicious. Dangerous.
“So…” she started.
I immediately shook my head. “No.”
Lori blinked. “I didn’t even ask anything yet.”
She smiled like that was exactly her plan.
“Okay fine,” she said, starting the car. “What happened after I left you yesterday?”
I hesitated.
“…Nothing,” I said carefully.
Lori hummed like she didn’t believe me. And honestly, she wasn’t wrong.
She reached for her phone at a stoplight, scrolling casually.
Then she said, “By the way, you texted me last night.”
I froze slightly.
“…What message?”
Lori raised an eyebrow. “Don’t play dumb.”
My brain immediately flashed back. Dinner. Mason. The chaos. The awkward silence after he left. I remembered texting her when I got to my room.
(FLASHBACK – TEXT MESSAGE)
Me: He came over for dinner.
Lori: WHO???
Me: Mason Crawford
Lori: Oh my God!!! Really???
Lori: WAIT WHAT? WHY? HOW? WITH YOUR PARENTS??
Me: Yes.
Lori: GIRL WHAT HAPPENED?? Me: A lot. Too much. I regret everything.
Back in the present, I groaned and leaned my head against the window.
“Oh… that.”
Lori smirked. “Yeah. That.”
“It was just dinner,” I said.
“Dinner with Mason,” she emphasized immediately.
I turned my head away. “Unfortunately.”
Lori laughed under her breath. “Your life is actually a drama series,” she said.
The car moved forward through the morning traffic. I stared out the window, hoping she would drop it.
She didn’t.
Instead, she said quietly, “You know… it’s kind of weird how fast he became part of your life.”
I stiffened slightly. “…Don’t say it like that.”
Lori smiled. “Like what?”
“Like it means something.”
She didn’t answer right away. And that silence was worse.
The campus was already alive when we arrived at Westbridge University. Students filled the walkways, voices blending into the usual morning chaos. Everything looked normal. But it didn’t feel normal. Not for me.
I stepped out of Lori’s car, adjusting my bag as I followed her toward the building.
And then I felt it. That strange heaviness again. Like I was being watched.
I slowed down slightly.
“Do you feel that?” I asked quietly.
Lori glanced at me. “Feel what?”
I hesitated. “Nothing.”
But I already knew I was right.
Then I saw him. Mason.
Standing near the main walkway. Still. Waiting.
My steps slowed without permission.
He wasn’t just passing by. He was waiting for me.
As we got closer, my heart started acting up again. I hated it.
“Why is he here…” I muttered under my breath.
Lori barely reacted. “He studies here.”
“That’s not the point.”
She smirked slightly. “Then what is?”
I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t know.
Mason stepped forward as we reached him.
“Morning,” he said.
Just one word. But it hit louder than it should’ve.
I frowned. “Why are you waiting here?”
“I wasn’t waiting,” he said. “I just got here earlier.”
That answer didn’t help at all.
Lori sighed softly beside me. “This is already weird,” she said under her breath.
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.
Because Mason was looking at me again. Like he always did. Like I was the only thing he actually noticed in the crowd.
And I hated that I noticed it too.
“Let’s go,” Lori said, pulling me gently forward.
I let her.
But as I passed Mason, I glanced back.
He was still there. Watching. And this time, he wasn’t smiling.
The classroom was already half full when Lori and I arrived. I picked a seat near the middle without thinking too much, just hoping the day would stay normal for at least a little while.
That hope didn’t last long.
The door opened. My chest tightened instantly.
Mason. Of course.
He walked in like he already knew exactly where he was going. Calm. Confident. Like nothing here could shake him.
His eyes landed on me. A brief pause. That same faint smirk.
He walked straight down the aisle and stopped beside my desk. Without asking, he pulled out the chair next to mine and sat down like it was completely normal.
“Hey,” he said casually.
I didn’t respond.
Lori leaned in from behind me. “Why is he always there?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered back. “I didn’t invite him into my life.”
The classroom door opened again. This time, the atmosphere changed.
A tall blonde guy stepped inside. Effortless posture. Calm expression. The kind of presence that made people look up without realizing it.
Even the room went quiet.
The professor looked up. “You are?”
“I’m Frost Dawson,” he said. “I just enrolled a little late. I’m originally from Seattle. I’m in Arts and Media.”
The professor nodded. “You may take a seat.”
Frost scanned the room. His eyes landed on me for a second.
He started walking down the aisle, then stopped beside our row.
“Is this seat taken?” Frost asked, looking at the empty chair next to mine.
Before I could answer—
Mason spoke first.
“It is.”
Cold. Immediate.
Silence.
Frost didn’t react right away. Then he smiled faintly. “Got it,” he said lightly.
And instead of pushing it, he sat a few seats away.
But the tension he left behind stayed. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
Lori leaned closer. “Okay… what was that?”
I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t know.
But I could feel it clearly now. This wasn’t just a normal class anymore.
The moment the professor dismissed the class, the room broke into noise again. But it still didn’t feel normal. Not for me.
Mason didn’t move right away. He just sat there like he wasn’t in a rush to leave.
“Let’s go,” Lori whispered.
“Yeah… yeah,” I muttered, grabbing my bag.
Before I could stand fully, a shadow stopped beside my desk.
I looked up.
Frost.
“Hey,” he said.
“Uh… hi.”
“I don’t think we were properly introduced,” he said.
“Oh—yeah. I guess not.”
“Frost,” he added.
“My name,” he clarified. “Frost Dawson.”
“Oh—right. Evelyn. Evelyn Loris.”
A faint smile formed on his face. “Evelyn.”
Behind me, Lori mouthed ohhh like she was watching a movie.
“You’re in Arts and Media, right?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
That word felt intentional, though it made no sense.
“Good for what?” Lori asked.
“Group work,” Frost said simply.
“I’ll sit near you next class,” he added casually.
My eyes widened. “You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” he interrupted smoothly.
Silence.
Before I could respond, he added lightly, “Unless your friend has a problem with it.”
Lori raised both hands. “Oh no, I’m just a witness.”
Frost smiled faintly, then looked back at me.
“You looked like you were thinking too hard in class,” he said.
“I was not.”
“You were.”
My face felt warm.
“I wasn’t,” I repeated, weaker this time.
A quiet laugh escaped him. “Okay.”
Then his eyes flicked past me. The air shifted.
Mason.
Still there. Watching.
Frost noticed. He only gave a small nod in Mason’s direction, then looked back at me.
“I’ll see you around, Evelyn,” he said.
Before I could reply, he walked away.
Slow. Relaxed.
But as he passed Mason’s row, the tension returned instantly.
And I was still stuck in the middle of it.
- Writer
