Chapter 71 Chapter 70
Logan POV
Marco catches up to me halfway across the quad, breath a little too hard for a guy who skates five miles a day.
“Okay,” he says, grabbing my shoulder and spinning me around, “is there some kind of plague going around that only affects women?”
I blink at him. “Good morning to you too.”
“I’m serious,” he says. “I just walked into Econ and not a single girl looked up. Not one. Usually I can’t sit down without someone ‘accidentally’ dropping a pen in my lap.”
“Tragic,” I deadpan.
“No, I mean it,” he insists. “I even smiled at that blonde from Delta Zeta who practically tried to climb me last weekend. She straight up walked past me like I was a coat rack.”
I frown. “Huh.”
“And then,” he continues, lowering his voice like he’s sharing a conspiracy, “I held the door for two Alpha Chi girls. They didn’t even say thank you.”
“…Okay, that is weird,” I admit.
“Right?” He points at me. “You notice anything?”
I think about the coffee bar this morning. The barista who usually writes her number on my cup. The way she barely looked at me.
About the girl from psych who always sits a little too close. Who didn’t even glance my way.
“…Maybe,” I say slowly.
Marco’s eyes widen. “So it’s not just me.”
We start walking again.
“Maybe everyone’s tired,” I offer.
“Or maybe,” Marco says, squinting, “we’ve been cursed.”
“By who? The feminist coven?”
He snorts. “I’m telling you, man, something’s up.”
By the time we get to class, I know he’s right.
It’s not just that girls aren’t flirting.
They’re not reacting at all.
No looks.
No whispers.
No eye contact.
I sit down and try not to think about it.
I fail.
Two rows ahead, Harper is already there, notebook open, posture perfect.
She doesn’t look back.
Not once.
Normally, I’d feel her presence like static in the air.
Today?
Nothing.
Like I’m not even in the room.
That shouldn’t bother me.
It does.
Class ends.
Everyone stands.
I wait.
She walks out without looking at me.
I follow.
“Harper,” I call.
She doesn’t stop.
“Harper.”
Nothing.
I catch up and step in front of her near the doors.
She stops.
Looks past me.
“Yes?” she says politely.
Cold. Professional. Distant.
“…Is something wrong?” I ask.
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“You’re acting different.”
She finally looks at me.
Her eyes are flat. Closed off.
“I’m acting like myself, Logan.”
Then she walks around me.
Just like that.
I stand there like I’ve been slapped.
By lunch, it’s undeniable.
Every girl from Alpha Chi and Delta Zeta acts like the hockey team doesn’t exist.
Not rude.
Not mean.
Nothing.
It’s worse.
Marco drops his tray across from me. “Okay, it’s official. We’re dead.”
Zack sits too. “I asked three girls for a lighter. All three walked away.”
“Are we on a list?” Marco asks.
I look up and meet Cole’s eyes across the table.
He looks… way too calm.
“Cole,” I say.
“Yeah?”
“You want to explain why half the female population just collectively decided we’re ghosts?”
He takes a sip of his drink. “Maybe you should ask what you did.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
He arches a brow.
“…Recently.”
He looks at me for a long second.
Then says, “Maybe you should ask Harper.”
My stomach tightens.
“…Why?”
“Because,” he says carefully, “this one might be about you.”
Practice is a mess.
Coach yells.
I deserve it.
In the locker room, the guys are all talking at once.
“This is worse than being dumped,” Marco says.
“Yeah,” Zack mutters. “At least when you’re dumped, they still acknowledge you exist.”
I sit on the bench, staring at my skates.
Cole drops down next to me.
“You figure it out yet?”
“Figure what?”
“This isn’t random.”
“…Did Harper do this?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer.
Which is an answer.
“And Lila?” I press.
He exhales. “Probably.”
My jaw tightens. “How long?”
“Seventy-two hours.”
“…You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
Three days.
Three days of this.
Three days of Harper pretending I don’t exist.
“Why?” I ask.
He looks at me, eyes sharp. “Because you slept with her and then froze her out.”
“I didn’t—”
“You avoided her.”
I look away.
“That’s not the same.”
“To her it is.”
The words land heavy.
“…She’s punishing me.”
“She’s protecting herself,” Cole says quietly.
That one hurts worse.