The next morning, when Leona and Alex walked across campus, a roar of engines cut through the chatter of students. The Pumas rolled in, Zac at the front, his helmet tucked under his arm. He swung off his bike with that same infuriating confidence, his eyes scanning the crowd until they found her.
Leona's steps froze. Alex swore under his breath.
Zac smirked, taking slow, deliberate strides in their direction.
"You." He lifted a finger, pointing straight at her. "Princess. Thought about me last night?"
The crowd stirred, phones already out again.
Leona clenched her fists, her pulse hammering. But she didn't give him anything. She just keeps walking. He followed her and walked beside her, "Because I thought about you, princess… In the most sexy way you could imagine when you're alone in your room…"
Leona's jaw locked, her fists digging crescents into her palms as Zac's words dripped filth into the morning air. She quickened her pace, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Alex trailed beside her, stiff and pale, his eyes darting between his sister and the boy stalking them like a wolf.
"Just leave us alone," she muttered, low enough for only him to hear.
Zac leaned closer, his shoulder brushing hers, his voice a taunting whisper. "That's not how this works, princess. You walk away, I follow. You hide, I find you. That's the game."
Her stomach twisted. The way he said it wasn't a threat. It was a promise.
Alex snapped, stepping in front of Zac, his trembling hands balled into fists. "Leave her alone."
The crowd gasped as if Alex had just signed his death warrant. Zac's stride halted, his smirk never fading. He tilted his head, studying the boy blocking his path.
"Aww, you're cute," Zac drawled. "You grew a spine overnight." He took one slow step forward, and Alex stumbled back instantly, his face flushing with shame. Zac chuckled, low and cruel. "But you'll break just as easily."
Leona grabbed Alex's wrist and pulled him forward. "Ignore him. Just keep walking."
But Zac wasn't ignoring anything. His hand shot out, fingers brushing her elbow. Light, casual, but enough to stop her cold. Leona froze, the burn of his touch crawling up her arm.
"Don't touch me," she hissed, her voice sharp enough to cut.
The smirk faltered for half a second. Then his grin widened, slow and lethal. "There it is." His eyes glittered. "That fire. That's what I like."
Leona yanked her arm free, the crowd murmuring louder, eating it all up like a soap opera. Phones hovered higher. She hated how easily he pulled her into his orbit, how he made her anger feel like entertainment.
"Stay away from us, Moreno!" she bit out.
Zac's laugh was soft, almost disbelieving. He leaned down until his mouth hovered near her ear, close enough that only she caught it. "You don't get it, princess. You don't get to tell me what to do. Ever."
Her pulse spiked, but she forced herself to meet his gaze head-on, refusing to flinch. "Then you don't get to know me."
For a heartbeat, something flickered in his eyes. Then he stepped back, throwing his arms out like he was letting the whole campus in on the joke.
"Fine," he announced loudly, his smirk returning full force. "Don't tell me your name. I'll just make you say it."
The crowd roared with laughter and gasps.
Leona's blood ran hot, humiliation and fury tangling in her chest. She grabbed Alex's hand and stormed away, refusing to look back.
But Zac watched them go, his tongue running over his teeth as he smiled to himself.
"Princess," he murmured under his breath, savoring the word. "You'll break first."
—
That night, Leona sat at her desk, the glow of her laptop casting harsh shadows across her room. She tried to drown herself in homework, in planning the activist rally, in anything that could block out the echo of his voice. But every time she typed a sentence, she heard his laugh. Every time she blinked, she saw his smirk.
Her phone buzzed. Unknown number.
Her chest tightened. She didn't want to look. She didn't want to know. But her hand betrayed her, sliding the screen open.
Unknown: Sweet dreams, princess.
Her heart dropped. She hadn't given him her number.