Not Again!!!.
1160 Words
Her heart didn’t slow down until he finally let her go.
For one terrifying second after his hand left her arm, Irina stood still against the cold metal door. Her throat burned, like she had forgotten how to breathe.
Dashiel Vanderbilt stared at her like she was a puzzle he didn’t want to solve.
Up close, he was even more intimidating. He was too tall… too calm. Too aware of the power he carried just by standing there. His sharp, unreadable eyes moved over her face, her clothes, and the slight tremble she couldn’t hide.
“Well?” he said flatly.
Her mouth went dry. A thousand stupid words raced through her mind.
I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to hear anything.
Please don’t hurt me.
Instead, she swallowed hard and lifted her chin.
“I’m nobody,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt.
Creed snorted softly behind Dashiel, clearly amused, but Dashiel didn’t smile. He studied her for a long moment, as if deciding how much trouble she could cause.
“I don’t know you,” he said.
“No,” she agreed quickly. “You don’t.”
The silence stretched heavily between them, like a string pulling them together.
“I wasn’t even here tonight,” she lied. “I didn’t hear anything. I don’t know anything.”
Her fingers curled into tight fists at her sides. Part of her burned with curiosity.
what exactly could someone like Dashiel Vanderbilt lose? Why did he look even a little afraid?
She wanted nothing to do with whatever this was.
Dashiel’s eyes narrowed, as if testing her. For a frightening moment, she thought he might push harder, ask more questions, or make her promise things she couldn’t keep.
Instead, he stepped back.
“Good,” he said calmly. “Because if you were…”
He didn’t finish the sentence… He didn’t need to.
He turned away, dismissing her as if she had already disappeared.
Irina didn’t wait for permission. She slipped past him, her shoulder brushing the edge of his jacket, and grabbed the door with shaking hands. It opened easily this time. The stairway felt safer than ever..
She didn’t look back.
She only heard Creed’s lazy laugh once she was halfway down the stairs.
“Man,” Creed said, “you’re really letting her go?”
Irina caught the rest in fragments as the door began to close.
“She’s hot,” Creed added.
The door shut completely.
The walk back to campus felt longer than usual. Her heels clicked too loudly on the pavement, and every sound made her flinch.
She kept thinking about the way his hand had gripped her arm… the strength, the certainty, the way he had looked at her like she was either an inconvenience or a threat.
She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and kept walking, unaware of the sleek black car that followed slowly behind her, headlights dimmed, keeping its distance.
When she finally reached her dorm, she didn’t look back.
Sasha was still awake when Irina pushed open the door to their room.
“Holy s**t,” Sasha said, eyes still on her laptop screen. “You look like you just got into a fight.”
Irina dropped her bag on the floor and kicked the door shut.
“I did.”
That got Sasha’s full attention.
“I’m sorry… what?” she quizzed, pausing her anime.
Irina crossed the room and collapsed face-first onto her bed. The mattress sank under her as all the exhaustion hit at once.
“Long story,” she mumbled into the pillow.
Sasha waited quietly, like she always did.
Irina turned her head slightly, her cheek against the fabric. “Jake’s a liar. The party was a mistake. I hate men.”
Sasha blinked, then nodded seriously. “Valid.”
Irina let out a weak laugh.
How had she let this happen again? She should have known better. No one ever stayed. She should have seen it coming.
The tears came fast. She jumped up and hurried to their shared bathroom before Sasha could notice. She sank to the floor in front of the sink as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She tried to cry quietly… she didn’t want anyone’s pity.
She thought about her old high school days, how friends had always broken her heart. She thought she had gotten used to it.
“I should have f*****g known!” she whispered, still crying, as she ran her hands through her hair.
When she finally felt empty, she washed her face at the sink and made a silent promise to herself… never let anyone get too close again.
The moment she lay down, her body gave up. Sleep pulled her in before her thoughts could spin out of control.
The next morning came like a punishment.
Irina woke to her alarm screamingand Sasha shouting, “IRINA, YOU’RE LATE!”
She sat up so fast the room spun.
“What time is it?” she asked, panic rising through her voice.
“Ten minutes ago,” Sasha said cheerfully, already dressed. “You look like you survived a storm.”
Irina groaned.
Her hair was a wild mess of tangled curls. She stumbled to the bathroom down the hall, barely awake.
She nearly slipped on the wet tile and caught herself on the wall with a sharp gasp.
“Great,” she muttered. “Just die here. Perfect.”
Back in the room, Sasha leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “You could just skip today.”
Irina paused while pulling on her shirt.
“No.”
Sasha raised an eyebrow. “You never skip class.”
“Exactly.”
Bellview wasn’t going to beat her. She refused to give it the satisfaction.
She threw on her favorite jeans, which was now soft from too many washes… and a peplum top she had bought from a small shop because it made her feel cute.
She grabbed her bag and half-jogged out the door.
She arrived late, of course.
The lecture hall doors creaked open loudly. Every head turned toward her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, embarrassed, as she hurried down the aisle.
Her usual seat was near the middle… close enough to hear, far enough to hide. She slid into it quickly, heart racing, relieved when the professor barely looked at her.
Then she noticed something strange.
The seat behind her was never occupied.
But this time… it was.
She looked up slowly, and froze.
Dashiel Vanderbilt sat there.
He looked relaxed, perfectly dressed… completely out of place.
Her blood ran cold.
What was he doing here?
She was sure… completely sure she had never seen him in this class before. She would have noticed.
He didn’t look at her.
He didn’t acknowledge her.
He didn’t even blink.
The professor started talking again, but the words felt far away as Irina stared straight ahead, her heart pounding in her chest.
- Writer
