Bones of the heart

Bethany The last person I expected to see at Stanford University was my childhood bully. The second I saw him, I dropped a human skull. The skull bounced once against the laboratory table. Then twice. Then rolled directly toward the edge. “No, no, no—” I lunged forward. So did someone else. Our hands collided at the exact same moment. The skull stopped inches before crashing onto the floor. My heart nearly stopped with it. For a second, neither of us moved. A warm hand covered mine. Strong fingers. Calloused skin. Male. I looked up. And immediately wished I hadn’t. Anthony Walker. My stomach dropped. It felt like the floor had disappeared beneath me. No. Absolutely not. Not him. Anyone but him. His dark eyes widened with recognition. “Bethany?” The sound of my name on his lips sent me straight back to eighth grade. Back to crowded hallways. Back to whispered laughter. Back to every cruel nickname. Professor Skeleton. Bone Girl. Freak. I jerked my hand away as if he’d burned me. The skull remained safely on the table. Unfortunately, my dignity wasn’t nearly as lucky. Anthony stared at me. For a moment, he looked just as shocked as I felt. Then he smiled slightly. Not the arrogant smirk I remembered. Something softer. “Wow,” he said. I folded my arms. “What?” “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” I laughed. The sound came out colder than intended. “Trust me. The feeling is mutual.” His smile disappeared. Good. Maybe he remembered. Maybe he remembered every horrible thing he ever did. The lab suddenly felt too small. Too hot. Too crowded. I grabbed my notebook. My backpack. My water bottle. Anything within reach. I needed to leave. Now. “Bethany—” I stopped walking. Big mistake. “I know you probably hate me.” I turned around. “Hate you?” The laugh that escaped me wasn’t pleasant. “You think hate is the problem?” His jaw tightened. Students nearby had started watching. Wonderful. Just what I needed. An audience. “I was a kid,” Anthony said quietly. “So was I.” The words hit harder than I intended. Because they were true. I had been a kid too. A shy girl who loved books and archaeology. A girl who spent lunch periods hiding in the library because she was tired of being laughed at. A girl Anthony Walker helped make miserable. His eyes dropped briefly. Almost guiltily. “I know.” For some reason, that made me angrier. Maybe because he wasn’t denying it. Maybe because he wasn’t acting like the villain I’d spent years imagining. Maybe because he looked genuinely sorry. And I wasn’t ready for that. Not even close. I turned around and walked out. This time, he didn’t stop me. ⸻ Three hours later, I was still furious. Unfortunately, I was also still thinking about him. Which was even worse. I sat in the campus café pretending to read research articles while my best friend Mia watched me over the rim of her coffee cup. “You’re glaring at your laptop.” “I’m reading.” “You’re imagining ways to commit murder.” I sighed. Mia wasn’t wrong. “Anthony Walker is here.” Her eyes widened. “The Anthony Walker?” “Unfortunately.” “The bully?” “The quarterback.” “The reason you hated middle school?” “The one and only.” Mia set down her coffee. “Oh.” Exactly. Oh. “Maybe he’s changed.” I gave her a look. She immediately raised both hands. “Okay. Bad suggestion.” Very bad suggestion. Anthony Walker changing felt about as likely as dinosaurs returning from extinction. I looked out the café window. The football field was visible from here. Practice had started. Players ran across the field in matching red uniforms. One of them stood out immediately. Anthony. Of course. Even from a distance, people seemed drawn to him. Laughing with him. Following him. Admiring him. Just like before. Some things never changed. I looked away. Unfortunately, my heart chose that exact moment to betray me. Because for one brief second… He looked nothing like the boy I remembered. The following morning was worse. Much worse. Because the professor walked into class carrying a stack of papers. Which usually meant trouble. “Good morning, everyone.” The room quieted. Professor Ramirez smiled. “As part of this semester’s research project, you’ll be working in pairs.” My stomach dropped. Around me, students exchanged excited looks. Not me. I hated group projects. Especially in competitive classes. The professor began reading names. One pair after another. Then— “Bethany Allegado.” I sat up straighter. Please don’t be— “Anthony Walker.” The room disappeared. My ears started ringing. No. No. No. No. Across the classroom, Anthony looked just as surprised as I felt. Professor Ramirez continued talking. Something about excavation reports. Research presentations. Final grades. I heard none of it. Because there was only one thought repeating inside my head. I’m partnered with him. For an entire semester. This had to be some kind of punishment. When class ended, I immediately marched toward the professor. “Professor Ramirez?” “Yes, Bethany?” “I’d like a different partner.” Her smile faded. “Why?” Because he ruined three years of my life. Because I can’t stand him. Because every time I look at him, I remember who he used to be. Instead, I said, “We have different working styles.” The professor laughed. “So do most successful research teams.” My heart sank. “You won’t switch us?” “No.” Great. Fantastic. Perfect. I turned around. And froze. Because Anthony was standing directly behind me. Apparently he’d heard everything. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets. “If it helps,” he said quietly, “I don’t think this is a good idea either.” I blinked. That wasn’t what I expected. At all. His expression was unreadable. Almost conflicted. Like there was something he wanted to say. Something he wasn’t saying. Before I could ask, he handed me a folded piece of paper. “What’s this?” His jaw tightened. “Something I should’ve given you years ago.” My pulse quickened. “What is it?” Anthony looked directly into my eyes. And for the first time since seeing him again, he looked nervous. Actually nervous. “Read it when you’re alone.” Then he walked away. Leaving me standing in the middle of the classroom. Staring at the folded paper in my hand. Wondering why my heart suddenly felt like it was trying to escape my chest. And completely unaware that what was written inside was about to change everything.