By the time Ava stepped out of the dorm building, the campus felt different.
Or maybe it was just the way people were looking at her now.
Not just curious.
Not just mocking.
Confused.
She could feel it in the hesitation, in the way conversations started and stopped as she walked past. A group of girls near the stairs went quiet mid-laugh, their eyes dragging over her outfit, her posture… her face.
Ava didn't look away.
That was the part that unsettled them.
She kept her chin level, her steps even, like she had somewhere important to be—even if she didn't. Even if her heart was still beating a little too fast in her chest.
Fake it until it becomes real.
That thought sat steady in her mind as she crossed the courtyard.
Her first class was in ten minutes.
Perfect.
Just enough time for the entire campus to see her.
—
The lecture hall was already half full when she walked in.
And just like the bus—
It hit.
That subtle shift.
Heads turning.
Whispers threading through rows of seats.
Phones tilting slightly.
Ava paused at the entrance for half a second, taking it all in.
Then she walked in like she owned the room.
Not rushed.
Not hesitant.
Intentional.
Every step echoed just enough.
She didn't go to her usual seat.
Didn't tuck herself into the side row where she could disappear.
Instead, she walked straight down the center aisle.
Front row.
Not the very front—but close enough to be seen. Close enough that no one could pretend she wasn't there.
She set her bag down and sat.
The whispers didn't stop.
But something about them felt weaker now.
Less sharp.
Because she wasn't reacting.
—
"Ava."
The voice came from her left.
Soft. Careful.
Ava turned her head slightly.
It was Lila—one of the girls from her tutorial group. Not a close friend, but not a stranger either.
Lila looked… unsure.
"Hey," she said, lowering herself into the seat beside Ava. "Are you okay?"
Ava studied her for a moment.
There was no mockery in her eyes.
Just curiosity. Maybe a little concern.
Ava gave a small shrug. "I've been worse."
Lila let out a breath that almost sounded like relief. "People are talking a lot," she admitted, glancing around briefly.
"I noticed," Ava replied dryly.
Lila hesitated. "For what it's worth… I don't think what they're saying is fair."
Ava's expression didn't change much, but something in her shoulders eased slightly.
"Fair isn't really their thing," she said.
Lila huffed a quiet laugh.
For a second, it felt almost… normal.
Then the door opened again.
And the room shifted.
Ava didn't need to turn to know who it was.
She felt it.
That same charged silence from the bus.
Nicholas.
The whispers sharpened instantly, like someone had turned up the volume.
"Oh my God, he came—"
"Is he really going to sit near her?"
"This is about to be messy—"
Ava kept her eyes forward.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her pen, but her posture didn't change.
Don't look.
Don't give them that.
But her body betrayed her just a little.
She felt him before she saw him.
Felt the pause somewhere behind her.
Felt the hesitation.
Then footsteps.
Closer.
Closer.
And then—
The empty seat beside her creaked.
Ava turned her head.
Nicholas was there.
Closer than he had any right to be.
Up close, he looked worse than she expected.
Tired. Pale. Like he hadn't slept.
Like he'd been carrying something heavy.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, everything else in the room disappeared.
"You really don't know how to stay away, do you?" Ava said quietly.
Her voice wasn't loud—but it carried enough for the people closest to hear.
Nicholas didn't flinch.
"I tried," he said just as quietly. "It didn't work."
Ava let out a small, humorless breath. "That's not my problem anymore."
A flicker of something crossed his face.
He leaned in slightly—not enough to touch, but enough that his voice dropped lower.
"Just let me explain."
"No."
The word came instantly.
Sharp.
Final.
Ava turned back to face the front, effectively cutting him off.
Nicholas stared at her for a second, like he was trying to find a crack in her armor.
Something familiar.
Something soft.
But there was nothing there for him to hold onto.
Not anymore.
The professor walked in then, breaking whatever tension had been building.
"Alright, settle down," he called, setting his notes on the desk.
The room slowly shifted back to normal.
But not completely.
Not really.
Because even as the lecture started—
Everyone was still watching them.
Waiting.
Ava kept her eyes on the board, her expression calm, unreadable.
Beside her, Nicholas sat stiffly, his gaze fixed forward—but his attention was entirely on her.
And for the first time since this all started—
Ava didn't feel like the one being cornered.
If anything…
It felt like the roles had finally started to change.