Chapter Six:The Breaking Point
775 Words
By Wednesday morning, Redwood University had settled into its usual rhythm.
Lectures had begun.
Assignments were already piling up.
And no matter how hard Aria tried...
She couldn't take ten steps without someone recognizing her.
"Aria!"
"Can I have a selfie?"
"I've followed your career since your first movie!"
She smiled politely, signed what she could, and apologized to everyone else.
But inside...
She was exhausted.
This wasn't the fresh start she'd imagined.
It felt like she had brought her old life with her.
---
Meanwhile...
Damian left the Business Building with Mason a few steps behind him.
"You know she's living opposite us now," Mason said.
"I noticed."
"You've got nothing else to say?"
Damian shrugged.
"No."
Mason laughed.
"I've never met anyone less interested in celebrities."
"They're people."
"So?"
"So I don't see the difference."
Before Mason could reply, Liam called his name from across the courtyard.
"I'll catch up."
Damian nodded and continued alone.
---
Aria tightened her grip on her books as another group of students followed behind her.
"Please..." she said with a tired smile.
"I really have to get to class."
Most ignored her.
Some even laughed.
She spotted a quieter path beside the Business Building and turned into it without thinking.
Finally...
Silence.
She let out a slow breath.
Then she rounded the corner.
Thud.
The force of the collision sent both of them stumbling.
Books slid across the pavement.
A laptop hit the ground with a dull crack.
For a heartbeat...
Neither of them moved.
Aria looked up.
"...You."
Damian looked down at the cracked corner of his laptop before kneeling to gather his papers.
Aria quickly dropped to help him.
"I'm sorry. They won't just leave me alone and I wasn't looking where I was going."
Damian collected another sheet of paper.
"You should've."
The words were quiet.
But they landed harder than she expected.
She looked at him.
"I said I was sorry."
He stood, taking the papers from her hand.
"An apology doesn't undo carelessness."
Her expression changed.
"Carelessness?"
"You ran around a blind corner."
"I was trying to get away from a crowd!"
"You still ran."
The conversation had begun drawing attention.
Students slowed their steps.
Nobody dared interrupt.
Aria folded her arms.
"You know what?"
"I've been polite to everyone since I got here."
"I've smiled."
"I've apologized."
"I've tried to make people feel welcome."
"And the first thing you do is act like I'm some inconvenience."
Damian met her eyes.
"I don't know you."
"You don't have to know me to have basic manners."
"I wasn't rude."
She let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
"No?"
"You made one mistake," Damian said evenly.
"I pointed it out."
"That's what you call this?"
"You want me to pretend it didn't happen?"
"No."
"I wanted you to show a little understanding."
His jaw tightened.
"Understanding doesn't stop people getting hurt."
"So now you're saying I could've hurt you?"
"I'm saying actions have consequences."
She stared at him.
For the first time since arriving at Redwood...
Someone wasn't treating her like a celebrity.
They weren't trying to impress her.
They weren't afraid of offending her.
They simply...
Didn't care.
And for reasons she couldn't explain...
That frustrated her even more.
"You really think you're always right, don't you?"
"No."
"But I'm not wrong."
Something inside her snapped.
"You know what?"
"Everyone keeps talking about Damian Hayes."
"They act like you're some untouchable king of this university."
She took another step forward.
"I don't care who your father is."
"I don't care what everyone says about you."
"And I definitely don't care if people are afraid of you."
The courtyard fell silent.
Students stopped walking.
A few quietly turned around and left.
No one wanted to witness whatever happened next.
Damian's expression remained unreadable.
"Finished?"
That single word...
Spoken without anger...
Without raising his voice...
Felt like he had dismissed everything she had just said.
Aria's eyes burned with frustration.
Before she could think—
Her hand swung.
SLAP!
The sound cracked through the courtyard.
A gasp escaped the crowd.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Aria stared at Damian in horror.
Her own breathing became uneven.
She hadn't planned it.
She hadn't even realized she'd lifted her hand.
Damian slowly turned his face back toward her.
He didn't touch his cheek.
He didn't raise his voice.
He simply looked at her.
Those cold grey eyes held hers without a word.
The silence was unbearable.
Fear replaced anger.
Aria took one step back.
Then another.
She turned...
And ran.
Leaving behind a silent courtyard...
And the only man at Redwood University who hadn't reacted the way anyone expected.
- Writer
