Eve is there before the crowd, posted up at a table closest to the far wall, where no one can get behind her. Smart. Her tray is empty except for black coffee and one of those miserable protein bars the vending machine dispenses. She’s got a book open, notes already scrawled in the margins, and she never looks up. Not once.
The room fills, and the whisper stream starts. Nothing subtle about it. "That’s her," someone says, and "charity case," and "theBoard’s little pet." Most just glare. Her shoulders hunch inward when she notices that she is the hot topic of the day.
"She’s still breathing," Jules says, voice just loud enough for nearby tables to catch it.
Bam laughs. "Not for long. I give her three days before she snaps."
I track Eve’s hands as she scribbles something down. The left one holds the page steady, but the right has a slight tremble after every sentence. Not fear. Too controlled for that. It’s something else. Maybe adrenaline.
"Think she knows she’s a walking target?" Bam asks.
"She knows," I say. "She’s pretending she doesn’t."
Julian leans in, lowering his voice. "Rumor’s are circulating that the Board’s betting on her. That she’s supposed to redeem the school after the Castillo fuckup."
"Redemption," Bam repeats, snorting. "That’s rich."
I watch Eve pick at her bar, not eating it, just tearing off pieces to line up beside her book. It’s a ritual. A way to pass time, or maybe just a defense.
A group of legacy girls walks past, slow and obvious. One drops a napkin on Eve’s tray. She doesn’t react, doesn’t evenacknowledge the hit. Just brushes it off, keeps going between reading and writing.
"What’s your angle, Colton? You’re not usually this quiet." Julian asks.
I shrug, eyes never leaving the target. "Waiting."
"For what?"
"For her to crack," I say. "Or for someone else to try and crack her first."
Bam grins, showing teeth. "You want her for yourself?"
The question lingers. I think about lying, but there’s no point. I want her because she doesn’t belong here. I want her because the Board wants her to succeed. I want her because the only way she gets out alive is if she learns to play by my rules.
I want her because I shouldn’t.
I answer with a nod, slow and final. "She’s mine."
Julian raises an eyebrow. "You planning to date the scholarship girl?"
I flick my gaze at him, bored. "I don’t date. I take."
Bam howls. "You’re fucked, man. The Board will have your head."
That’s the point. They want to fuck with her, but not let us in on the action. They want to give a show that they’re changing with the times, equality and all that, but I know they’ll destroy her behind closed doors because they can’t help who they are. A move in control to demonstrate and exert power over whomever they see fit. Including me. Only… I don’t give a fuck and I see something I want.
Across the hall, Eve finally looks up. Eyes scan the room, flinching at nothing, and then find me. For one heartbeat, neither of us blinks. I see the surprise, the confusion, and then the wary calculation.
She looks away first.
I don’t smile. Not really.
But I do bare my teeth.
Finally, someone worth my time.
Chapter 1: Eve
Wakingupbeforethesun is a bitch, but I don’t want to be late for my first day of classes. I set my alarm half an hour before I normally get up, just so I can lay here and shake the grogginess from my body. That hollow pocket where my body wakes up before my brain, unsure which city I’m in or if I’ve even survived the night.
