Chapter 4– Thirty Days Later.
975 Words
One month at Ashwood Academy had taught me three things. First, the coffee here tasted like burnt sadness, second the students were incapable of behaving normally. And third? Killian Ashwood genuinely hated me.
Not in the normal rich-boy-dislikes-poor-transfer-student way either. No. This felt personal.
Which was impressive considering we had barely spoken five full conversations to each other. I stabbed my pancake aggressively.
Across the cafeteria, the entire room suddenly quieted. I didn’t even need to look up anymore, Killian had entered.
The atmosphere changed instantly, just like it always did, students straightened in their seats and lowered their heads. Even my little brother had join their madness which I'm worried about.
Killian walked through the cafeteria beside selena and his usual group of attractive future felons. Everyone moving out of his way like instinct forced them to. Weirdest school in America, no competition.
Vance slid into the seat across from me carrying a tray. “Morning.”
“You’re late.”
“I overslept.”
I frowned down at my coffee. “I barely slept.”
Vance looked worried. “You've not been sleeping well since we got here.”
“How can I sleep well when my mind is not at peace?”
Killian stopped walking in front of our table and stared directly at me. I wanted to talk but Vance pinched me and I throw a glare at him.
Selena pull Vance and they catwalked away.
Three older boys entered the cafeteria laughing loudly and I recognized them immediately. Ryder Kane and his friends. Tje bullies in my class. They had show their color the first day I had a class with them.
The room grew quieter as they passed and Ryder’s eyes landed on me almost instantly.
“Transfer girl,” he called lazily.
I sighed. “Good morning to you too.”
His friends snickered, Ryder walked closer, dragging a chair backward and sitting at the edge of our table without permission. Vance stiffened.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
Ryder leaned back casually. “You’ve gotten popular around here.”
“Living the dream.”
His gaze flickered toward Killian across the room before returning to me then he smiled.
“You going to the Moon Gala tomorrow night?”
I frowned. The Moon Gala. The school had been obsessing over it for weeks. Apparently it was some huge annual celebration for students turning eighteen. And it was also our so called Mr Glare’s Birthday.
“Still deciding whether I’d rather attend or fake my own death,” I replied.
One of Ryder’s friends laughed, his eyes stayed on me strangely with a hint of mischief. “You should come.”
Across the cafeteria, something crashed, the sound echoed violently through the large room and everyone jumped.
I looked up sharply, Killian was standing by his table, his hand clenched around a shattered glass. Water mixed with blood dripped onto the floor beneath his knuckles.
The entire cafeteria fell into a suffocating silence. Selena stared at him in shock, while his friends just stared at him.
Killian’s eyes remained locked onto Ryder, he looked pissed. The air in the room suddenly felt too heavy, too sharp to breathe.
Ryder slowly stood up from his chair. For the first time since I’d met him, he looked genuinely cautious.
Killian took one slow, deliberate step forward, nobody moved, nobody even dared to breathe loudly. Then Ryder lowered his head slightly, it wasn’t a full bow, but it was enough to feel like a total surrender.
Submission… the realization hit me like a slap in the face. He was submitting to him.
Killian’s expression remained ice cold, but after a tense second he gave a short nod. Only then did Ryder relax, the stifling pressure in the cafeteria loosening instantly. It was like everyone had been waiting for permission to inhale.
Ryder cleared his throat awkwardly. “Forget it” he muttered, quickly walking away with his friends.
I stared after them utterly bewildered, then turned back toward my brother. “Okay” I whispered. “I’m officially concerned. Explain to me why everybody acts like that around Killian.”
Vance looked like he wanted to dissolve into the floorboards. “Valentina, please–”
“No, seriously! Why does everyone keep telling me to stay away from him?”
Vance opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, a chair scraped loudly against the floor nearby. The entire cafeteria stiffened all over again.
Killian was walking straight toward our table.
Oh… fantastic. Exactly what my morning needed.
Selena called after him sharply, but he ignored her completely. Students lowered their gazes as he passed, clearing the path instantly. Except for me. Mostly because I was too annoyed to be properly intimidated by him.
Killian stopped right beside our table. He was close enough that I caught the scent that always seemed to cling to him… wood and cedar. It was a weirdly unfair combination.
His gray eyes settled on mine burning with an intense, furious energy that made my pulse trip embarrassingly.
He didn’t say a word to me, he just glared, his jaw clenched so tight the bone looked ready to snap.
“What’s your problem?” I demanded quietly, refusing to look away.
Killian didn’t answer, he just gave me one final dark look… a warning of absolute danger before turning on his heel and walking out of the cafeteria.
The room remained dead silent long after the doors slammed shut behind him.
I looked at Vance, whose face was completely pale.
Tomorrow night was the Moon Gala, fomorrow night was his eighteenth birthday. And looking at the heavy tension still lingering in the air, I had a terrifying feeling that whatever hidden rules ran this town were about to collide right into me.
- Writer
