Chapter 12
Seph
I hated this uniform.
The skirt was too short. It fell above my knee. The blouse was fitted.
I pulled the sweatshirt on anyway. I didn’t care how hot it got.
And then I pulled on my gloves.
Fuck the warden.
She knew what I was.
“They won’t let you wear those,” Jess said from behind me, her voice quieter than yesterday.
“I have a medical condition. They’ll have to.”
I yanked my knee-high socks up as far as they would go, but there was still a strip of bare skin exposed.
Too much.
Way too much.
I had to go see Wild. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—force me to wear this. Not if she had any idea how dangerous it was.
I swung the door open—
And froze.
Because Ash was standing there.
His arms full of flowers.
Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds. All stolen straight from the grounds — some still dripping with mud, roots dangling, petals crushed like they’d been ripped straight out of the earth. Some still had worms clinging to them for dear life.
He looked like a savage bouquet with legs.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he grinned.
I froze like a deer in headlights.
Behind me, Jess actually gaped.
Then she stepped closer, hovering at my back like she might physically drag me inside and slam the door.
I lifted a hand to stop her.
“Um… thank you?” I said, because what else was I supposed to say?
Ash’s entire face lit up. He looked like I’d just blessed him personally.
I took the armful of mangled flowers from him. He practically vibrated with joy. Jess and I exchanged a look — hers: are you insane?, mine: I don’t know what I’m doing — before I stepped inside and shoved the flowers into a glass of water.
When I turned back, Ash was bouncing on the spot like an overcaffeinated puppy.
Then, without warning, he took off in a sprint down the hallway.
Gone.
Just like that.
Jess let out a long, pained exhale.
“Congratulations,” she muttered. “You’ve imprinted on the psycho.”
We walked together down to the classroom. I noticed Jess stuck closer to me than yesterday. I didn’t draw attention to it. It suited both of us, though I did catch her watching me carefully every now and then.
We hadn’t talked about last night. But it was clear whatever had happened to her was clear in her memory.
I kept tugging at the hem of the stupid skirt, trying to make it longer even though it wasn’t going to grow. Every few steps I could feel eyes on me—hot, curious, lingering.
I wasn’t used to being looked at.
I wasn’t used to… having anything worth looking at.
Somewhere between fifteen and now I’d apparently grown a body—curves, a waist, legs the skirt didn’t bother hiding. And I hated it. Hated being seen. Hated feeling exposed.
“Just keep your head down,” Jess muttered, close behind me. “You’re a novelty. They’ll lose interest once they get bored.”
As we turned into the hall by the cafeteria, a cluster of guys blocked the entrance.
Big guys—thick-necked, broad-shouldered, built like they’d been carved with aggression and protein shakes.
One had his hair shaved so close he was basically bald.
One eye was a clear brown; the other was swallowed in bruises that spread down his cheek like spilled ink.
The way he looked at me made my skin crawl.
“Well, hello pretty girl,” he drawled, voice oily. “When’d you get here?”
Before I could react, Jess stepped between us, her body a barrier, guiding me sideways with a firm hand.
“Fuck off, Ollie.”
He clicked his tongue. “If it isn’t the firebug. Did you tell your new roomie what you did to get in here, Jessica?”
Jess stiffened, jaw tight.
Something in me snapped.
I hated bullies.
“No worse than what I did,” I said sharply. “Now leave us alone.”
Ollie’s gaze snapped to me—slow, surprised, hungry in the wrong way.
For a moment, the hallway held its breath.
Ollie stared at me like I’d just grown a second head.
His bruised eye twitched.
Then his mouth split into a slow, mean smile.
“Well, well,” he murmured. “Didn’t think the stray kitten had claws.”
Jess shifted closer to me, shoulder brushing mine—subtle, but protective.
“Keep walking,” she said under her breath.
But Ollie stepped forward, cutting us off.
“You know,” he continued, eyes raking over me, “we don’t get many new girls. Not ones who look like you. Who’s looking after you gorgeous? If you like, I can show you the ropes around here.”
“Gross.” I shook my head.
