The weekend passed in tense silence. Dario ignored his phone, which buzzed constantly with texts from Jamie. He spent most of his time in his room, trying to study but mostly just staring at the ceiling and fighting the urge to let Cassius take control.
Monday morning arrived with all the enthusiasm of a root canal. Dario dragged himself to school, determined to get through the day with minimal interaction with anyone.
He made it to third period before Jamie cornered him.
"We need to talk," Jamie said, blocking Dario's path as he tried to leave English class.
"No, we don't."
"Yes, we do." Jamie's usual easy confidence was gone, replaced by something that looked almost like desperation. "Five minutes. That's all I'm asking."
Dario looked at him—really looked. Jamie's perfect hair was disheveled, there were circles under his eyes, and his usually immaculate clothes looked like they'd been slept in.
"Fine," Dario said. "Five minutes."
They found an empty classroom. Jamie closed the door behind them and leaned against it, as if he was afraid Dario might bolt.
"The bet was Tyler's idea," he began without preamble. "Three weeks ago, after what happened in your chemistry class, he came up with this sick plan to—"
"I know what the plan was," Dario interrupted. "I heard him talking about it."
"I never agreed to it."
"But you didn't stop it either."
Jamie flinched. "No. I didn't. And that makes me just as guilty."
Dario blinked, surprised by the admission. He'd expected denials, excuses, maybe anger. Not this raw honesty.
"So why didn't you?" he asked.
"Because I'm an idiot." Jamie ran his hands through his hair, making it even more disheveled. "Because I was curious about you too, after what happened. Because when Tyler first suggested it, I thought it might be an easy way to find out more about... whatever you are."
Each word hit like a physical blow. Dario felt his control slipping, felt Cassius stirring with interest.
"But then I got to know you," Jamie continued, seemingly unaware of the danger he was walking into. "And you weren't what any of us expected. You were just... you. Smart and funny and kind, and I realized I didn't care about Tyler's stupid bet anymore."
"But you never told me about it."
"I was going to. I kept meaning to, but I didn't know how. And then I realized I was falling for you, which wasn't supposed to happen, and I got scared—"
"You're lying." The voice that came out of Dario's mouth was his own, but there was something else layered underneath it, something that made Jamie take an involuntary step backward.
"I'm not," Jamie said quickly. "Dario, I swear, I'm telling you the truth—"
"Everyone lies." Dario's eyes were darkening, pupils expanding until they nearly swallowed the iris. "Everyone uses. Everyone takes what they want and discards the rest."
"That's not—Dario, your eyes—"
"Dario isn't here right now." Cassius smiled, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "He's sulking in the back of our shared consciousness, having his little breakdown over your betrayal."
Jamie pressed himself against the door. "You're Cassius."
"Very good. Gold star for the pretty boy." Cassius stepped closer, and Jamie could swear he saw shadows moving independently around his feet. "Tell me, James—may I call you James?—what exactly were you planning to do to my other half?"
"Nothing! I wasn't going to hurt him—"
"Weren't you? Because from where I'm standing, pretending to care about someone while secretly planning to exploit them sounds rather hurtful."
"It wasn't like that—"
"Oh, but it was exactly like that." Cassius was close enough now that Jamie could see his reflection in those impossibly dark eyes. "You saw a broken boy desperate for connection, and you decided to use that desperation for your own amusement."
"I changed my mind—"
"After you'd already done the damage. After you'd already made him trust you, care about you, maybe even—" Cassius paused, head tilting as if listening to something only he could hear. "Oh, how delicious. He actually thought he loved you."
Jamie's face went white. "I love him too—"
The sound that came from Cassius's throat wasn't quite human. It was laughter, but layered with harmonics that shouldn't have been possible from a single vocal cord.
"Love," he repeated, savoring the word like fine wine. "How... pedestrian. Tell me, James, what do you know about love? Have you ever had your heart torn from your chest? Have you ever trusted someone completely only to discover they viewed you as entertainment?"
"I made a mistake—"
"Yes, you did. And now you get to live with the consequences."
Cassius reached out, and Jamie flinched, but the touch was surprisingly gentle—fingertips brushing against his cheek almost tenderly.
"I could destroy you," Cassius murmured. "Not just your reputation or your social standing—though those would be trivial to dismantle. I could unmake you entirely. Erase you so thoroughly that no one would remember you ever existed."
Jamie's breathing was shallow, panicked. "Please—"
"But that would be too easy. Too quick." Cassius withdrew his hand. "Instead, I think I'll let you live with what you've done. Let you watch as Dario rebuilds himself without you. Let you see exactly what you've lost."
With that, he turned and walked toward the door. Jamie scrambled out of the way, and Cassius paused with his hand on the doorknob.
"Oh, and James? If you ever approach him again, if you so much as look at him the wrong way, I will reconsider my decision about destroying you. Are we clear?"
Jamie could only nod, throat too tight for words.
"Excellent."
Cassius left, closing the door gently behind him. Jamie slumped against the wall, legs suddenly unable to support his weight, and tried to remember how to breathe normally.
In the hallway, Cassius allowed himself one more smile before sinking back into the depths of their shared consciousness, leaving Dario to wake up confused and alone, with no memory of the conversation that had just taken place.