{Elira}
~**^**~
His words rumbled against my cheek, his chest rising and falling steadily.
I could feel it—the anger pouring off him in waves. Lennon wasn't just angry for my sake; he was furious.
It was in the way his jaw tightened, the way his fingers brushed protectively down my back, and how his body tensed as though ready to defend me right there.
I blinked back the rest of my tears. "Please… don't be mad," I whispered into his shirt. "I already feel bad enough."
He exhaled deeply, then pulled back slightly to look me in the eye. His touch was warm as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
"I'm not mad at you," he said, his voice low and gentle now. "I'm mad at them. And at the fact that this school, for all its prestige, still has people who think they get to decide your worth based on a ten-second show."
I looked away, but he gently nudged my chin back.
"Let's go see Professor Mira," he said. "Now. If something's wrong, we're going to figure it out. Together."
