Chapter 175 Back to school

Chapter 175 Back to school
Zayne's POV 
After being absent for an entire week, I finally came back to school.

I pulled into the school parking lot, then killed the engine of my motorcycle and pulled off my helmet. When I climbed off the motorcycle, I spotted Jace and Tyler standing nearby. 

They immediately noticed me.

"Zayne," Tyler called, walking toward me.

Jace followed, and they both greeted me with handshakes.

"Damn, it's been long," Jace said.

I nodded. "Yeah, I know. I've been quite busy."

"Busy?" Tyler raised a brow. "You've been gone for a whole fucking week."

I shrugged. "Things came up."

They exchanged a look but didn't push.

"Coach has been looking for you," Jace said. "He kept asking about you."

"I'll talk to him later."

We started walking toward the school building together.

Everyone kept glancing at me like they were seeing me for the first time. I kept an expressionless face, walking straight ahead.

But the moment I stepped into the classroom, every bit of composure I had stripped away.

My eyes immediately went to Valeria. 

She was sitting in her usual seat, her attention focused on the book in front of her as she kept tapping her pen against the table.

I wanted to take a closer look at her. I wanted to see if she looked okay. If she'd been eating. If she'd been sleeping fine.

I just wanted to know what was going on with her.

But before I could get a proper look, someone suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand.

I blinked and looked down to see Chloe.

"Hey!" she said with a bright smile. "It's been so long."

"Yeah," I said, forcing a small smile. "It has."

"Where have you been?"

"Busy. Really busy," I emphasized.

"Well, you're finally back."

"Yeah. I'm glad to be here."

She released my hand, still smiling. "Alright, welcome back."

I nodded and walked past her seat.

A few more people greeted me as I made my way through the classroom. They kept asking where I'd been and joking about how I'd disappeared. I answered them with the same vague response.

I'd been busy. Simple.

Eventually, I started walking down the aisle toward where I would sit.

My gaze found Valeria again. 

This time, she looked up, and our eyes met.

Everything around me disappeared as I focused on her face.

Her eyes were different. There was something in them that made my chest tighten. I mean, I was the reason she was looking that way.

Before her gaze could linger for even a second, she bit her lower lip and looked away.

I swallowed, forcing myself to keep walking.

I passed her without saying a word. I almost felt like reaching for her hand or brushing my skin against hers. 

But that would be fucking weird. I was the one who broke up with her, so why touch her?

Finally, I reached the back of the classroom and stopped beside the seat I'd used to sit in before I started sitting next to her. I dropped my bag beside the desk and sat down.

The chair felt strange. I'd gotten so used to sitting beside her that being all the way back here felt like I'd been pushed into another world.

The teacher entered, and classes began.

I tried to focus. I really did try.

But my eyes kept drifting toward her. The little movements she made as she wrote. The back of her head. The way her hair fell over her shoulders. 

Her hair was already beginning to get straighter. Would she curl it again or leave it straight like it had been before?

I kept looking at her. 

She never turned around. Not once. She simply kept her eyes on her notebook.

I wondered if she could feel me staring.

Well, I didn't stop staring.

By the time the bell rang for break, I had barely absorbed anything from the lesson.

Valeria immediately packed her things. Tessa walked over to her desk, and minutes later, the two of them left the classroom together.

I watched them disappear through the doorway. I stayed seated for a few minutes, staring at the empty space where she'd been.

Then with a tired sigh, I finally stood.

I didn't know where I was going. I just knew I needed to get out of the classroom.

I walked outside and leaned against the railing overlooking the lower courtyard. The cool air brushed against my face as I stared down absentmindedly. 

A group of students walked across the courtyard carrying prom carrying boxes of decorations, rolls of fabric, and strings of lights for the prom preparations.

Quinn was among them. She suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting mine. Then she immediately looked away like I wasn't there.

I sighed.

She hadn't spoken to me since that night she screamed at me for breaking up with Valeria.

I couldn't blame her. I probably deserved it.

My gaze drifted across the courtyard again. 

And then I saw Valeria and Tessa walking together. Tessa was saying something, her hands moving animatedly as she talked while Valeria listened.

Valeria smiled. Or at least, she tried to.

It wasn't her real smile. It was small and forced. Like she was trying to convince Tessa—and maybe herself—that she was okay.

I looked away for a second, swallowing hard before my eyes found her again.

It was difficult to actually take my eyes off her.

Someone came to stand beside me.

I didn't need to look. I already knew who it was.

Rowan stopped beside me, leaning forward against the railing with both hands resting on it. His fingers curled loosely around the metal bar as he stared down at the courtyard below.

For a while, neither of us said anything.

I glanced at him. His gaze was fixed on Valeria.

My jaw clenched slightly.

After a few seconds, he finally spoke. "Why did you break up with her?"

My throat went dry, and I slowly licked my lips. "Cause I'm a fucking coward."

He turned his head toward me. "That's not an answer." 

"It's the only one I have."

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Was it because of the bikers?"

My fingers tightened around the railing.

He continued. "Were you under some kind of pressure?"

I slowly looked at him. His gaze remained on me as he waited for me to say something. 

"What did they make you do?"

My hand instinctively rested on my abdomen, on the elastic binder around my stomach. It still hurt, but not as much.

I looked back at Valeria. "She was threatened."

Rowan's expression changed. "What?" 

I lowered my voice. "They threatened her. They threatened to hurt her, as in... kill her."

His jaw dropped slightly. He stared at me for a few seconds before looking away.

I released a slow breath. "I couldn't let that happen."

"So you broke up with her instead."

"Yeah."

Rowan nodded slowly. "You're actually a coward."

I scoffed lightly. "I know."

Another long silence..

I swallowed hard. "I just wish I could find that fucking flash drive."

I glanced at Rowan. He looked away from me, his jaw tightening.

"If you find it..." He paused. "Would they let you go?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?" 

"I don't know." I sighed. "I don't even know if getting the drive would change anything. But at least finding it would be a good thing."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Maybe." His gaze dropped to the courtyard again. "I hope you find it."

He shifted from the railing, standing straight. "I've got a student council meeting."

I nodded once. 

He walked away.

Fighting with him was no longer a thing on my list of problems. I had bigger battles to fight, and his just felt tiring.

I turned back toward Valeria.