Chapter 31

Professor Aldridge’s lecture on “Social Dynamics and Modern Politics” droned on, a rhythmic background noise to most students who were back on their screens or lazily scribbling notes—except a select few.

Skylar, arms folded, stole a sidelong glance at Justin.

He wasn’t taking notes. No laptop. No pen. Just sitting there—eyes half-lidded, focused, calm, detached.

Beside her, Stephanie leaned toward Jessie.

“He doesn’t even have a notebook…”

Jessie smirked. “Maybe he’s got a photographic memory. Or maybe…” she grinned wider, “he’s just too cool for school.”

Justin heard them but didn’t react. Instead, his gaze shifted to Blake, two seats over. She had her legs kicked out under the desk, lazily doodling on a scrap of paper.

“Having fun yet?” she mouthed with a smirk.

He answered with the faintest curve of his lips.

Two rows back, Nathan sat flanked by Colby—still limping slightly—and Damon. His eyes weren’t on the professor. They were on Skylar. And Skylar… was staring just a bit too long at Justin.

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Lunch Break

The cafeteria hummed with the midday rush. Students laughed, traded gossip, and queued for food. Justin entered with Blake, who insisted they take the seats near the glass windows.

The door swung open again.

Skylar, Jessie, and Stephanie stepped inside. Conversations softened. Heads turned. The subtle pressure they carried in their posture and presence seemed to part the crowd without a word.

Skylar’s tray was served with just a bit more generosity from the cafeteria staff—either out of courtesy, flattery, or something else entirely. She walked to a table that wasn’t marked “Reserved,” but everyone knew better than to take it. It was their spot.

Jessie arrived seconds later, halfway through telling a story about a freshman who mistook the science lab for the music studio. Stephanie followed quietly, eyes darting toward Justin before slipping into the seat beside her sister.

The chatter in the room resumed, though conversations subtly shifted toward the newcomer by the windows. A few girls whispered. One absentmindedly bit her straw while glancing his way.

Then, a ripple of silence spread.

Nathan rose from his table. Colby and Damon moved with him. The three made their way toward Justin, the air tightening with anticipation.

Some students leaned forward in their seats, hoping for a scene. The boys wanted a fight; the girls, a show of dominance. Phones appeared in subtle, ready hands.

“Nathan’s moving,” Jessie murmured, a glint of curiosity in her eyes.

Stephanie’s fingers tapped nervously against the table. Skylar’s gaze narrowed—not enough to draw suspicion, but enough to show she was paying attention.

Nathan stopped in front of Justin’s table, smiling without warmth.

“Enjoying your first day?”

Justin didn’t look up. “You’re blocking the light.”

Colby stepped forward. “We don’t appreciate show-offs.”

Damon added, “Especially ones who don’t know their place.”

Blake leaned back in her chair, smirking. “You guys rehearse these lines before you come over? Kinda cringe.”

Colby’s glare flicked to her, but Nathan kept his focus on Justin.

“Watch yourself, new guy. This place doesn’t favor nobodies.”

Finally, Justin looked up. Calm. Expressionless.

“Guess I’ll just have to make myself somebody, then.”

A couple of gasps came from nearby tables. The tension hung sharp in the air.

Nathan’s smile thinned. “You’ll regret that.”

He turned to leave, but Justin’s voice followed, low enough to be a jab without being a shout.

“Try not to limp next time.”

Colby cursed, but Nathan’s hand on his shoulder kept him moving.

At their table, Jessie’s grin was all teeth. “Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

SKYLAR POV

The cafeteria was already buzzing when Skylar stepped in with Stephanie and Jessie.

The familiar hum of voices, clatter of trays, and the faint smell of grilled chicken made the midday ritual feel almost comforting—until she caught sight of him.

Justin.

He was by the windows, sunlight catching faint highlights in his hair, posture loose but alert in a way she couldn’t quite read. Beside him, Blake lounged like she owned the spot. Skylar’s chest tightened before she even realized she’d slowed her pace.

“Hey,” Jessie nudged her. “Don’t stall in the doorway. We’ll block the line.”

Skylar blinked, adjusting her expression into something neutral. “Right.”

They reached the counter. The server’s smile was polite—too polite—and Skylar suspected it had less to do with her order and more to do with her last name. She accepted her tray, crossing the room toward their table, the one people avoided out of habit or hierarchy.

Stephanie slid in beside her, already fiddling with her juice straw. Jessie was mid-story, animated as always, but Skylar’s mind kept drifting back to that figure by the window. Justin wasn’t looking at her, but she had the odd, almost irritating suspicion he knew exactly where she was sitting.

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The air shifted. She felt it before she saw it.

Nathan stood. His chair scraped back with a sharp sound. Colby and Damon flanked him automatically, a small wave of tension rippling through the room as they made their way toward the windows.

Skylar’s grip on her fork tightened. She knew that walk. Nathan wasn’t the type to start petty fights… unless something—or someone—had gotten under his skin.

Stephanie noticed too. “Uh… Sky, I think Nathan’s—”

“I see him,” Skylar said quietly, eyes narrowing.

She told herself she wasn’t watching Justin. She told herself she was only keeping an eye on Nathan, on his tone, on making sure this didn’t turn into one of those moments that wound up on a dozen student Instagram stories.

But her gaze kept flicking to Justin’s face.

No tension in his shoulders. No flicker of nerves. He might as well have been waiting for a bus.

---

Nathan stopped in front of him, that polite-but-not smile curving his lips.

“Enjoying your first day?”

Skylar could almost predict the script from there—Colby stepping forward, Damon tossing in a jab, Blake’s sharp tongue ready to slice.

But Justin’s reply was unexpected. “You’re blocking the light.”

A few nearby students gasped quietly.

Skylar’s heartbeat picked up. This wasn’t just posturing—this was poking the fire.

Nathan’s voice dropped to something sharper. Justin’s stayed flat, calm.

Then that final line—

“Try not to limp next time.”

Skylar bit the inside of her cheek to keep her face blank, even as part of her bristled on Nathan’s behalf… and another part, annoyingly, thought: He doesn’t scare easily.