365 Days To Save The Campus Bad Boy

Advice Gone Wrong

After Elijah left me standing there, it took several minutes for my brain to start working again. Eventually, I gave up trying to make sense of the encounter and headed to my lecture.

Because of my previous extracurricular activity of chasing Jace around campus, I had fallen behind in several courses. Fortunately, having already lived through this academic year made catching up surprisingly easy.

As a third-year business major, the workload was brutal, and the pressure of maintaining my scholarship was even worse. But this time, I wasn’t drowning. I already knew what was coming so there was nothing to worry about.

As the lecturer droned on from the front of the classroom, my thoughts drifted back to Elijah. Putting him off wasn’t a long-term solution.

Stalking was a bad idea too. He had already warned me. But the desire to get close to him was overwhelming. Perhaps it was because I had watched him die or maybe it was because our fates had somehow become intertwined. Whatever the reason, I couldn’t simply pretend I didn’t know he would be murdered in a few months.

‘Perhaps I should warn him.’ I thought to myself but recalling his glare, I changed my mind. ‘On second thought… maybe not.”

“Ah, what should I do?”

“Do you have a question, Ms. Kennedy?”

My head snapped up as the lecturer called my name. The classroom had fallen completely silent and every pair of eyes was on me. Some students looked annoyed. Others looked amused. A few didn’t even bother hiding their contempt — my reputation had never exactly been stellar. My actions in the past had drawn much criticism from others. The rest didn’t even deem me worthy of a reaction.

“No, sir. Sorry.”

“Good. Then pay attention. You have a test next week.”

The entire class groaned. A few people actually glared at me as if I’d personally scheduled the test. I ignored them. As soon as the class ended, I rushed out. There was no reason to linger around people who couldn’t stand me. I planned to live this life free of worries.

The coffee shop across the street was calling my name.

K-Fein.

Yeah, I know. Not exactly the most creative name in history.

The place was mostly empty except for a few people who held study sessions there. Besides, who drank coffee in the middle of the afternoon? Except, me of course.

After placing my order, I leaned against the counter while the barista prepared it.

A shadow suddenly fell over me.

Glancing back, I almost flinched at the familiar frown and striking pair of hazel eyes. Elijah was standing behind me, arms crossed. I nearly flinched at his scowl.

‘Why does he dislike me so much? All I did was hug him once. To think I once died because of him. Ungrateful brat!’

“I wasn’t following you, I swear.” I blurted out before he could accuse me of stalking him again. Even if I was guilty the first time.

His expression didn't change.

“I know. You were here before me.”

I blinked. ‘Great.’

Awkwardly, I turned back to the counter, drumming my fingers on the wood as I waited for the barista. She sure was taking her sweet time.

It was funny that I’d been thinking of Elijah my entire lecture, and now that he was standing right beside me, I couldn’t find the courage to speak. How could I when I could feel him shooting daggers at my head?

Thankfully, my coffee arrived. I paid for it and escaped before the awkwardness could kill me. He made me nervous and I couldn’t figure out why.

The moment I stepped outside, I released a long sigh and stretched beneath the warm afternoon sunlight.

“Why do I even bother? I should just forget about him and move on with my life. No need to get involved with him.” I muttered to myself.

I turned to start walking to my dorm and nearly walked straight into a broad chest. My heart stopped for a moment, then I cursed.

“s**t!”

I stumbled back.

“You seriously need to stop sneaking up on people and standing behind them like a statue. You almost gave me a f*****g heart attack.” I spat at Elijah’s face.

“It’s not my fault you have the spatial awareness of a snail.” He rolled his eyes. It was impressive. I didn’t know his eyes were capable of anything else other than glaring.

Then he stretched out a keychain. “Here. You dropped this.”

I glanced down at my bag and realized one of my keychains was missing. It must have dropped while I was making my escape.

“Oh. Thanks.” I said before grabbing it from him.

He tucked one hand into his pocket while holding a coffee cup with the other.

“You complain about me sneaking up on people when you’re the one moving around campus with binoculars in your bag.” His gaze flicked toward my bag.

I winced. He was right.

“Look, I apologize for this morning. My actions were… uncalled for and I promise it won’t happen again. I know I have a reputation but you don’t need to worry about me following you around campus. It was a one-time thing.”

If he looked surprised by my explanation, he didn’t show it.

“Then why did you do it? Did someone send you?” His eyes narrowed.

I swallowed, recalling Denis's words about him beating up people. He must think I was sent by someone to monitor him. My eyes widened and I frantically shook my head.

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

I bit my lips, not knowing whether to tell him the truth. He wouldn’t believe me but I could at least leave him with a warning. Just to ease my conscience.

I took a cautious step closer to him and leaned in, lowering my voice.

“Hey. Just… be careful, okay? Don't move around with the wrong crowd and maybe try not to make enemies everywhere you go. I have a feeling that if you’re not careful, it won’t end well.”

Satisfied, I backed away with a smile. I had done my part. Whether he listened or not was his problem now. I turned around to leave when I suddenly felt my hoodie being yanked backward. I stumbled and my coffee fell, spilling on the pavement. Watching the coffee that I hadn’t even had a taste of waste away like that, my eyes went red.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you?” I glared at Elijah who was currently holding the edge of my hoodie in his hands.

And judging by the look on his face, he wasn’t happy.

“Did you just threaten me?” His eyes narrowed into slits.

“What? Threaten you? I was giving you a word of advice, you jerk. You should be grateful! Unhand me.”

He didn’t let me go. Instead, he grabbed the back of my neck, his fingers digging into my skin just enough to make me flinch.

“And what makes you think someone as pathetic as you can advise me about my life choices? Do I look like another ‘charity case’ to you?”

A gasp of shock escaped me.

“Pathetic? Excuse me? At least I didn't get myself killed.” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

His brows scrunched immediately. “What?”

My eyes widened. Crap. Without thinking, I drove my elbow into his stomach with as much force as I could manage. A sharp breath escaped him and his grip loosened. I immediately jumped backwards.

Before I could make a run for it, a sudden pain shot through my abdomen and I faltered for a second. But a second was all Elijah needed to recover and reach for me again:

I raised my arm to shove him away. Instead, my hand collided with the plastic coffee cup he was holding. The cup tipped and hot coffee splashed over his hand.

He flinched, letting go of the cup entirely. It hit the ground with a splash, scattering coffee everywhere.

‘Serves him right. If I don’t get to enjoy my coffee, neither does—‘

My thoughts abruptly cut off.

A strange burning sensation spread through my fingers. I glanced down, checking if any of his coffee had splashed on me but my skin was completely dry. No burns. No redness. Nothing.

So why did it suddenly feel like I dipped my fingers into hot water?

I clenched my jaw. The sensation was starting to dull down. I rubbed my fingers together uneasily before looking up.

“I already told you I won’t follow you again. So just leave me alone.” I threw at him before turning to escape before he decided to get revenge for the elbow.

I didn’t relax until I’d put a considerable distance between us. Only then did I risk a glance over my shoulder. He wasn’t following me.

Relieved, I finally sighed. The strange pain in my fingers lingered at the back of my mind, but I pushed it aside and continued walking. For now, surviving university was complicated enough without adding Elijah to the list of my problems.