Liam reaches me before I can move.
"We need to talk." His voice is low. Controlled. "Now."
"Liam..."
"Outside."
He doesn't wait for an answer. Just walks toward the door. Expecting me to follow.
I glance at Ethan across the room. He's watching. Concerned but can't intervene without making it worse. If he steps in now, it'll only confirm what everyone's already whispering about. So he stays where he is, his jaw tight, his eyes tracking my movement as I turn to follow Liam.
The hallway feels longer than usual. Each step echoes against the tile floor, and I'm hyperaware of the other students still lingering near the mixer rooms, their conversations dropping to whispers as we pass. Someone laughs, the sound sharp and knowing, and I force myself not to react.
Liam keeps walking. Down the stairs. Out of the building. Into the dark quad.
Away from witnesses.
