Chapter 15 15
LYRA’S POV
I turned around.
For a split second, I swore I felt him. That familiar pull in my chest, that tightening just beneath my ribs like someone had reached inside and tugged on a thread tied to my heart.
But there was no one there.
Just air.
Just students passing by, laughing, talking, living their normal little lives.
I stood still for a moment, scanning faces, searching for something I couldn’t even name. Nothing. No Jaxon. No lingering presence. No eyes watching me from across the courtyard.
My chest loosened.
Maybe I imagined it.
Maybe I wanted to believe he was there.
I exhaled and turned toward the lecture hall.
The moment I stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted.
I felt it immediately.
Eyes.
Too many of them.
The room went quieter than it should have. Chairs scraped softly as people adjusted in their seats. A few whispers floated through the air, light but sharp enough to cut.
I kept my head up and walked to my seat.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
It wasn’t fear.
It was awareness.
That same feeling from the club llike I was glowing in a way I couldn’t see, like something about me demanded attention without permission.
Even the lecturer paused when he saw me.
“Good morning, Lyra,” he said with a smile too warm to be professional.
I nodded politely and sat down.
My pulse drummed under my skin.
Why was everyone being so… nice?
I pulled out my notebook, pretending not to notice the way people kept glancing at me. Pretending not to hear the murmurs.
“She’s so pretty.”
“Isn’t that the girl from last night?”
“No, seriously, look at her.”
I clenched my jaw.
Then the door opened again.
And the air changed.
Aria walked in.
She didn’t need to announce herself. She never did. Her presence was always loud in its own way.
Heels clicking sharply against the marble floors as if she was forcing the crowd to notice her .
Her shoulders were definitely not relaxed and her lips were pressed into a thin line.
She looked… irritated.
No….worse.
Ignored.
Her eyes darted around the room, searching. For attention. For recognition. For something that wasn’t there.
Not while I was there.
And then they landed on me.
I felt it like a touch.
Burning.
Her gaze lingered longer than it should have, dark and simmering, before she turned away with a scoff and dropped into her seat.
I watched her from the corner of my eye.
She was used to being the center. Used to people bending toward her like gravity demanded it.
Today, no one did.
And she felt it.
Good.
The lecture started, but I barely listened. My thoughts were loud, buzzing under my skin.
When the professor asked a question, the room went silent.
I knew the answer.
I raised my hand.
Every head turned.
I stood slowly, aware of the attention, the weight of it pressing into my back. My voice came out steady, confident, like I had been doing this my whole life.
As I spoke, I felt it again.
That pull.
That hum.
People leaned in. The lecturer nodded, impressed. Someone in the back whispered a breathy “Wow.”
When I sat down, the room felt different.
Like I’d shifted something.
Then came the projects.
“Pick your partners,” the lecturer said casually.
Chairs scraped while rearranging.
Voices rose from all angles.
Before I could even process what was happening, people were moving toward me.
Kylie. Tasha. Two others I barely knew.
“Lyra, come with us!”
“We already picked you!”
“Please, join ours!”
They crowded around me, smiling too eagerly.
For a moment, I almost laughed.
Then I remembered Aria.
I looked over.
She was still sitting there.
Alone.
Then, they retraced their steps when their eyes met with hers.
Her friends had forgotten her. Almost, she was lucky this time.
The realization hit her slowly.
I saw it in her face, the beam of utter disbelief, then confusion, then something sharp and ugly.
Our eyes met.
I looked away.
Not rudely.
Just… dismissively.
That hurt her more.
We finished preparing quickly. I could feel her stare burning into my back as we stood to present.
My chest felt light and really buoyant. I didn’t even try to hide the small smile tugging at my lips.
As we walked toward the podium, I sensed movement beside me.
Too close.
I stepped forward.
My foot clipped something.
The bottle in my hand tipped.
Water spilled everywhere.
It soaked her shoes. Her skirt. Splashed up her legs.
For half a second, the room was silent.
Then laughter.
Not loud. Not cruel.
But enough to break her.
The roar of laughter fell back down.
Aria froze.
Her face drained of color, then flushed red. Her hands curled into fists at her sides. She looked around, eyes wild, searching for sympathy.
She found none.
I stared at her, blinking innocently.
“I’m so sorry,” I said softly.
My voice sounded genuine.
Too genuine.
She looked at me like she wanted to scream. Like she wanted to tear me apart.
Instead, she grabbed her bag and stormed out.
Kylie and Tasha followed.
The door slammed behind her.
The room buzzed again, but I barely heard it.
I felt… calm.
Centered.
Powerful. As I should.
As if something inside me had finally woken up.
As if things were finally working out as well as they should.
I turned back to the class, my lips curving slightly.
I couldn't hold it in.
This was only the beginning.
And Aria?
She had no idea what she’d started.