Jace's POV
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I walked back from practice, gear bag slung over one shoulder. I pulled it out and Ariana’s name lit up the screen.
Ariana: Hey, you free? I could use some company. Scholarship stuff is really stressing me out.
I didn’t even think about it.
Me: Yeah. Meet at the bench by the library in 10?
Ariana: See you there.
I changed direction, cutting across the quad toward the library. The evening air felt cooler now, carrying that quiet hum of campus winding down for the night. My mind stayed fixed on her. She’d been distant since the gossip about her ex picked up again, and now this scholarship pressure on top? I hated watching her shoulder it all by herself.
She was already sitting there when I arrived, knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped a
