Chapter 19
OMARI
The black car slowed down in front of the tall iron gates of Astra High. My chest tightened as I looked out the window. The gates looked too big, too sharp, like they were ready to close in on me. Beyond them, students were already gathered, laughing, talking, staring at the long line of cars pulling up.
The triplets’ car was different. It was sleek and dark, the kind of car that made people turn their heads. And of course, they noticed. I saw the way the students’ voices dropped as the car rolled to a stop. Eyes turned. Whispers rose. They already knew who was inside, and now they were waiting.
I swallowed hard and fixed my eyes on my hands in my lap. My fingers twisted in the hem of my skirt, nervous and restless.
Leighton leaned forward from his seat, looking at me with that crooked smile of his.
“You look like you’re about to run, little one.”
I didn’t answer. My throat was dry.
Paxton chuckled from the other side. “She’s shy. That won’t last long.”
Ashton stretched his arm across the back of the seat and glanced out the window. “They’re all waiting,” he said in a low voice. “They always do.”
The driver opened the door. A rush of cool air hit my face.
“After you, Omari,” Leighton teased.
I shook my head quickly. “No,you first.”
That only made him grin wider. “As you wish.” He stepped out, tall and easy, and the moment he did, I heard the noise outside swell. A mix of cheers, gasps, and whispers followed him.
Then Ashton slid out after him, calm and collected, his hazel eyes sweeping over the crowd like he owned them.
Paxton moved last, his hand brushing my arm as he passed. A soft touch, quick but enough to make my skin warm. He didn’t look back, just smirked as he joined his brothers.
And then all three of them were standing there, the famous Astra triplets. Strong, dark-haired, and dangerous in their own ways. They didn’t even have to try. The attention clung to them like a shadow.
The driver gave me a look, waiting.
My stomach turned. Slowly, I pushed the door open and stepped out.
The shift was instant. Some eyes slid from the triplets to me. Not all, but enough to make my skin crawl. I tugged at my bag strap and kept my eyes low, wishing I could disappear.
“Omari,” Ashton said quietly, his hand brushing the small of my back. To anyone else, it looked casual, maybe even protective. To me, it was a reminder. A reminder that I wasn’t free.
I lifted my head then, and that’s when I saw her.
Violet. I could recognize her. I caught glimpses of her at the parties my parents threw.
She was standing right near the gates, like she had been waiting just for them. Her dark hair fell in shiny waves over her shoulders, not a single strand out of place.
Her skin looked smooth, glowing, and her lips were painted a soft pink. Her uniform, the same as mine, somehow looked like it had been made for her. Pressed, neat, and just a little shorter at the skirt. She looked perfect, like the kind of girl who always got her way.
The group around her was laughing, but when she saw the triplets, her laugh turned into a smile so sweet it almost hurt to look at.
“Well, well,” she said, her voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. “Look who finally decided to grace us.”
Students parted without her asking, letting her walk right up to the triplets. Her eyes went straight to them, shining with something between hunger and pride.
“Leighton,” she said first, her hand brushing his arm like they had done it a thousand times. “It’s been too long.”
He smirked down at her but didn’t say a word.
Then she turned to Ashton. “Still as serious as ever, I see.” She tilted her head, her smile widening when he didn’t deny it.
Her last glance landed on Paxton. And there it lingered. She looked at him like he was hers already, like the rest of the world was just background noise.
“You haven’t changed,” she told him softly.
Paxton gave her the smallest smile, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. “Neither have you, Violet.”
The way she lit up at that like he had handed her the moon made my chest tighten.
And then, finally, her eyes slid to me.
I wished they hadn’t.
For one second, she looked me over from head to toe. The neat braid my mom had made that morning. The plain bag I held too tightly. The nervous way I shifted my weight. Her smile didn’t falter, but her tone shifted when she spoke.
“And this must be…” She paused, like the name was hard to remember, though I knew she had heard it. Everyone had. “…Omari.”
The way she said my name was sharp, like she was cutting it in half.
“Yes,” Ashton said before I could open my mouth. “This is Omari.”
Something passed over Violet’s face, quick but clear. Dislike. Maybe even a challenge.
“Oh,” she said simply. “Welcome.”
But the word didn’t sound like welcome at all.
Laughter bubbled from the students behind her, not loud, but enough. My cheeks burned. I wanted to sink into the ground, vanish, anything but stand here under her stare and their whispers.
Leighton stepped closer then, so close his arm brushed mine. He leaned down, his lips almost touching my ear.
“Don’t let her get to you,” he whispered, his voice low enough for me alone. “She’s always been jealous.”
The heat from his breath sent shivers down my spine. My face burned hotter.
I looked away quickly, clutching my bag tighter, trying to breathe.
But Violet had seen the way he leaned toward me. I knew it by the flicker in her eyes, by the way her smile stiffened just a little.
“Well,” she said again, this time with a brightness too sweet to be real. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, Omari.”
I didn’t answer. My throat felt locked.
Paxton’s hand pressed lightly against my lower back, guiding me forward. “We should get going,” he said.
The crowd parted again as the four of us walked through the gates, Violet’s eyes still heavy on me.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
We moved past the gates, the crowd of students slowly thinning behind us. I could still feel their eyes on me, heavy and sharp, even when I didn’t turn to look. It was like walking with a spotlight over my head.
Paxton’s hand left my back once we were a few steps inside, but I could still feel the ghost of his touch, warm and steady. My heart beat too fast.
I knew why.
It wasn’t just the stares. It wasn’t just Violet. It was the three of them. Always too close. Always touching just enough to remind me that I wasn’t free.