Kash’s expression shifted. His eyes widened as he shot Ody a desperate look, silently urging him to go inside the office now.
Ody’s chest tightened. He understood exactly what Kash meant, and exactly what the other two were about to do. But his legs refused to move.
Brandon and Pablo moved toward him. Kash mouthed, “Go.”
Ody stepped back as they closed in.
“Long time no see, Stavrinos,” Pablo said, every word carrying a threat.
“How’s life treating you?” Brandon added with a mocking grin. “Your friends aren’t here to save you this time.”
“Odysseus, come on in. I’m done,” the professor called from behind them. All three boys turned. “Do you need something?” he asked, eyeing them directly.
“No, sir. Have a good afternoon,” Kash said quickly, stealing one more anxious glance at Ody without letting his friends notice.
“Come,” the professor said as he unlocked the door and held it open for him.
“Damn it,” Brandon muttered once Ody was out of reach.
“When are we gonna catch him alone? He’s always with those other assholes,” Pablo complained.
“Maybe we should make sure they can’t always be with him,” Brandon said with a smirk. The two of them laughed while Kash stayed silent.
When Ody finished in the office, he stepped outside and found his friends waiting for him with coffees in hand. They stopped at a quiet spot on campus, talked for a bit, then walked him to the parking lot.
After he got into his car, they headed off.
Ody had just put his keys in the ignition when movement caught his eye. Kash. Pushing a girl toward the back of the building, looking over his shoulder like he didn’t want anyone to see.
He leaned closer to the steering wheel, trying to get a better look at her face. When they disappeared behind the corner, something in his stomach twisted.
Without thinking, he got out of the car. He followed, every step careful, his pulse rising for reasons he didn’t understand yet.
“Stop pushing me, Kash!” the girl snapped.
“I’ve told you a thousand times not to come here,” he hissed.
“You said that if I asked, you would! Why are you changing your mind now?”
“Stella, for fuck’s sake, I already explained!”
Ody froze mid-step. Stella. The name hit him like cold water. Kash’s ex. The one who also dated Mano.
He pressed himself back into the shadows, barely breathing.
“Yeah, you don’t wanna upset your little boyfriend!” she spat, fixing him with a furious glare, her muted green eyes blazing. “Kash, I don’t care! You know exactly how Mano treated me! You said you’d take care of him, and now you’re leaving me to deal with this alone!”
Kash lowered his voice fast, panicked. “I don’t wanna keep this going, do you get that?”
“So you’d rather leave me alone than stick to our deal?” she shot back. “You promised you’d beat the shit out of him!”
Ody’s heart stopped. A deal. To hurt Mano.
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t blink. Pressed against the concrete wall just around the corner, he stayed perfectly still, his chest tightening with every word.
“You were pissed too,” Stella continued. “When you found out he stayed over at Ody’s place. When you made him bleed.”
Ody’s stomach dropped.
