Piper
I have been avoiding him.
For a few days now.
That doesn’t mean I don’t see him. He’s my professor, after all.
And I did spot him on the benches this morning while I skated, simply watching me from a distance with an unreadable expression on his face.
My ribs still hurt, but after a restless night, I took a double dose of painkillers and stepped onto the ice anyway.
They aren’t broken, after all. Just bruised. And it’s not like I’ve seen a doctor who could tell me to stay off the rink.
We just finished dinner in the academy dining hall. Me, my friends, and of course the Ferrum Syndicate.
All of us sat together like one big, happy group of friends, which is frankly ridiculous when I think about it.
Adelaide spent most of dinner arguing with Isaak and the other half arguing with Octavia.
Octavia and Milo weren’t exactly quiet either.
Mostly Octavia, if I’m honest. She threatened him at least a dozen times while Milo sat there completely unbothered, grinning from ear to ear.
Arlo was simply there, grumpy and serious as ever, while Ophelia did what Ophelia always does and tried to keep the peace. Mostly between her sister and Adelaide.
At which she was mostly failing.
Throughout the entire dinner, Hunter never once took his eyes off me. The moment I finished eating, I all but ran out of there without looking back.
After a stop at the library, a book tucked under my arm, I make my way towards the dorms.
It’s dark out, but the path is lit by rows of lamps.
The bruises on my face have faded more with each passing day, and they’ve become easier to hide beneath makeup. The girls haven’t noticed them, which I’m incredibly grateful for. I wouldn’t have known what to tell them if they had.
The walk is slower than usual. My ribs have had enough after not only skating this morning but also sitting through a full day of classes.
When the dorm finally comes into view, relief washes through me. All I want is to crawl into bed and sleep this day away, but I don’t make it inside the building before a hand clamps around my arm and stops me.
The suddenness of it startles me so badly that the book slips from my fingers and hits the ground.
I look up straight into the eyes of the man who grabbed me.
Julian.
I manage to pull my earphones out, but he still doesn’t let go. If anything, his grip tightens slightly.
“You scared me,” I say. “What are you doing here?”
His eyes narrow.
“Piper.”
The way he says my name makes my stomach twist.
“I thought I made myself clear the last time we spoke. But it seems you still haven’t learned.”
My heart starts pounding.
I kept my distance...
But did he see Hunter carry me to his dorm a few days ago?
Did someone take another picture of us?
That’s what I get for avoiding social media lately.
I’m completely unprepared for this.
“Let go of me,” I say.
“I told you to stay away from him,” he grits out.
“You’re hurting me,” I say.
He opens his mouth, but the next few seconds blur together.
His hand vanishes from my arm, and before I can even process what’s happening, Hunter steps in front of me and punches Julian.
Then he does it again.
And again.
By the time I move around him, Julian is already on the ground, blood running from his nose and split lip.
“Hunter, stop!” I say.
He doesn’t hear me, or perhaps he simply can’t.
A sick feeling forms in my stomach as a sense of déjà vu hits me, because I’ve seen this before. In that boxing ring.
It’s like he’s set to kill. He doesn’t have the control to stop. He’s too far gone in his rage to see or hear anything around him.
Me included.
“Who the fuck gave you permission to put your filthy hands on her?” Hunter snarls at Julian. “She said you were hurting her.”
Another punch lands, followed by another, and it’s obvious Hunter has no intention of stopping.
“Hunter,” I say, louder this time as I place a hand on his shoulder.
His head whips towards me, the next punch forgotten before it can land.
“Stop,” I say.
For a second, he just looks at me before his eyes drop to the man on the ground.
“Is he the one who hurt you?”
I close my eyes briefly and shake my head.
“Hunter, please. Let it go.”
He watches me, his jaw tight. Finally, he gets to his feet and looks down at Julian, who has managed to push himself upright and now sits on the ground with one hand clamped over his bloody nose.
“If I ever see your hands on her again, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Julian sends me a look that speaks a thousand words, and I swallow hard.
Everything crashes down on me without warning. It feels as though the ground might open beneath my feet and swallow me whole.
My head hurts.
My chest hurts.
Everything hurts.
The guilt threatens to suffocate me. So does the anger.
And the helplessness.
Most of all, the dread. The dread of what’s coming. Of the promise in his eyes.
I swallow back the tears and look at them again. The moment Hunter calms, even for the briefest second, I turn and flee.
As usual.
It seems I can add coward to the ever growing list of things wrong with me.