Chapter 129 Chapter 128
Logan POV
The quad is busy.
It’s always busy this time of day—students cutting across campus between classes, people sitting on the grass with laptops, a couple guys throwing a football near the fountain.
Normally I wouldn’t even notice.
I’ve walked across this quad a thousand times.
And most of those times people stare.
Whisper.
Point.
That part has never really bothered me.
You get used to it when you’re the captain of the hockey team.
When your face ends up on posters for games.
When people know your name before you know theirs.
Attention becomes background noise.
Something you tune out the same way you tune out the hum of the arena lights.
It’s just part of the deal.
I push open the doors of the academic building and step outside, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
A couple guys from one of my classes nod at me.
“Shaw.”
“What’s up.”
“Nice move last night, man.”
I shrug.
“Charity.”
They laugh like they don’t believe me.
Whatever.
I start across the quad toward my next class.
And about halfway across—
I see her.
Harper.
She’s standing near the walkway with Lila, her backpack slung over one shoulder, a coffee cup in her hand.
She’s laughing at something Lila said.
For a second I just watch.
Because it’s a weird feeling.
Seeing her out here like this.
Not in the quiet of my room.
Not on stage under lights.
Just Harper.
Normal.
Except…
It’s not normal.
I notice it immediately.
The looks.
The whispers.
Two girls walking past them slow down.
One of them glances at Harper and murmurs something to her friend.
Another group nearby keeps sneaking glances.
One guy actually gives Harper a thumbs-up like she just won a championship.
My jaw tightens slightly.
I’m used to this.
People watching.
People talking.
But Harper?
She’s not.
And I can tell.
Her shoulders are just a little tighter than usual.
Her smile a little more controlled.
Like she’s trying not to show that she notices.
Lila sees me first.
Her face lights up instantly.
“Well, well,” she says loudly enough for both of us to hear. “Speak of the very expensive devil.”
Harper turns.
The second her eyes land on me, something in her expression softens.
That does something strange to my chest.
I walk over.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” she says back.
For a moment we just stand there, the noise of the quad buzzing around us.
Then Lila folds her arms.
“So,” she says, grinning. “Are you two planning on making another public spectacle today, or should I clear the quad first?”
I roll my eyes.
“Relax.”
She shrugs.
“I’m just saying. You already broke the internet once.”
Harper groans softly.
“Please don’t remind me.”
I glance at her.
“Rough morning?”
She gives a small laugh.
“You have no idea.”
Lila jumps in immediately.
“Oh, she absolutely does. Half the campus thinks she stole their hockey captain.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Stole?”
“Your fans are very dramatic,” Lila says.
Harper shakes her head.
“It’s fine.”
But the way she says it tells me it’s not entirely fine.
I glance around again.
Sure enough, another pair of girls walk past and whisper something to each other.
Harper notices too.
Her fingers tighten slightly around her coffee cup.
“People are staring,” she mutters quietly.
I shrug.
“Yeah.”
“That doesn’t bother you?”
“No.”
She gives me a look.
“Of course it doesn’t.”
I lean slightly closer so only she can hear.
“You get used to it.”
“That’s comforting.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
She raises an eyebrow.
“For you.”
Fair.
Lila suddenly clears her throat dramatically.
“Well,” she says, “I’m going to go pretend I have somewhere important to be.”
Harper blinks.
“What?”
Lila grins.
“I’m giving you two five minutes before the next class starts.”
“Lila—”
“Five minutes,” she repeats, already walking backward. “Try not to start another headline.”
Then she disappears into the building.
Harper sighs.
“She’s impossible.”
“Accurate.”
For a moment we stand there in the middle of the quad.
Students walking around us.
A few glances still drifting our way.
Harper shifts her weight slightly.
“This is weird.”
“What is?”
“All of this.”
She gestures vaguely around us.
“The attention. The gossip.”
I nod once.
“Yeah.”
“You’re really okay with it?”
I think about it for a second.
Then shrug.
“People have been talking about me since freshman year.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“It’s just noise.”
Harper studies my face carefully.
“Maybe for you.”
Her voice softens.
“But they’re not talking about your reputation.”
That lands.
Because she’s right.
Most of the whispers today aren’t about me.
They’re about her.
I glance around the quad again.
Another couple of students looking.
More whispers.
My jaw tightens slightly.
“Did something happen?” I ask.
Harper hesitates.
“Just… comments.”
“What kind of comments?”
She shrugs lightly.
“The kind people make when they think someone doesn’t deserve the attention they’re getting.”
Anger flickers in my chest.
“Who said that?”
She shakes her head.
“It doesn’t matter.”
It matters to me.
But the bell from the academic building rings, cutting off the moment.
Harper glances toward the doors.
“I should get to class.”
“Yeah.”
She adjusts her backpack strap.
Then pauses.
“You know,” she says quietly, “this kind of attention doesn’t bother you because you’ve had it for years.”
I nod.
“That’s true.”
“But for me…”
She looks around the quad again.
“It’s a lot.”
I study her for a second.
Then I step a little closer.
“Hey.”
Her eyes meet mine.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know.”
“And you didn’t steal anything.”
Her mouth curves slightly.
“That’s not what the internet says.”
“Internet’s stupid.”
She laughs softly.
For a moment the tension eases.
Then she takes a step backward toward the building.
“I’ll see you later?”
The question hangs in the air.
I nod.
“Yeah.”
She turns and starts toward the doors.
Halfway there she glances back once.
Then disappears inside.
I stand there for another second.
Watching the building.
Listening to the whispers around the quad.
And for the first time since all this started—
I realize something.
The attention never bothered me.
But seeing it land on Harper?
That’s a different story.
And suddenly I understand why it bothered me so much when Sophia said she talked to her.
Because Harper might be able to handle it.
But that doesn’t mean she should have to handle it alone.