PHEROMONE BLIND

THE CAMPUS HEARTTHROB

CHAPTER 4: THE CAMPUS HEARTTHROB

Lucas left the hospital in a daze.

The doctor's words echoed relentlessly in his mind.

You were born an Omega.

Someone altered your records.

The envelope containing his medical report felt unusually heavy in his hand, as though it carried the weight of his entire life. He had walked this road to Blackwood Academy hundreds of times, yet today everything looked unfamiliar.

Students laughed as they streamed through the school gates. Clubs recruited new members near the fountain, while the sound of basketballs echoed from the outdoor court.

Life carried on as though nothing had happened.Lucas wished he could do the same.

"Lucas!"

He looked up to see Ryan Cole jogging toward him with an irritated expression.

"Where were you this morning? Mr. Foster almost marked you absent."

Lucas forced a smile. "I had a hospital appointment."

Ryan frowned immediately. "Are you sick?"

"No. Just... a routine check."

The lie slipped out more easily than Lucas expected.

Ryan stared at him for a moment before sighing. "You look terrible."

"I didn't sleep much."

"Well, don't disappear again. You had me worried."

Lucas managed a nod, guilt creeping into his chest. Ryan had been his closest friend since middle school. They had never kept secrets from each other.

Until now.

They entered the classroom together.Lucas's eyes instinctively drifted toward the back row.Eric's seat was empty.For reasons he didn't want to examine, relief washed over him.

Maybe yesterday had only been an accident.Maybe Eric wouldn't even remember it.Maybe everything could return to normal.The thought barely comforted him.

Throughout the first lesson, Lucas couldn't concentrate. His notebook remained blank while the teacher's voice faded into meaningless background noise.His mind kept returning to the hospital.Why would someone change his birth records?

Who could possibly benefit from hiding the fact that he was born an Omega?The bell finally rang.Students hurried into the hallway, laughing and chatting.Ryan stretched lazily before glancing back.

"You coming?"

"I'll catch up."

"Don't take forever."

Once Ryan left, Lucas remained seated for another moment, hoping the classroom would empty before he stepped outside.

Instead, a shadow fell across his desk.His fingers tightened around his bag.Slowly, he looked up.Blue eyes met his.

Eric Carter.

Conversation throughout the classroom died almost instantly.Dozens of curious eyes shifted toward them.The famous basketball captain had never once visited Class 3-B.

Yet now he stood directly in front of Lucas's desk.Lucas's heartbeat quickened.

"W-What do you want?"

Eric didn't answer immediately. His gaze quietly searched Lucas's face, as though making sure he was unharmed.

Only then did he speak.

"Can we talk?"

The silence shattered into whispers.

"Isn't that Eric Carter?"

"Why is he talking to Lucas?"

"Do they know each other?"

Lucas felt every pair of eyes burning into him.

"I... I don't think we have anything to say."

"We do."

The memory of the restroom flashed through Lucas's mind.The cracked sink.The blood on Eric's hand.Those frightening crimson eyes.

"No."

Lucas grabbed his bag and hurried toward the door.

Eric stepped aside instead of blocking him.

"I won't stop you."

Lucas hesitated.

"I only came to apologize."

That made him stop.Slowly, he turned around.

Eric stood where he was, his posture straight, but there were faint bruises across his knuckles. Fresh white bandages wrapped around his right hand.

Lucas hadn't noticed them before.

The sight stirred an unexpected feeling inside him.

"What happened yesterday..." Eric said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Lucas blinked.He had imagined many possibilities.An explanation.Another frightening encounter.Anything except an apology.

"You nearly scared me to death," Lucas admitted.

"I know."

"I thought you were going to..."

Lucas couldn't finish the sentence.Eric lowered his eyes briefly.

"I know."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.Lucas noticed something strange.

Eric wasn't looking at him the way he had yesterday.There was no hunger in those blue eyes.Only guilt.

"I lost control," Eric continued softly. "But I would never hurt you."

The words caught Lucas off guard.There was something sincere about them.He remembered Eric smashing his own fist into the wall again and again instead of touching him.

His hand...Lucas glanced at the bandages.

"Your hand..."Eric instinctively hid it behind his back.

"It's nothing."

"You should've gone to the hospital."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Eric's lips.

"It already stopped hurting."

Lucas frowned.

"That's obviously a lie."

For the first time, Eric actually smiled.It wasn't the confident smile everyone on campus admired.It was small.Almost shy.Somehow...It suited him better.

Lucas immediately looked away.Why was his heart beating so strangely?The whispers around them grew louder.

"They're actually talking..."

"I've never seen Eric smile like that."

"What's going on?"

Lucas's face burned.

"Everyone's staring."

Only then did Eric glance around.The entire classroom had gone silent.Even students passing through the hallway had stopped to watch.

"...Sorry."

He stepped back.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble."

Lucas nodded awkwardly.Neither of them seemed eager to end the conversation.The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable.It was... strangely peaceful.

Finally, Eric spoke again.

"If anything feels different..."

Lucas looked back at him.

"...You can come to me."

"What do you mean?"

Eric hesitated.

Instead of avoiding the question, he simply answered,

"I don't know yet."

The honesty surprised Lucas.

"I just have a feeling... you're going to need someone."

For a brief second, their eyes met again.Lucas's heartbeat skipped.Before he could respond, Eric quietly turned and walked away.Lucas remained standing where he was.He didn't even realize he was watching Eric leave until Ryan suddenly appeared beside him.

"...Should I be jealous?"

Lucas nearly jumped.

"W-What?"

Ryan grinned.

"You've got the campus heartthrob personally coming to your classroom."

"It's not like that."

"Really?"

Ryan glanced toward the hallway where Eric had disappeared.

"He looked pretty concerned about you."

Lucas opened his mouth.Then closed it again.Concerned?Was that what he'd seen in Eric's eyes?

He honestly didn't know anymore.Meanwhile...

Eric walked through the quiet hallway toward the administration building.His classmates greeted him as usual.He barely heard them.His thoughts remained fixed on one person.

Lucas.

He had apologized.But somehow it didn't feel enough.The memory of Lucas worrying about his injured hand replayed in his mind.

"You should've gone to the hospital."

Most people would've run.Lucas had worried about him instead.Eric unconsciously touched the bandage wrapped around his knuckles.A faint smile appeared before disappearing just as quickly.He stopped outside the school infirmary and knocked.

The nurse looked up.

"Eric? What brings you here?"

"I need information."

"About your hand?"

"No."

He hesitated only briefly.

"I want to ask about Lucas Bennett."

The nurse's smile faded immediately.

"I'm afraid I can't discuss another student's medical information."

"I understand."

Eric nodded.

"I only have one question."

She remained silent.

"Has Lucas ever been treated for something... unusual?"

The nurse's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.

That tiny reaction was enough.

"You know something."

"I don't."

She answered far too quickly.Eric studied her for another second before quietly picking up his student council identification card.

"I understand."

He turned and left without another word.The nurse waited until the door closed before unlocking a drawer beneath her desk.Inside lay a thin file stamped in bold red letters.

CONFIDENTIAL

Across the cover was a single name.

Lucas Bennett.

After a long silence, she picked up the telephone.

"...He's started asking questions," she whispered.

She listened to the reply before lowering her eyes.

"...Yes."

"I understand."

When the call ended, she rested a trembling hand on Lucas's file.

"It was only a matter of time."

Outside, Eric stood alone in the corridor.His instincts had been right from the beginning.Someone had hidden the truth about Lucas.And whatever that truth was...He had already decided one thing.He wasn't going to leave Lucas to face it alone.