KAYLA'S POV (Continuing):
I turned toward the door.
But before I could take more than two steps, his voice stopped me.
"Kayla."
I paused.
Then looked back over my shoulder.
He was watching me now, his expression unreadable for the first time since I walked in.
"Yes?"
There was the slightest hesitation before he spoke.
"You don't always have to apologize for other people."
The words hit me harder than they should have.
I stared at him.
He gave a faint, tired smile.
"Especially not for someone like Theo."
Something about the way he said Theo's name made my brows pull together.
There it was again.
That same tension.
That same history I couldn't quite see but could definitely feel.
Like there was more behind his words than he was willing to say.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"What does that mean?"
Hari held my gaze for a second.
Then he looked away.
"Nothing."
Liar.
Why was everyone in this school allergic to telling the truth?
I opened my mouth to push further,
But then I stopped myself.
Not now.
He was injured, exhausted, and clearly not in the mood to explain whatever twisted past existed between him and Theo.
And honestly…
I wasn't sure I wanted the answer yet.
So instead, I just gave him a small, unreadable smile.
"Rest," I said.
He nodded once.
I turned and walked out of the nurse's office, closing the door quietly behind me.
The hallway outside was empty.
But the second I stepped away from that room, my mind was already spinning.
Theo's rage.
Hari's calm.
The way both of them looked at each other like there was years of hatred buried under the surface.
And now this,
Especially not for someone like Theo.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
I folded my arms as I walked slowly down the hallway, my heels echoing against the polished floor.
This wasn't just about a fight.
It wasn't about spilled coffee.
It wasn't about Section A versus our section.
There was something deeper here.
Something ugly.
Something personal.
And for some reason…
I had a feeling it had everything to do with the name I'd heard whispered in the cafeteria after the fight.
Marco.
I didn't know who he was.
But I was starting to think I needed to find out.