Chapter 90 : The Clash Between Them
STEPHEN’S POV
I knew before I even saw him.
It was the noise. It was not loud like the parties he had been throwing himself into lately but the kind of careless sound that didn’t belong in this dorm at this hour. His laughter and a girl’s voice.
My chest tightened anyway.
I stayed where I was for a second longer, sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at nothing while the sound carried faintly through the hall. I didn’t need to guess what it meant.
Hayden was back and I was sure he wasn’t alone.
I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over my face, trying to push down the sharp, unwanted reaction clawing its way up my throat. It shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.
We’ve been avoiding each other for weeks now.
Avoiding conversations and eye contact. Avoiding… everything but avoiding someone doesn’t mean you stop noticing them.
Especially not when everyone else won’t shut up about it.
Hayden this. Hayden that.
He is out every night. He doesn’t give a shit anymore. He is going through girls like they are underwear.
I pushed myself up before I could think too much about it and stepped into the hallway just as his door opened and there he was.
His hair was messy, his shirt slightly wrinkled, and his lips just a little too flushed, as if he had been kissing someone recently. His arm was draped loosely around a girl I didn’t recognize, his body angled toward her like she was the only thing that mattered in that moment.
Something in my chest twisted.
He laughed at something she said, easily, and then leaned down, brushing his mouth against hers again like it was nothing.
Like it was always nothing.
“Go wait in my room,” he murmured against her lips. “I’ll grab us something to eat.”
She nodded, smiling up at him like he hung the damn moon, before slipping past him and disappearing into his room.
And then….then it was just us.
The shift was instant.
Hayden straightened, the easy charm slipping just slightly as his eyes landed on me. For a split second, something flickered there, then it was gone and replaced with that same careless mask he’s been wearing for weeks.
“Stephen,” he said flatly.
I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms, studying him in a way I hadn’t let myself do in a while.
“You’ve been busy,” I replied.
His jaw ticked, just barely. “Mind your business.”
There it was.
I pushed off the wall slowly, stepping closer. “It's kind of hard to when everyone keeps talking about you.”
He scoffed, brushing past me like I wasn’t worth the effort. “Then maybe you should stop listening.”
I turned, watching him head toward the kitchen, his shoulders tense in a way that didn’t match the casual act he was putting on.
“You think this is working?” I asked quietly.
That made him stop but he didn't turn around. “What?” he muttered.
“This,” I said, gesturing vaguely toward his room, toward the girl inside, toward everything he’s been doing lately. “Whatever this is supposed to be.”
He let out a short, humorless laugh, finally glancing back at me over his shoulder. “What, exactly, do you think it is?”
I held his gaze. “A distraction.”
Something dark flickered in his eyes.
“Congratulations,” he said slowly. “You figured it out.”
“It’s not fixing anything.”
His expression hardened instantly. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
“No,” I agreed. “But you’re getting it anyway.”
That did it. He turned fully this time, taking a step toward me, his jaw tight, eyes sharper than they’ve been in weeks. “I’m fine, Stephen.”
The words came out too fast and forced.
I shook my head. “You’re not.”
“Yeah?” he shot back. “And you would know, right?”
There was an edge there now. Something raw. “I know you,” I said simply.
That hit. I saw it in the way his expression faltered for just a second before he snapped it back into place.
“Not anymore,” he muttered.
Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy.
I took another step closer, lowering my voice. “You don’t have to do this.”
His laugh this time was sharper. Bitter. “Do what?” he asked. “Live my life?”
“No,” I said. “Destroy it.”
His eyes flashed. “Don’t,” he warned but I didn’t stop.
“You’re slipping, Hayden. Your grades, your focus, everything. Coach is already on your back. People are noticing.”
“I said don’t,” he repeated, louder this time.
“And what?” I pressed. “You think this is going to end well? You think you can keep running like this forever?”
“Shut up.” The words cracked out of him, sudden and harsh.
For a second, neither of us moved.
His chest was rising and falling too fast, his hands clenched at his sides like he was barely holding himself together.
And for the first time in weeks… I saw it.
Not arrogance or carelessness. The mess underneath.
So I softened, just slightly. “Hey,” I said quietly.
His gaze snapped to mine, something uncertain flickering.
“You don’t have to…”
“Mind your fucking business, Stephen.” The words landed like a slap.
Whatever had cracked open for that split second slammed shut just as fast.
I exhaled slowly, nodding once. “Right,” I said.
He held my gaze for a moment longer, like he was daring me to push again.
So he turned away first. “Go back to your room,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve got company.”
There was something off in the way he said it. I watched him walk away, disappearing into the kitchen without another glance.
And for a second, I just stood there.
Because the worst part wasn’t the girl in his room. It wasn’t the attitude or the drinking or the way he keeps pushing everyone away.
It was the fact that I could see exactly what he was doing and I had no idea how to stop it.
From down the hall, I heard his door open again. A faint laugh. The murmur of his voice, softer now, slipping back into that easy tone like nothing had happened.
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to turn away but even as I walked back into my room, closing the door behind me, one thought wouldn’t leave.
He’s not okay.
And sooner or later… This is all going to crash.