Leona spent the rest of the afternoon trying to shake off the scene. It clung to her like smoke. Every hallway she walked down, she caught the stares. She heard the whispers. That's the girl who went after Moreno.
Good. Let them whisper. She's so done with the campus bully.
By the time she dropped Alex off at his dorm and made sure he was okay, her blood was still simmering. Her hands itched for something to punch.
When she reached her own dorm later that evening, she almost let herself breathe until she saw him.
Zac was leaning against the brick wall by the entrance like he'd been waiting for her. His bike rested at the curb, sleek and black beneath the streetlight. The Pumas were nowhere in sight; it was just him.
Leona froze for half a second before her fury propelled her forward. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Zac's grin was infuriatingly calm. "Relax, princess. I'm not here for your brother."
"Don't call me that." She shoved past him toward the door, but his hand shot out, catching the strap of her bag.
Her head snapped toward him. "Let go of me!"
He didn't. Instead, he leaned closer, eyes gleaming. "What's your name?"
"None of your business."
His smirk deepened. "You made it my business when you opened that pretty mouth in front of the whole campus, princess." He leaned a little bit closer, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off him, the gasoline-and-leather scent clinging to his jacket. His smirk never wavered.
"So," he drawled, eyes locked on hers, "you gonna tell me your name, princess?"
Leona's jaw tightened. The whole quad seemed to hold its breath. She didn't flinch, didn't look away, didn't give him what he wanted.
Instead, she smiled coldly, "Not a chance."
For the first time, Zac's grin faltered not because he was angry, but more because her refusal lit something in his eyes, something wicked and hungry.
He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as if she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life.
"Oh… this is gonna be fun." he said as he walking away.
Leona didn't move. Not even when her brother tugged at her sleeve.
"Lee…" Alex's voice was shaky. He was fully dressed again, but the damage was done. Half the campus had already recorded everything, whispers spreading like wildfire. "Maybe we should just go. Please?"
Her eyes stayed locked in the direction Zac Moreno had gone, her pulse still drumming in her throat. She didn't know why, but the look in his eyes unsettled her more than his words. He wasn't just amused. He was intrigued.
And that was dangerous.
"Leona?"
"Don't," she snapped, sharper than she intended. "Don't say my name out loud!"
Alex blinked, confused. "Why not?"
She shook her head, forcing her tone steady. "Because guys like him don't get to know everything. And he sure as hell doesn't get to know me."
Alex's expression crumpled. "But he'll come after me again. Lee… I can't..."
Leona turned on him, her jaw tight. "Then we don't give him the chance."
But even as she said it, her gut twisted. Zac wasn't the kind of person you could avoid. Not when he decided you were interesting.