Chapter 27 – Cracks in the Walls
Sam's POV
The party finally broke up after Declan stormed out, muttering threats under his breath. The others followed him like shadows, whispering, laughing nervously, tossing me looks like I’d just painted a target on my back.
By the time Elias and I slipped back into our room, my stomach was still on fire from the alcohol. I sat heavily on my bed, rubbing my temples, trying not to vomit.
Elias stood in the middle of the room, pacing. His hands were fists, his jaw tight. Finally, he spoke.
“What the hell was that?”
I groaned. “You’re welcome.”
He turned on me, eyes blazing. “Welcome? You nearly drank yourself unconscious. You should’ve let me handle it.”
“Handle it how?” I snapped. “Let them shove you into a corner? Let Declan humiliate you? They had it all set up.”
His nostrils flared. “And you thought killing your liver was the better option?”
I smirked weakly. “Worked, didn’t it? You’re standing here, not in that laundry room being their plaything.”
He stopped pacing, staring at me for a long moment. Something softened in his face, just a little.
“You’re reckless,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” I said, leaning back against the wall, “but I’m not heartless.”
Silence hung between us, thick and strange. The kind that felt heavy with words neither of us wanted to say.
Finally, Elias pulled out his chair and sat across from me. His eyes searched mine, serious, unreadable.
“Why did you really do it, Hale?”
I swallowed, my throat dry. “I told you. I hate bullies.”
“That’s not an answer.”
I shrugged, forcing a careless grin. “Maybe I just like the spotlight.”
He leaned closer, his gaze sharp. “You’re lying.”
My pulse skipped. “And you think you know me well enough to say that?”
He tilted his head. “I think you’ve got secrets. Big ones.”
The room felt too small, his eyes too sharp. I looked away, pretending to fiddle with the hem of my hoodie. “Don’t we all?”
“Maybe.” He leaned back, sighing. “But most people don’t risk everything for someone they barely know.”
I glanced back at him. His expression was different now—not angry, not mocking. Just… thoughtful.
“You think I did it for you?” I asked quietly.
He held my gaze. “Didn’t you?”
Heat crept up my neck. I forced a laugh. “Don’t flatter yourself, Cross. You’re not that special.”
He smirked faintly. “Could’ve fooled me.”
I rolled my eyes, but inside, my chest tightened. If he kept looking at me like that, if he kept peeling back the layers—I’d slip.
“Anyway,” he said, softer this time, “thanks. For tonight.”
The words caught me off guard. Elias Cross didn’t thank people. He didn’t let his guard down. And yet, here he was, saying it like he meant it.
I shrugged. “Don’t mention it.”
“I will,” he said firmly.
That made me laugh. “What, you gonna put it in your diary?”
He smirked again, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Maybe.”
For a moment, we just sat there. The tension between us wasn’t sharp anymore. It was… different. Warmer. And that scared me more than Declan ever could.
Because warmth meant danger. Warmth meant slipping.
Elias broke the silence first. “You know, Hale, you confuse the hell out of me.”
“Good,” I said quickly. “Confusion means you’re not bored.”
He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. “Seriously. One minute you’re biting back at Declan like you’ve got nothing to lose. The next, you’re looking like the weight of the world’s on your shoulders.”
I froze. Did he see that much?
“You ever think,” he continued, softer now, “that maybe you don’t have to carry it alone?”
My chest clenched. My throat felt tight. I forced a laugh to mask it. “What are you, my therapist now?”
He smirked. “Just saying. You’re not as invisible as you think.”
I swallowed hard, looking away. If only he knew just how not-invisible I really was.
Later that night, when the dorm quieted down, Elias was still awake. He leaned back in his chair, tapping a pen against his notebook. I lay on my bed, pretending to scroll my phone, but I was really watching him from the corner of my eye.
Finally, he spoke again, voice low. “You ever lose someone, Hale?”
My chest tightened. My fingers curled into the sheets.
“What kind of question is that?” I asked, forcing nonchalance.
“A real one.” He glanced at me. “Feels like you have.”
I bit back the truth rising in my throat. The graveyard. My sister’s face. Her whispers.
“I’ve lost things,” I said carefully. “People, too.”
Elias studied me, eyes sharp, then nodded. “Yeah. Thought so.”
Silence stretched again, but this time it wasn’t heavy. It was… understanding. Like somehow, he knew what loss felt like too.
Maybe that’s why he was different from the others.
It was late when we finally drifted into silence. Elias lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. I stared at the wall, wide awake.
I told myself it was fine. That I was in control. That he was just a roommate.
But when I closed my eyes, I could still hear his voice.
“You’re not as invisible as you think.”
And the worst part?
Some small, traitorous part of me wanted to believe him.
I was almost asleep when a noise at the door jolted me awake.
A soft scrape. The faintest whisper of movement.
I held my breath.
Someone slid something under the door.
A folded piece of paper.
Another note.