“Back up, Ollie,” Jess snapped, heat flaring off her skin—not enough to burn, but definitely enough to warn. “You’re still on probation with Ks Crew, remember? You want round two?”
His smile vanished.
“I’m not afraid of K,” he hissed. “You think K’s gonna protect you forever?”
“He won’t need to,” Jess shot back. “Because you’re going to move.”
Ollie lunged a step closer—
but froze when a shadow detached from the wall behind him.
A tall one.
Broad shoulders.
Cold eyes.
A presence that made the hallway go dead silent.
Kieran.
His blue gaze slid over the scene, lingering on Jess, then pinning Ollie like a knife to a board.
“Ollie,” he said, voice quiet—but somehow louder than shouting. “Move away from the girls.”
Ollie swallowed. Hard. But hate dripped from every facet of him.
“Just saying hi to the new girl,” he muttered, stubbornly standing his ground.
“That’s not what it looked like.” K took a step. That was all it took.
Ollie stepped aside immediately. His friends backed up too, like tide retreating. Their snarling faces watched K closely, as if they were waiting for his back to be turned.
Jess exhaled shakily.
I didn’t breathe at all.
K’s eyes finally landed on me.
And something in his expression… changed. Softened. Darkened. Broke.
“Seph,” he said quietly. “You okay?”
Jess shot me a sideways glance—answer him or don’t but be careful.
I lifted my chin.
My voice came out steadier than I felt.
“I’m fine. I didn’t need your help.”
K’s jaw tightened, but his gaze dipped to my hands, my legs, my trembling skirt hem.
“You did,” he said softly. “You do. But that’s fine. I’m here.”
That angered me more than anything.
“Thank you,” I said, meeting his eyes straight on. “But I didn’t ask you for anything.”
Behind him, Dev appeared, leaning casually against a doorway—but his eyes were sharp, tracking every small movement like this was a hostage negotiation.
Jess tugged on my sleeve. “Come on,” she murmured.
K didn’t move.
Neither did I.
The air crackled between us, sharp with history and old scars neither of us knew how to touch.
“Sit with me,” K said finally, firmly.
My brain stalled. “What?”
Jess froze like prey beside me, eyes flicking between us. K made her nervous, this was clear.
“We were just going to get breakfast,” she said carefully.
“So have breakfast with me,” he said. “With us. Both of you.”
The room went quiet—subtle, but unmistakable. Students pretending not to stare but staring anyway.
Jess looked as wide-eyed as I felt.
I swallowed hard. “Thank you for the offer,” I said, voice tight, “but Jess and I are fine.”
Her gaze flicked to mine—Are you sure?
I nodded and moved past him, making a deliberate point of avoiding his eyes.
But I could feel him.
Like a weight between my shoulder blades.
Like he was trying to pull memories out of my spine.
Jess followed me to the buffet line, and suddenly I wasn’t hungry at all. I grabbed a single muffin—mostly because it gave me something to hold—and walked to the furthest empty table by the wall.
I dropped into my seat and put my head in my hands.
Jess slid into the chair beside me.
“He’s still looking at you,” she whispered.
“I know.”
Against my better judgment, I looked up.
K sat across the room like a storm dressed in black, eyes locked onto me with enough intensity to set the table on fire. Dev muttered something to him, but K wasn’t listening. He was staring at me like he didn’t understand why I wasn’t at his side.
Like I had betrayed him.
I tore my gaze away, heart banging painfully.
Then—something crashed beside me.
A tray slammed onto the table, piled with enough food to feed a small army. Eggs. Sausages. Bacon. Muffins. Some cereal. A mountain of fruit. And then a second tray because apparently the first wasn’t enough.
I looked up, startled.
Ash dropped into the chair beside me with the enthusiasm of a golden retriever on espresso.
“I brought you breakfast,” he said proudly, grinning so wide it should’ve been illegal.
Jess made a strangled noise.
I blinked at the fortress of food.
“Um… Ash? That’s… a lot.”
He pushed the tray closer. “You’re small. You need feeding. Eat.”
I stared at him.
He stared back, utterly delighted just to be sitting next to me.
Across the room, K froze.
Dev muttered, “Oh, shit.”
Jess whispered under her breath, “We’re so fucked.”