Beneath his cold eyes

nings were n

mers that nothing here came easy. Danielle Adams felt every bit of it as she stood before the towering gat

d in the air as she tightened

sc

ci

veryt

how nervou

er of weeks. One month she was comfortable in her quiet hometown; now she was standing

ho carried themselves with effortless confidence. Designer bags, glossy hair, diamond bracelets... Danielle swal

ered to herself. "Just brea

d through the gates, she

not hostile,

t didn't quite fit the polish

ay focused, until a black SUV

nd her fell into

had arrived. The shift in the atmosphere said everything. Sh

in W

y people whispered his name in hallways the past few days whenever

in p

... in

like he hadn't bothered to fix it yet it still fell perfectly. His eyes were sharp

dn't

't gree

n't ne

round him without

way. The last thing she wanted was to start her first

e long, intimidating hallway. The place smelled faintly of mint and old wooden floors, polis

ht, then realized she had

muttered unde

face, walking a little faster

d straight i

ds, papers scattering every

anielle gasped, immediately k

into raised a perfec

Watch where

snickered

olite smile. "I rea

't get t

uddenly grew

air had

llowed thei

stood a few st

omach

as unmistakable. Students stiffened as if someone had flipped a switch

ly across the scene unti

d at her, everythin

r annoyed-it was curious.

ntruded on a part of him

rrassed to hold his stare. But just as she reached for a noteb

t into

landed on

athing

ilence swept thr

gainst the fabric of his black jacke

he whispered, her v

idn't sn

't s

ose to what the rumor

at her, eyes narrowed in

t, trembling girl-had shaken him more in one

last of her books, murmured another apology, and

't dare

ustin

ss in his chest he couldn't explain. A feeling he thou

ng as he struggled to push t

room in his lif

istra

mist

touch lingered on his chest

is

in his mind long a