Zara kept her head down the rest of the day.
She ate lunch outside, away from the main cafeteria, perched on the edge of a bench near the science wing. The air smelled like fresh-cut grass and expensive perfume. Her sandwich was already warm, and her soda had gone flat, but at least out here, she could breathe.
No whispers. No Jaxon Blackwood. Just quiet.
Until someone decided to ruin it.
"Mind if I sit?"
She looked up. A guy with dark curls and kind eyes stood a few feet away, holding a tray stacked with cafeteria food. Unlike everyone else, he didn't look like he came straight out of a magazine.
She hesitated. "Sure."
He sat beside her, offering a polite smile before biting into a slice of pizza.
"You're new, right?" he asked with a mouthful.
"Is it that obvious?"
He chuckled. "Just a little. I'm Theo. Theo Rivera."
"Zara Monroe."
"Cool name. Like a singer or something."
She raised an eyebrow. "You say that to every new girl?"
"Only the ones who save Jaxon Blackwood from being roadkill."
Zara groaned. "Don't tell me you saw that."
"Everyone did. It's Northbridge. People notice everything."
She sighed, cheeks heating. "Great. Just what I needed. Attention."
"Could've fooled me," he said. "The way you tackled him? That was... kind of legendary."
"I was trying to not let someone die. Sue me."
"No, I get it. Most people wouldn't have moved a muscle. They'd be too scared of ruining their shoes."
Zara couldn't help but laugh.
Theo seemed like the type who didn't care much for the drama of the school. He wore scuffed sneakers and a faded denim jacket, and he talked like he hadn't memorized a script. She liked that.
"Let me guess," she said. "You're not part of the Blackwood fan club?"
"I don't do fan clubs," he replied. "Especially not for guys who think the sun rises just to warm their egos."
Zara smiled. "That's... accurate."
"But," Theo added, "you should be careful. Jaxon doesn't talk to just anyone. Especially not like that."
"Like what?"
Theo turned his head toward her. "Like you matter."
Zara's chest tightened.
"I don't matter," she said quietly. "Not here."
Theo didn't answer right away. He took a sip of his juice box, eyes watching something across the quad.
"You might want to start thinking differently," he said. "Because like it or not, you're on someone's radar now."
Later that evening, as Zara walked through the dorm hallway toward her room, she noticed an envelope taped to her door.
No name. No address. Just a simple, white envelope.
She looked around no one in sight then opened it.
Inside was a single note, written in thick, black ink:
"You should've walked away when you had the chance."
Her fingers went cold.