The Quad
511 Words
The B1 wing door clicked shut behind them.
Quad was packed. 10AM break. 200 witnesses.
Aria tugged her collar up. Mark still burned. Dark. Fresh.
Damian walked beside her, hands in pockets. Face neutral.
“Rule #13,” he said. That was all.
They stepped into sunlight. Whispers started immediately.
Phones up. Aria Carter. Damian Black. That mark.
“ARIA.”
Maya. Best friend since high with a worried look..
She cut through the crowd and stopped dead in front of Aria.
Eyes went straight to the mark. Then to Damian. Then back to Aria.
Maya pulled Aria’s collar down without asking. Exposed it fully.
Studied it like it was data.
“Damian’s work,” Maya said flatly. Not a question. A fact.
“Yes.” Aria didn’t look away. “B1 wing. 20 minutes.”
Maya dropped the collar. Pulled her phone out.
“Group chat is about to explode. ‘Aria got marked day 3.’ Congrats on going viral.”
No crying. No “are you okay”. Just Maya being Maya.
“Aria Carter.” Dr. Mensah’s voice cut through. Science block steps.
“My office. Now.”
Aria walked. Maya followed without being asked.
Dr. Mensah’s office was cold.
He looked at the mark for 3 seconds.
“You’re 20. Adult. Consensual?”
“Yes,” Aria said. Voice flat. “I broke a rule. He enforced it.”
Maya leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Said nothing.
Dr. Mensah sighed. “Cover it or go home. Your choice.”
15 steps out the door and Danny was there. Fountain.
Ex from 5 years ago. Before she left for school abroad. They ended it clean. No tears then, no tears now.
His eyes locked on her neck.
“That’s Damian’s,” he said. Not a question.
“Yes.” Aria kept walking. Tried to pass.
Danny moved into her path. Grabbed her arm lightly.
“Don’t do this, Aria. You know who he is.”
Damian was there instantly. No running. Just presence.
His hand wrapped Kunle’s wrist. Stopped the grip.
“Let go,” Damian said. Eyes on Aria, not Danny.
Danny released her. Stepped back. Hands up.
“Just talking.”
“Then talk to the air,” Damian replied. Finally glanced at him.
“Rule #13. Her mark stays visible. No one touches her to hide it. Understood?”
Danny nodded once and left. Fast. Like she was some kind of disease.
200 phones recorded everything.
Damian typed on his phone one-handed.
Aria’s phone buzzed: Damian: Rule #13. Don’t cover the mark.
He opened the G-Wagon door. Engine running.
Aria got in. Maya watched from the sidewalk, pulled out her phone to text her, one eyebrow raised. That was her reaction.
Door locked. They pulled into traffic.
“4 more hours of classes,” Damian said. “Sit up straight.”
Aria sat up straight. Neck exposed.
3 years since she left. 3 days since she came back.
And Rule #13 just became her whole life and the only rule dat mattered ..
- Writer
