Chapter 59 : The Bench of Entertainment.
HAYDEN’S POV
I’m late, like very late. The digital clock on the library wall reads 7:42 p.m, and our tutoring session started at seven.
I run a hand through my still-damp hair as I hurry down the quiet hallway toward the study rooms. My T-shirt is wrinkled, my breathing uneven, and there’s a very good reason for that.
Lilian.
My brain flashes back to twenty minutes ago with her tangled in my sheets, hair spread across the pillow, cheeks flushed while she laughed at something I said before pulling me back down to kiss her again.
Yeah……that’s why I’m late.
And judging by the tight knot forming in my stomach, Ella is going to be thrilled about it.
I stop outside the glass study room door. Ella is already inside. Of course she is.
She’s sitting at the table with her laptop open, several textbooks stacked neatly beside her. A pen taps rhythmically against the table while she stares down at her notes.
The second I push the door open, her eyes snap up and the pen stops.
Her gaze drags slowly over me, from my messy hair to my wrinkled shirt, and something dark flashes across her expression.
“Well,” she says flatly. “Nice of you to join.”
I drop into the chair across from her. “Hmmm, Traffic.”
Her eyebrow lifts. “On campus?” she asks dryly.
“Very busy sidewalks.”
She leans back in her chair, folding her arms. “You’re forty-two minutes late.”
“Forty-two?” I glance at the clock. “Wow. That's specific.”
“I counted.” Of course she did.
I shrug and reach for the textbook in front of me. “Relax, Knox. We’ve still got time.”
Her jaw tightens slightly. “You smell like perfume.”
I pause. Then I look up slowly. “What?”
“Perfume,” she repeats calmly. “Which is clearly not yours.”
For a moment, neither of us says anything. Then I lean back in my chair with a smirk. “Are you jealous?”
Her expression doesn’t change, not even a little. “I’m irritated,” she says.
“That too.”
Ella exhales slowly and pushes a paper toward me. “Chapter twelve. You were supposed to read it before this session.”
I glance at the page. It was numbers, equations, and graphs. My brain immediately tries to leave my body.
“Yeah,” I say slowly. “About that.”
Her eyes narrow. “You didn’t read it.”
“I skimmed through it…..” I shrugged.
“You didn’t skim it.”
“Okay fine, I looked at it briefly.”
Her stare turns icy. “You’re unbelievable.”
I shrug again. “You knew what you were signing up for.”
“No,” she snaps. “I signed up to tutor someone who wanted to pass.”
“I do want to pass.”
“Then act like it.”
Her voice echoes slightly in the quiet room.
A couple of students outside glance through the glass wall before continuing down the hallway.
I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table. “Look,” I say. “I’ll pass the retake. You’ll do your tutoring thing. Professor Adler will be happy. Everybody wins.”
Ella stares at me like she’s deciding whether to throw the textbook at my head. “You think this is a joke.”
“No.”
“Yes, you do.” She leans forward suddenly, her voice lowering. “You’re treating this like some minor inconvenience.”
“Because it is.”
“No, Hayden,” she says sharply. “It’s your future.”
That makes me blink. “My future?”
“Yes.”
Her fingers tap once against the table. “You failed your midterm.”
“I’m aware.”
“You’re on academic probation for athletics.”
That part makes my shoulders stiffen. “Barely.”
“Barely is still there.”
I look away because she’s not wrong but hearing it out loud still pisses me off.
Ella studies my face for a second before speaking again. “And instead of fixing it,” she says quietly, “you show up late smelling like someone else.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh my God.”
“Stop playing around.”
“I’m not playing around.”
“Yes, you are.”
Her voice rises again. “You’re acting like nothing matters except whatever girl is currently in your bed.”
That does it. I sit up straighter, my irritation spiking. “You don’t get to lecture me about my life.”
Her expression hardens. “Someone has to.”
“Why?” I ask. “Because you suddenly care about my academic performance?”
“No,” she says immediately. The word hangs between us. Then she sighs and rubs her temples like I’m giving her a migraine. “I’m saying this because you’re wasting your potential.”
I snort. “That’s dramatic.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
I lean forward again, lowering my voice. “You’re here to help me pass a test. That’s it.”
Her eyes flash. “You’re still the same arrogant idiot.”
“And you’re still the same control freak.”
Silence falls over the room. Then Ella laughs once but there’s no humor in it. “You know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“You think this is about Lilian.”
My eyebrows knit together. “What?”
“That’s why you’re acting like this,” she says.
“Showing up late. Smelling like her. Acting as if you’ve already won some imaginary competition.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.”
Her gaze sharpens. “You’re trying to prove something.”
“To whom?”
“To me.”
I laugh. “You’re not that important, Knox.”
Her jaw tightens.“Keep telling yourself that.” She grabs a pen and taps the textbook. “Now focus.”
I stare at the page again and the numbers blur together. My brain refuses to cooperate. After about thirty seconds, Ella exhales loudly.
“You didn’t understand a single word you just read.”
“Two words,” I say.
She closes her eyes briefly. “Hayden…” Her voice is calmer now, and she looks almost tired. “Stop playing with your future.”
That sentence lands harder than I expected. I lean back again. “And what if I don’t?”
Her eyes open slowly. “Then you’re going to regret it.”
“Why?”
Before she can answer….BANG.
The library doors slam open somewhere down the hall, and voices echo loudly. Ella and I both look toward the glass wall. Students are suddenly gathering near the entrance as whispers ripple through the hallway.
“What’s going on?” I mutter.
A security officer walks quickly past the study rooms, followed by another. That’s… unusual.
Ella frowns and then my phone buzzes on the table. It was a campus alert notification. My stomach tightens slightly as I pick it up while Ella watches me.
“What does it say?” I unlock the screen and read the message.
Then everything inside my chest goes cold. Ella notices my expression immediately.
“What happened?”
I slowly lower the phone. My voice comes out quieter than I expect.
“…Someone reported me.”
Her brows pull together. “For what?”
I swallow once. “Academic misconduct.” The words feel heavy in my mouth.
Ella stares at me. “What?”
“They’re saying I cheated on the midterm.” Silence fills the room.
This was going to be worse than imagined.