Chapter 3: Rules
1072 Words
By the end of the week, Lena had learned three important things about Blackridge University.
First, rich students loved drama.
Second, the coffee on campus tasted terrible.
And third—people were absolutely obsessed with Ethan Blackwood.
It didn’t matter where she went. His name somehow followed.
“He got into a fight downtown.”
“His family owns half the city.”
“He dated a model once.”
“He almost got arrested.”
Most of the stories sounded fake.
The rest sounded exaggerated.
Lena stopped believing any of it after hearing three completely different versions of the same rumor in one day.
Still, she couldn’t deny one thing.
Ethan was strange.
Not in the loud, attention-seeking way some guys were. Actually, he barely spoke at all. He just had this habit of appearing out of nowhere, saying something confusing, then disappearing again.
Like last night.
Lena had been sitting in the dorm lounge trying to finish an assignment when the power suddenly went out on their floor.
Everyone panicked for no reason.
Someone screamed.
Another person started recording on their phone like they were in a horror movie.
Lena was trying not to laugh when a flashlight suddenly landed on her table.
She looked up.
Ethan.
“You’ll ruin your eyesight,” he said casually.
Then he walked away before she could even respond.
Weird.
Very weird.
Now, Friday afternoon, Lena sat on the library floor surrounded by books she barely understood.
“This school is trying to kill me,” she muttered.
Maya laughed from across the table. “Relax. Midterms are worse.”
“That doesn’t help.”
“It wasn’t supposed to.”
Lena dropped her head dramatically onto the table.
She missed home.
Not because Brooklyn was perfect, but because life there made sense. Blackridge constantly felt like everyone knew something she didn’t.
Especially Ethan.
Speaking of the devil—
Maya suddenly kicked her under the table.
“Ow. What was that for?”
Maya stared toward the library entrance. “Don’t look immediately.”
So naturally, Lena looked immediately.
Ethan walked inside wearing a dark hoodie and headphones again. A girl near the entrance instantly straightened her posture when she saw him.
Lena honestly didn’t understand the effect this guy had on people.
“He literally looks normal,” she whispered.
Maya looked offended. “That man could ruin lives.”
“That sounds dramatic.”
“You say that now.”
Ethan scanned the library briefly before his eyes landed on Lena.
And stayed there.
Lena quickly looked back down at her book.
“Why does he keep looking at me?”
Maya grinned slowly. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“He likes you.”
Lena almost threw her pen at her.
“He does not.”
“He definitely does.”
“No, he definitely stares because he thinks I’m annoying.”
“That’s basically the same thing.”
Before Lena could argue, a chair pulled out beside her.
She looked up slowly.
Ethan sat down.
Maya nearly choked trying not to react.
Lena blinked. “There are other seats.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you here?”
“You’re loud.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
He ignored that completely and glanced at the open textbook in front of her.
“You’re studying the wrong chapter.”
Lena frowned. “What?”
Without asking, Ethan pulled the book closer and flipped through a few pages.
“This professor likes using trick questions,” he said. “Focus on these sections instead.”
Lena stared at him suspiciously.
“Are you secretly a nerd?”
One side of his mouth lifted slightly.
“You’re failing already and classes started five days ago.”
“I’m not failing.”
“You looked emotionally defeated.”
“That’s different.”
Maya suddenly stood up.
“I just remembered I have somewhere to be.”
Lena looked at her in disbelief.
“You traitor.”
“Good luck,” Maya whispered before disappearing.
Coward.
Now it was just her and Ethan sitting in awkward silence.
Up close, he didn’t seem as cold as everyone described.
Tired maybe.
Guarded definitely.
But not cruel.
“You know,” Lena said carefully, “people act terrified of you.”
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
“Maybe they should.”
There it was again.
That weird unreadable side of him.
Lena studied him quietly for a moment.
“You don’t actually believe that.”
For the first time since sitting down, Ethan looked slightly caught off guard.
“You assume a lot.”
“And you avoid questions.”
A few seconds passed before he spoke again.
“You’re different here.”
Lena frowned slightly. “Different how?”
“You don’t care who people are.”
“That’s not true.”
“You sat with me on your second day.”
“That was because the cafeteria was full.”
“You keep telling yourself that.”
Lena rolled her eyes, but she felt heat creep into her face anyway.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Before she could think of a response, Ethan’s phone buzzed on the table.
His expression changed the second he saw the screen.
Completely.
The relaxed look disappeared instantly.
He stood up.
“I have to go.”
Lena glanced at him. “Everything okay?”
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
For a second, Ethan just looked at her.
Then he gave a small nod.
“Stay inside tonight.”
Lena frowned. “Why does everyone here talk like we live in Gotham City?”
That actually made him laugh quietly.
A real laugh.
Not the tiny smirk he usually gave.
It caught her completely off guard.
And for a moment, he looked… normal.
Just a college guy laughing at a stupid joke.
Then his phone buzzed again.
The expression vanished.
“I’m serious, Lena.”
Without another word, he grabbed his bag and walked out of the library.
Lena watched him leave.
Maya suddenly reappeared beside her out of nowhere.
“Well,” she said dramatically, “that was the hottest academic tutoring session I’ve ever witnessed.”
Lena threw a pen at her.
But later that night, while rain tapped softly against the dorm windows again, one thought kept circling inside her head.
Why did Ethan Blackwood keep warning her?
- Writer
