Chapter 15 015

Chapter 15 015

“Aria, wait,” I hissed, pulling her into the corner near the stairwell. Her pulse was racing, and I could practically see it under her skin. “Tell me what the hell you were thinking back there.”

She yanked her arm away, eyes wild, chest rising and falling like she’d run a mile. “I wasn’t thinking, Jess. I just…” Her words trailed, but her lips pressed into a line. She wasn’t about to admit it.

I stepped closer, lowering my voice, though I wanted to yell. “You can’t keep doing this. You can’t keep running into his office like some… some fantasy.”

“Fantasy?” she spat, voice sharp. “Is that what you think this is?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s more than that. It’s dangerous. And you’re… you’re playing the same game your sisters played.”

The words landed like a slap. I could see it flick across her expression, a flash of shame and something else—something stubborn, something defiant.

“What do you mean, Jess?” she asked, trying to sound casual, but the tremor in her voice gave her away.

I grabbed her shoulders lightly, forcing her to look at me. “I mean patterns, Aria. Your sister… your mother… they went down this road before. They got caught up in the wrong attention, and it never ends well. You’re repeating the same thing, and you don’t even see it.”

Her eyes hardened, her hands curling into fists at her sides. “I’m not them. I’m not like them.”

I tried to soften my voice, but the frustration was thick. “Maybe not. But the way you look at him, the way you chase this—don’t tell me you don’t feel it. You’re drawn to him, Aria. You’re not being clever or rebellious. You’re…” I hesitated, realizing how sharp my words were. “…you’re falling into it.”

Her jaw tightened. “Falling into it?” she repeated, voice almost a whisper. “Jess, you don’t get it. You don’t get how… electric it is.”

I took a step back, hands lifting in surrender. “Then tell me. Tell me what it is that’s so electric that you’re willing to risk everything—your reputation, your safety—for him.”

She didn’t answer. Not immediately. Instead, she shook her head violently, strands of wet hair slapping her cheeks. “I can’t. I can’t explain it. And you… you wouldn’t understand even if I did.”

I bit back, wanting to push harder, needing her to see the danger. “Try me. I’ve known you long enough to see through the bullshit, Aria. Don’t hide behind some… some ridiculous obsession.”

She laughed, a short, bitter sound that made my stomach twist. “Obsession?” she asked, letting her voice rise just a touch. “Yeah, okay, maybe. But it’s mine. It’s mine, Jess. I… I can’t help it. I’ve tried to stop thinking about him, but I can’t. Every look, every word… it drags me in, and I—I want it, Jess. I want it. And I don’t care about anyone else.”

Her confession hit me like a punch. I could feel my stomach drop, the gravity of it twisting tight in my chest. “You don’t even realize what you’re doing,” I said softly, almost pleading. “This isn’t just about him noticing you. It’s… it’s dangerous. You could get burned. Like your sisters. Like your mom. This isn’t a game, Aria.”

Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears—or maybe defiance. I couldn’t tell. “Burned? Maybe. Maybe I don’t care. Maybe I’ve always liked playing with fire.”

I grabbed her hands, desperate now, needing her to stop, to ground herself. “Don’t. Don’t do this to yourself. To me. To anyone who actually gives a damn.”

She yanked her hands free, pushing past me toward the dorm entrance. Rain had started again, tapping lightly against the windows, like the sky was echoing the storm between us. “I’m not staying,” she said through gritted teeth. “I can’t. I can’t sit here pretending I’m okay when I’m not. I need… I need him.”

I took a step toward her, but she moved faster, sloshing through puddles in her sneakers. “Aria! Stop running into the rain!” I shouted, heart pounding.

She didn’t stop. Not for me, not for anything. I could only watch as she darted down the stairwell, hair plastered to her face, water dripping from the edge of her skirt. My throat tightened. This wasn’t just defiance anymore—she was spiraling, chasing a danger she didn’t fully understand.

And then I saw her. Maya. Leaning against the corner of the faculty wing, hood up, eyes narrowing as she tracked Aria’s path. I felt a surge of frustration and dread. Maya was always watching, always waiting for an opening, a mistake.

“She’s going straight for the faculty wing,” I muttered under my breath, heart racing. “Damn it, Aria…”

I ran after her, water splashing under my sneakers, calling her name. “Aria! Don’t!”

But she didn’t slow. Not even for me. Not even for the danger that I could see waiting for her in the shadows.

Maya watched her go, a faint, knowing smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. She’d seen this before—girls who thought they could handle fire. Girls who thought they could control it. And now Maya had the perfect opening, a chance to test Aria herself, to poke at the raw, untamed obsession that hung between Aria and Blackwell.

I reached the stairwell, breathless, rain soaking me through. Aria was gone from sight, disappearing into the night, but the echo of her footsteps, and her confession, still vibrated in my chest. “She’s too far gone,” I whispered, my voice almost lost in the sound of the rain. “Too far gone…”

I knew I had to follow, but I also knew I couldn’t stop what was coming next. The pull she felt, the tension she craved—it was bigger than me, bigger than anyone. And tonight, in the dark, soaked corridors of the campus, it would all collide.

Maya’s gaze lingered on the spot where Aria had vanished. “Interesting,” she murmured. “Very interesting.”

I didn’t notice her at first, blinded by worry, by fear, by the thought of Aria running headlong into a storm she couldn’t control. But now I did, and a chill ran down my spine. Maya had plans. She always had plans. And Aria… she was exactly the type of girl to walk right into them.

I cursed under my breath, shaking my head. “This is exactly what I was warning her about,” I muttered. But inside, I knew it was already too late.

The rain fell harder, and somewhere, not too far away, Aria’s defiance cut through it like a knife. And I knew… nothing would ever be the same.