He tried to apologize again, tried to explain himself, but Mano pushed back harder each time. The conversation slipped from clipped replies to outright anger, then to something worse.
You kissed me. What the fuck were you thinking? I’m not gay
Neither am I…
Then why did you do it?
Ody didn’t have an answer, not even for himself. Panic and humiliation twisted together as he tried to explain, to take responsibility, to undo what felt impossible to repair.
He typed with shaking hands.Because you were kind to me. You made me feel seen when you said I was brave. You got hurt trying to protect me. And when you rested your hand in my hair and looked at me like that… I thought it meant something. But it didn’t. I messed up. Do I have to pay for it forever?
The message was marked as seen. But nothing came after. The silence sat there, cold and final.
Ody tossed his phone onto the couch and pressed his hands over his face.
I ruined everything…
Chapter 24
Days passed as exam season drew near. They hadn’t spoken in ten days. Not one word. Ody blamed himself entirely. Mano had made it clear he didn’t want contact, and Ody couldn’t force his way back in.
But Serifos was already set. Eleven days left. Mano with Ranya. Ody with Anna. Two separate rooms. Minimal contact if they were careful.
Still, dread twisted in his stomach.
He drove to campus for his pharmaceutical chemistry exam, parked, and joined Chris and Steve in the hall.
“Good luck,” the professor said as they began.
When time was up, they handed in their papers. They left the exam hall together and stepped into the main corridor, students drifting past in every direction.
“I’m catching the bus,” Steve said. “You coming, Chris?”
“Yeah. I’m dead, I need sleep.”
Ody gave them a quick nod. “I’m going the other way. I need the restroom before I head to the parking lot.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow,” Steve said as the two walked off.
Ody turned down the hallway alone. Walking through the main building, he had just rounded the corner toward the restrooms when a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder. He jolted, spinning around.
Kash stood there, his short dark hair tousled, smiling in a way that wasn’t a smile at all. “What’s up, Ody? Long time no see.” His gaze was sharp, threatening, his hand still squeezing Ody’s shoulder.
Ody stared. He hadn’t seen Kash in over two weeks, not since that day at the school, where Mano and the others had left him bloodied.
“Come on, don’t look at me like that. It’s all good. Nothing’s wrong.” He slung an arm around Ody’s nape and steered him toward a bench. “Sit.” He shoved him down.
Ody sat rigid, nerves tightening under his skin.
“I didn’t know you had so many friends,” Kash said, looming over him. “They care about you a lot, huh? That move at the school… I’ll give it to you, it was clever. You caught us off guard.” His expression twisted, half amused, half dangerous. “Whose idea was it? Mano’s?”
“No!” Ody snapped, blinking fast.
Kash laughed. “You’re a terrible liar. Man, I’m so sick of fighting, but that guy ticks me off so much I can’t just let it go.”
The anger in his eyes made Ody’s stomach drop. “He’s not alone! He has all of us. If you dare touch him—”
“Yeah? What are you gonna do?” He bent down to Ody’s eye level, wearing that sly, unsettling smile.
