LILA’S POV
I couldn’t stop thinking about Kade. Every time I walked into a room, the back of my neck prickled, sure he was watching.
Every time I opened my mouth in class, I heard his voice in my head, sneering at how I moved, how I spoke, how I fought.
I needed to be better. I needed to be invisible, but strong. I needed to be more like them.
Asher saw it.
He always did.
He watched me for a long time that night as I tried to study, his gaze soft but steady, like he was waiting for me to say something.
I closed my book and looked up. “Asher?”
He set his notebook aside. “Yeah, Lila?”
I chewed my lip. “Can you help me? With fighting. With…everything. I need to look more like I belong here. If anyone’s watching, I don’t want to give them any reason to look closer.”
He nodded, no
