I should have walked away from him.
Right then.
Right there.
Before things got worse.
But I didn't.
Lucien was still standing too close.
Close enough that people were pretending not to stare while clearly staring.
Close enough that every second felt like a mistake I couldn't undo.
"There's no going back to invisible."
His words didn't leave my head.
They stayed there.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"That's exactly what I was trying to do," I said quietly.
His gaze didn't shift.
"You were doing a good job," he replied.
"Until you showed up."
A pause.
Not tense.
Not angry.
Something else.
"Is that what this is?" he asked. "My fault?"
"Yes."
I didn't hesitate.
Didn't soften it.
Didn't pretend.
Something flickered in his expression.
Not anger.
Not offense.
Just… interest.
"That's new," he said.
"I'm not trying to be new," I replied. "I'm trying to be left alone."
For the first time since I met him…
his expression changed.
Not much.
But enough.
"That's not going to happen," he said.
I let out a quiet breath.
"Then stop looking at me."
Silence.
The kind that feels like a line has just been crossed.
"Say that again," he said.
His voice was still calm.
But there was something under it now.
Something sharper.
"Stop looking at me," I repeated. "Stop talking to me. Stop involving me in whatever this is."
I gestured slightly between us.
"Because I don't want it."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
People were definitely staring now.
Whispers were starting again.
Phones out.
Of course.
Lucien didn't look away.
Didn't react the way most people would.
Instead, he stepped closer.
My back hit the lockers behind me.
I hadn't even realized I'd moved.
"You don't get to decide that," he said quietly.
There it was.
Power.
Control.
The thing everyone warned me about.
I met his eyes.
Forced myself not to look away.
"Watch me," I said.
That did it.
Something in his expression shifted completely.
Not calm anymore.
Not controlled.
Not entirely.
For a second…
he looked almost—
interested wasn't the word.
Focused.
Like I had just become something he couldn't ignore.
"You think this is a choice?" he asked.
"I know it is," I replied.
"You're wrong."
"Then prove me wrong by leaving me alone."
Another mistake.
His hand moved.
Fast.
Not rough.
But deliberate.
He placed it against the locker beside my head.
Not touching me.
Blocking me in.
The hallway went silent again.
"You're not afraid of me," he said.
It wasn't a question.
"No," I answered.
A lie.
But not entirely.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Everyone else is."
"I'm not everyone else."
That hung in the air between us.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
"I can see that," he said.
For a second…
neither of us moved.
Then voices echoed down the hall.
Louder.
Closer.
"Lucien!"
Everything shifted again.
He stepped back just enough for me to breathe.
But his attention didn't leave me.
A group approached.
Three guys.
Confident. Relaxed.
Nothing like the others.
His friends.
"You disappeared," one of them said, glancing between us. "Now we know why."
I stepped away immediately.
Creating distance.
Fixing what this looked like.
"Nothing's going on," I said quickly.
Wrong move.
Lucien's gaze snapped back to me.
Sharp.
"I didn't ask you to explain," he said.
Heat rose to my face.
Not embarrassment.
Annoyance.
"I'm explaining for myself," I replied.
His friend smirked slightly.
"This is new," he muttered.
"Stop," Lucien said.
Not loud.
But final.
Silence.
His attention returned to me.
Like the others didn't exist.
"You're leaving," he said.
I blinked.
"What?"
"With me."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
His expression didn't change.
"You weren't asking before."
"I am now."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
Another pause.
Then he nodded once.
Slowly.
"Fine," he said.
That was unexpected.
Too easy.
Something felt off.
"Go," he added.
I didn't wait.
I turned and walked.
Fast.
Not running.
But close.
I didn't stop until I reached the stairwell.
Pushing the door open harder than I needed to.
The second it closed behind me…
everything hit at once.
My chest tightened.
My hands weren't steady.
My thoughts were louder than they should be.
This was bad.
Not just attention.
Not just whispers.
This was something else.
Something I couldn't control.
And the worst part?
He wasn't done.
I knew it.
Because people like Lucien Knight didn't walk away.
They waited.
And when they came back…
It was never weaker.
Only worse.