Lines Drawn
487 Words
Ava stormed out of the cafeteria, her heart pounding so hard it hurt.
The laughter still rang in her ears, every mocking whisper slicing into her like a knife.
She didn’t stop until she was outside, sucking in deep breaths of cold air.
Her fingers curled into fists. She should be used to this by now.
But today was different.
Not because of Lucas. Not because of Jace.
Because of Damian.
Because for one second, she thought he might actually—
No.
She shook the thought away, her chest tightening.
Damian Lancaster was just like them.
The fact that he’d stopped Lucas from hitting her didn’t mean anything.
It didn’t erase the months of torment.
And it sure as hell didn’t change the fact that he had stood by and done nothing.
Ava exhaled sharply, shoving her hands into her pockets.
She had bigger things to worry about.
Like getting through the rest of the day without breaking.
Later That Day – Science Class
Ava kept her head down as she walked into the science lab, praying she could just get through class unnoticed.
No such luck.
As soon as she stepped inside, she felt it—the shift in the air.
Lucas, Jace, and a few others were already at the lab tables, snickering about something.
Her gut twisted.
She ignored them, moving to the only available seat—only to freeze.
The seat was next to Damian.
Her breath caught.
It wasn’t unusual. He always sat there.
But after what happened in the cafeteria, the air between them felt… different.
She hesitated for half a second before dropping into her chair, keeping her gaze locked on her textbook.
If she ignored him, maybe he’d do the same.
But she could feel it.
That damn stare.
Like he was waiting for her to say something.
Ava clenched her jaw, flipping a page in her book she hadn’t even read.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Damian said quietly.
Her grip tightened around the textbook.
She didn’t look at him. Didn’t acknowledge him.
But her pulse spiked.
After a long pause, Damian sighed. “Lucas is going to make it worse now.”
Ava let out a cold laugh, finally turning to him.
“Oh, so now you care?” she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Damian’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t answer.
She shook her head. “You let them humiliate me every day. You think one moment of hesitation means something?”
She hated the flicker of something in his expression.
Regret? Guilt?
It didn’t matter.
She wasn’t stupid enough to believe it.
“Whatever, Lancaster,” she muttered, turning back to her book. “Just stay out of my way.”
And for once, he did.
But even as she focused on the lesson, she could still feel his eyes on her.
And that was somehow more dangerous than anything Lucas could do.
- Writer
