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Eloise didn't stop walking until the eyes were no longer on her.
Only then did her steps slow. The adrenaline that had carried her forward began to wear off.
Her fingers lifted instinctively to her head. When she pulled them away, there was blood.
Eloise stared at it for a second. Then she wiped it lightly against the inside of her sleeve like it meant nothing.
She turned the corner toward the quieter wing of the building, the one most students didn't bother with during lunch hours.
Kieran stood near the end of the corridor, one shoulder resting lightly against the wall, his hands tucked into his pockets.
"Hey…" her chest tightened. Of course he'd see her like this. His gaze moved over her slowly. Starting from her face, her hair, the faint smear of blood near her temple and down to her sleeve.
"You look like you lost a fight."
"Yeah, something like that. They're talking about me. You've probably heard."
