NOAH
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Not a little tremble. Full-on shaking, like they weren't even mine anymore.
I pressed them flat against the bathroom sink, knuckles white, fingers twitching nonstop. The marble countertop was smooth and spotless under my palms—no cracks, no rust, just expensive perfection like everything else at Westfield.
Stop. Just stop.
I tried to force them still, but the tremors crawled up my arms and settled deep in my chest. My heart was slamming so hard it felt like it wanted to break out.
Too loud. Too fast.
"Noah."
Marcus's voice cut through the mess in my head—the echoes of all that laughter, the scrape of chairs, the way everyone stared while I was on my knees.
His hands landed on my shoulders. Solid. Steady.
"Hey. Look at me."
I couldn't. My eyes stayed glued to the sink. The perfect white marble. The shiny chrome faucet. Anything but his face.
"Are you okay?"
The question sounded stupid. Was I okay?
I'd been on my knees. In front of the whole cafeteria.
Seconds away from licking Seraphina Voss's shoe like some pathetic dog.
And the worst part? I'd cried. Real tears, right there while they all watched.
"Why did you do that?" The words came out sharp and ugly before I could hold them back.
I shoved his hands off and stumbled back until my shoulders hit the cool tiled wall.
"Why did you interfere?"
Marcus blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"You shouldn't have stepped in." My voice cracked, getting louder. "You made it worse. She was about to let it go if I just did what she wanted, but now she's pissed and it's gonna be ten times worse because of you!"
Marcus's face hardened. "Noah, you were about to lick her damn shoe. How is that not worse?"
"You embarrassed me!" It burst out raw. "In front of everyone. You made me look weak—like I needed saving. Like I couldn't even handle my own mess—"
"You were weak!" Marcus snapped back, temper flaring. "You did need saving. What was I supposed to do? Stand there and watch her break you? Would you really have done it?"
"I don't know!" My voice bounced off the pristine tiles. "I don't know what I would've done! Maybe I would've! At least then it might've been over quick. One humiliation and she moves on. But now she's never gonna let it go—"
My breath caught. The words died.
Silence hung between us.
Marcus stared, anger and frustration mixing with something softer in his eyes.
"Noah," he said quieter, trying to pull it together. "She was never gonna let this slide easy anyway. You spilled all over her in front of the whole school. People like Seraphina don't just forget that."
I let out a bitter laugh. It tasted like shit.
"Then what was the point?" I muttered. "You just made her madder and dragged it out longer."
"The point," Marcus said, stepping closer, "is you don't humiliate yourself for people like her. Ever. I don't care what she threatens—you don't give up your dignity like that."
Dignity.
The word felt fake. Like something for people who actually had choices.
I wanted to argue that survival mattered more than pride, but I was too drained. The adrenaline crash left me hollow.
Marcus paused, jaw tight. "You need to stay the hell away from her. Especially now that Roman's involved and pissed."
Roman.
Just hearing the name made my stomach twist cold.
The way he'd looked at me—like he wanted to rip me apart with his bare hands.
But even through all that fear… I kept seeing her.
Seraphina Voss.
The way she walked like the whole school belonged to her. That cold emerald stare. The sharp curve of her lips when she smiled without any warmth. The way her voice cut through the air like ice.
"Don't worry," I said flatly, pushing the thought down hard. "I'll stay away."
"Good."
Marcus checked his phone, the bright lights reflecting off the spotless mirrors.
"I've got a spare uniform in my car. Stay here. I'll grab it."
He left before I could answer. Silence rushed back in.
I finally looked up at the mirror. The guy staring back looked broken. Glasses crooked, one lens cracked from when Ethan shoved me. Uniform filthy—dirt, crumbs, sauce stains everywhere.
Eyes red and swollen.
Pathetic. That was the only word that fit.
The door creaked open again. Marcus came back with the clean uniform.
I took it without a word and changed fast in a stall, peeling off the ruined clothes like they were burning my skin.
When I stepped out, Marcus gave me a quick look. "Better?"
I nodded. Couldn't trust my voice yet.
He didn't push it.
AP Biology was already filling up when we got there. I slipped into a seat way in the back, head down, trying to disappear into the noise of everyone talking.
Marcus hung by the door for a second. "You gonna be okay?"
I didn't look at him. "Fine."
The lie slipped out easy.
He hesitated, like he knew it was bullshit. But in the end he just nodded… and left.
I stared at the desk, hands still twitching under it.
Seraphina's whisper kept replaying in my head.