Chapter 10 – Sam’s Vow Deepens
Sam's POV
I thought I hated Declan Ward before.
I thought the fire in my chest the day of Lily’s funeral was as strong as it could ever get. But now… after standing in front of him, after hearing his laugh, after feeling the weight of his hand on my shoulder like I was a dog he could train—
Now the hate is sharper. Deadlier.
It isn’t fire anymore. It’s ice. Cold, steady, patient. The kind that doesn’t burn out.
I sit on the edge of my bed that night, staring at the wall across from me. Elias is there, of course, sprawled out like he doesn’t have a care in the world, lighter flicking on and off in the dark. But I’m not really seeing him.
All I see is Declan.
All I hear is Lily.
Her laugh. Her scream. Her silence.
I clench my fists until my nails dig crescents into my palms.
This isn’t just revenge anymore. It’s survival. If I don’t do this, I’ll drown in her ghost.
I promised her I’d live. I promised her I’d remember. And remembering means making sure they never forget what they did.
The next day in class, I can’t focus. The teacher drones on about economics, graphs scrawled across the board, but my brain is somewhere else. Every tick of the clock is another second wasted while Declan breathes free air.
I catch myself staring at him across the room.
He’s not even trying to pay attention. He’s leaned back in his chair, arm slung over the back, grinning at something Adrian just whispered. He looks like he owns the place. Like rules were built for everyone else but him.
And the worst part? The teacher doesn’t care. Nobody calls him out. Nobody dares.
That’s what Lily meant. That’s what she knew. They’re untouchable.
Unless I touch them.
My pen presses so hard into my notebook the tip snaps. I don’t even flinch.
Elias notices. I feel his eyes on me, like he can read my thoughts if I’m not careful.
At lunch, it happens again. Declan and his crew sit at their table like it’s a throne room. Everyone else orbits them carefully, trying not to get too close, not to get in the way.
I force myself to sit at a different table, halfway across the room, but my eyes won’t stay away.
Every move he makes is calculated. The way he tosses a grape at Nathaniel and smirks when it bounces off his forehead. The way he leans close to a girl who wandered too near, making her blush before he dismisses her like she’s nothing. The way Adrian laughs too loud at everything he says.
It’s sickening.
He’s charming. He’s magnetic. He’s poison sugar-coated in gold.
And nobody sees it.
Nobody except me.
That night, I can’t sit still. I pace the room until Elias finally sighs and says, “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”
I snap, “Mind your business.”
But of course he doesn’t. He never does.
“Your jaw’s tight,” he says calmly. “Your fists keep clenching. You’re wound so tight, Hale, I’m surprised you haven’t snapped in half yet.”
I stop pacing, whirl on him. “Why do you care?”
He just shrugs, flicks his lighter again. Flame. Darkness. Flame. Darkness.
“Because people who snap usually take others down with them,” he says. “And I happen to be your roommate.”
The words sting because they’re true. But I can’t tell him that. I can’t tell him anything.
So I just grab my pillow, shove it over my face, and scream into it until my throat burns.
When I finally pull it away, Elias is still watching me. But this time, he doesn’t say anything.
And for some reason, that’s worse.
I dream again.
Not of Lily this time. Not exactly.
I dream of Declan. His hand gripping her wrist. His grin. His laugh.
I wake up drenched in sweat, shaking, whispering her name before I catch myself.
My heart nearly stops when Elias stirs.
But he doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak.
Maybe he didn’t hear.
I hope he didn’t hear.
The vow is different now.
At first, I just wanted revenge. To hurt them like they hurt her.
But now, it feels bigger. Darker. Like if I don’t destroy Declan Ward, I’ll lose myself completely.
Lily’s ghost won’t let me rest until I do.
I can almost hear her voice sometimes, in the quiet. Not the Lily from before—the Lily after.
Broken. Hopeless.
“They’ll get away with it.”
Not if I breathe.
Not if I bleed.
Not if I burn myself down to ashes and drag him with me.
By the end of the week, I’ve memorized him.
The way he walks. The way he speaks. The way everyone bends around him like he’s gravity.
I study him the way other students study their textbooks. I file away every detail, every weakness, every careless laugh.
Because one day, I’ll use it.
I’ll use it all.
And when he falls, I’ll be there to watch.
It’s late Friday night when I catch him again, in the courtyard outside the dorms. He’s leaning against the fountain, cigarette in hand, Adrian and Nathaniel at his sides. The glow of the streetlamp makes him look almost angelic.
Angel. Demon. Same difference.
I shouldn’t be here. I should turn around, go back inside, keep my distance.
But I don’t.
I can’t.
My feet carry me closer, quiet, careful, hidden in the shadows.
I want to hear him.
I need to.
Declan takes a drag, exhales slow, smoke curling around his grin. “They all follow,” he says. “Every last one. Pathetic.”
Adrian laughs. Nathaniel nods eagerly.
Declan flicks ash into the fountain. “The new one’s interesting, though. Sam Hale. Thinks he can look me in the eye.”
My heart stops.
He remembers me.
He noticed me.
Adrian snickers. “Want me to put him in his place?”
Declan smirks, slow and dangerous. “Not yet. Let’s see how long he lasts first.”
My blood chills.
Because in that moment, I realize something.
He’s not just watching me.
He’s waiting.
Like a predator with a mouse in its claws.
And I’ve already been caught.