He Said Mine So I Took Him Instead

CHAPTER 3

Not when my dad had made it very clear what would happen if anyone ever found out anything about what went on at home. The memory alone made my stomach twist, a cold shiver running through me as I swallowed it all back down.

"Everything’s fine, sir."

I said it too quickly, and I could hear it even if he didn’t say anything—how fake it sounded. My voice gave me away. My face probably did too. I just stared at him for a second longer, silently hoping he’d let it go and move on like I hadn’t just lied straight to his face.

My eyes flicked to the clock without meaning to.

Eighteen minutes.

That’s how long I’d been stuck here after everyone else left. My legs started feeling weaker the longer I stood there, shifting my weight from one foot to the other like I couldn’t stay still even if I tried.

Mr. Calloway cleared his throat and leaned back slightly in his chair, and I already knew what was coming before he even said it.

"Your grades are starting to slip," he said, his tone more serious now. "You used to sit comfortably at an A average, but now you’re dropping into B range. It doesn’t sound like much, but if this keeps up, you’ll be sitting at a C by the end of the term."

Mr. Calloway kept his tone unusually gentle, and it honestly threw me off.

I was expecting him to raise his voice, lecture me about trying harder, maybe even threaten some kind of punishment like teachers usually do in my head when things go wrong.

But instead, he just sounded… concerned.

I could see it in his face too. That small crease between his brows hadn’t gone away since he noticed my wrist. He was thinking about it, I could tell.

The bruise.

And that thought alone made my chest tighten, because once it clicked for him, it wouldn’t just stay between us anymore.

A lump formed in my throat as I tightened my grip on my backpack strap, my eyes flicking toward the door like it was my only exit in life right now.

I was already past my limit for being late, and every extra second I stayed felt like I was digging myself into deeper trouble at home.

I needed to leave.

Like, now.

I knew I’d probably regret running out of Mr. Calloway’s classroom like that, but I had already stayed longer than I should have, and right now staying felt way more dangerous than leaving.

"I’ll try harder, sir, I promise. Just please give me a bit more time."

The words came out faster than I meant them to, almost like I was begging before I even realized it.

Mr. Calloway was the type of teacher who did things the proper way, the old-school way. I already knew how this went—next would be a note home, then a phone call, and then my parents would know everything.

And that… I couldn’t let happen.

Not now.

Not like this.

"Seraphina, I—" he started, his brow knitting tighter as he looked at me like he still wanted to say something important.

"I’m sorry, I have to go."

I cut him off before I could lose my nerve.

I didn’t give myself another second to think.

I spun around and bolted for the door, my heart hammering so loud it felt like it was drowning everything else out. Behind me, I could hear him calling my name, telling me to stop, but I kept going anyway.

The second I hit the hallway, I pushed the door open harder than I meant to and kept running. A few students were still out there, some looking up in surprise as I rushed past them, but I didn’t slow down.

I ignored all of it, even as Mr. Calloway’s voice followed me out into the corridor.

I was out of the school entrance in seconds, practically bursting through it as I raced down the steps and cut across the student car park. A few cars were still parked in their bays, but I didn’t slow down for anything.

I passed the coach area and my stomach dropped a little when I saw the buses were already gone.

That just made everything worse.

Running through the middle of it, I realized I was way more behind than I wanted to admit. It usually took fifteen minutes by bus to get home, and now I was about to turn that into a full-on nightmare on foot.

I shoved my other arm through my backpack strap and pulled it tighter against my shoulders so it wouldn’t bounce around while I ran, my bag hitting my back with every step.

People were already staring at me like I’d lost my mind, but I couldn’t care less.

Then I felt it.

Rain.