Page 64 of Lessons in Touch

“Oh, I know girls like you, Cassandra. You’re trying to put me down so that the men around us think you’re the good one. That’s why you’re doing this. You cannot stand the fact that there’s a man here who likes me more than you!”

Everyone must think that I’m talking about Liam. They all know that he is Cassandra’s ex-boyfriend. And that he’s into me.

But she knows I’m actually talking about Gabriel. I can see it in her face.

The dining hall falls completely silent. Cassandra's mouth opens slightly, but no words come out.

I pick up my tray and walk toward the exit. My legs feel steady beneath me, and I keep my chin high. Behind me, a few students whisper to each other, but the mocking laughter has stopped entirely.

Professor Thompson is seated at the faculty table near the entrance. Our eyes meet briefly as I pass, and I expect him to say something about the scene I just caused. Instead, he gives me the smallest nod and returns to his newspaper.

The hallway outside the dining hall feels cooler and quieter. I lean against the wall for a moment to let the adrenaline settle. I actually did it. I stood up to her instead of running away.

"Rose?"

I turn to find Liam approaching me. He looks uncomfortable and has his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"Hey," I say, straightening up. "How was your break?"

"It was good. Listen, I..." He runs a hand through his hair. "I wanted to talk to you about something. About everything, actually."

"Everything?"

He glances around the hallway to make sure we're alone. "I owe you an apology. A big one. I didn't mean for things to go this far, and Cassandra... She kind of dragged me into it."

I study his face. He looks genuinely upset, but I have no idea what he's talking about. "Into what?"

"The whole thing with..." He trails off, then shakes his head. "God, I've been such an idiot. I was angry after you turned me down, and when Cassandra suggested... I should have said ‘no.’ I should have walked away."

My confusion must show on my face because he looks even more uncomfortable.

"You really don't know, do you?" he asks quietly.

"Know what, Liam?"

For a long moment, he just stares at the floor. "I'm sorry, Rose. I'm really, truly sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."

The sincerity in his voice is unmistakable, but his words make no sense. I feel like I'm missing half of a conversation.

"I don't understand what you're apologizing for," I say.

"Maybe that's for the best." He looks up at me with something that might be relief. "Just... be careful, okay? Cassandra isn't done with whatever she's planning."

Before I can ask what he means, he turns and walks away, leaving me standing alone in the hallway with more questions than answers.

The unease settles in my stomach like a stone. Whatever game Cassandra is playing, it's clearly more complicated than her usual petty cruelty. And somehow, Liam is involved.

I think about the way she looked at me in the dining hall, that calculating expression behind her fake smile. She wasn't just trying to humiliate me for fun. There was something else there, something more deliberate.

Be careful, Liam had said. Cassandra isn't done with whatever she's planning.

Whatever she's planning, I have a feeling that today was just the beginning.

Chapter 22 Gabriel

"Gabriel. We need to talk."

Elliot stops me in the middle of the hallway, right as I am about to enter my next class. My stomach drops, but I keep my face neutral.