Chapter 67 : Voices Echoes
HAYDEN’S POV:
The moment Professor Dalton says, “Time’s up,” the entire exam hall exhales like a dying animal.
Chairs scrape and pens drop. Someone in the back mutters a quiet “thank God.”
I lean back in my seat and rub my face with both hands, exhaustion crashing over me like a wave.
That exam was brutal.
Not a normal exam brutal. Not “I didn’t study enough” brutal. No. This is what Professor Dalton wants to see the world burn brutally.
I stare down at my paper for a moment, replaying the questions in my head. Supply curves, elasticity problems, and a ridiculous case study that took half the exam time alone.
Stephen’s voice echoes in my mind.
“Dalton loves trick questions. If it looks obvious, it’s probably wrong.”
God, I hope I listened well enough. Because if I didn’t…
My athletic scholarship flashes through my mind like a warning siren.
No scholarship means no team and no team means no staying at this university.
And that thought alone makes my stomach twist.
I shove the paper forward when the proctor walks by and stands up slowly. My shoulders feel tight, like I’ve been carrying weights for hours.
Around me, students are already panicking.
“That question about marginal cost made no sense.”
“I left the last two blank.”
“I’m dead.”
I grab my bag and walk toward the doors, my brain still trying to process everything.
Stephen’s going to want to analyze every question later. I can already picture it.
He’ll sit there calmly, flipping through his notes, dismantling the exam piece by piece like it’s some intellectual puzzle.
Meanwhile, I’ll just sit there wondering if I completely screwed up my future.
I push through the doors into the hallway and immediately hear shouting.
My eyes lift and of course. It was Lilian and Ella right in the middle of the hallway, arguing.
Students are gathered around them like they’re watching a live TV show.
Some are whispering. Others are openly staring. And the two of them? They look seconds away from actually throwing punches.
Lilian’s face is flushed with anger, her arms stiff at her sides. Ella stands across from her, chin raised, eyes sharp.
They’re yelling over each other.
“You’re obsessed!”
“Oh please, you started this!”
“Just stay away from him!”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to stay with you!”
The words blur together as I stand there near the exam hall doors, just watching. For a moment, I don’t move. I just… stare because something inside me feels strangely empty.
Two days ago, this would’ve made my blood boil. I would’ve jumped between them immediately, tried to fix it, and calm things down. Now? I’m just tired, so unbelievably tired.
The exam drained whatever energy I had left and honestly…
This whole situation between them has been exhausting for weeks.
The jealousy, the tension, and the constant little fights.
It feels like being stuck in a storm that never ends.
I lean back against the wall near the doorway, crossing my arms and I watch.
Lilian shoves Ella’s shoulder again. Ella immediately steps forward as gasps ripple through the crowd.
“Don’t touch me,” Ella snaps.
“Then stop provoking me!”
Their voices echo through the hallway while students whisper excitedly. Someone even pulls out their phone. Of course they do.
Drama spreads across campus faster than wildfire.
I sigh quietly. God. I really don’t have the energy for this today.
My head still feels packed with economic formulas and panic about my grades.
All I want right now is to lie down somewhere quiet and not think about anything for at least three hours.
Instead, I’m watching my girlfriend nearly start a public brawl.
I drag a hand through my hair.
For a moment, I consider stepping in.
But then I hear Lilian shout something about “him choosing me” and Ella firing back with “we’ll see about that.”
And something inside me just… shuts down. I’m done. At least for today.
So I stay where I am, just watching and not interfering, or reacting. Just… observing.
A few students nearby notice me standing there and whispers spread quickly.
“Isn’t that Hayden?”
“Oh my god, he’s here.”
“They’re literally fighting over him.”
Great. Exactly the kind of attention I wanted after that exam.
I shift my weight, considering slipping away before anyone drags me into this mess.
That’s when someone steps beside me. “Hey.”
The voice is soft. I glance over. It was a girl standing next to me, and for a second I was caught off guard.
She’s beautiful.
Dark skin, smooth and glowing under the hallway lights. Her hair is braided neatly back, and her eyes are warm but curious as she studies me.
She must’ve just finished the exam too.
She follows my gaze toward the chaos across the hallway. “Looks intense,” she says lightly.
I huff out a quiet laugh. “That’s one way to put it.”
She tilts her head slightly. “You’re Hayden, right?”
I nod slowly. Her lips curve into a small smile. “I thought so.”
Across the hallway, Lilian and Ella are still shouting. Students are fully invested now, forming a loose circle around them. The girl beside me glances back at the scene and then at me again.
“You look like you’d rather be anywhere else.”
She’s not wrong. I sigh. “That obvious?”
“Very.”
For a moment, neither of us says anything.
Then she nods toward the exit at the end of the hallway. “Want to leave?”
I blink slightly. “Leave?”
She shrugs casually. “Yeah. Take a walk, get coffee, and air. Literally anything that isn’t…” She gestures toward the arguing crowd. “…that.”
I stare at Lilian for a moment. She hasn’t even noticed I’m here. Neither of them has.
They’re too busy tearing into each other. It suddenly feels incredibly far away from me. And honestly? I don’t want to deal with it, not right now, when my head is still spinning with the possibility that my scholarship might disappear if I fail.
I exhale slowly. Then I nod. “Yeah,” I say.
The girl smiles. “Good choice.”
Without another word, we start walking down the hallway together. Behind us, the shouting continues.
But with every step we take toward the exit, it fades a little more.
And for the first time all day— I finally feel like I can breathe.