The Dare
Sophia's voice carried through the courtyard like perfume—sweet, deliberate, suffocating.
"Let's just have fun today," she said, smiling too brightly. "No tension, no rumors. We're all friends, right?"
Mila squeezed my hand beneath the table. The sun slanted through the trees, cutting the autumn air into gold and shadow. Everyone laughed, drank coffee, pretended the gossip wasn't crawling under their skin. I kept my eyes on my cup, tracing the lip with my finger, wishing I could dissolve into steam.
Then Enzo's voice sliced through the noise.
"So, Arisha," he said, lazy and loud, "since you're the quiet one, why don't we make you the star today?"
Laughter rippled. My stomach tightened.
He leaned back, flashing that cruel grin. "We'll settle the whole scandal. How about a dare? You let someone confess to you—right here—and prove you're not scared of a little attention."
I stared at him, pulse thudding. "That's ridiculous."
"Oh come on," he said. "Even scholarship girls deserve a love story, right?"
The table went silent. I felt the heat rise to my face, the world narrowing until I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.
He stood, smooth as a serpent, and before I could move, he bent slightly—mocking a proposal. "So, Arisha Rossi, would you accept my humble heart?"
The laughter came like a slap. My throat closed. I couldn't breathe.
That was when the laughter stopped.
A single voice, low and steady:
"Get away from her."
Adrian.
He stood at the edge of the crowd, his expression unreadable, jaw tight enough to break. The sunlight caught in his dark hair as he walked forward, slow, deliberate, like a storm deciding where to fall.
Enzo straightened, smirking. "Oh, look. The prime minister's son, defending his little project."
"Say that again," Adrian said quietly.
Enzo shrugged. "Everyone knows you're just bored. You think the plain ones make better toys—"
The sound of the punch was sharp and final.
Gasps broke around us. Enzo stumbled back, blood blooming from his lip. Adrian grabbed his collar, fury burning in his eyes.
"You ever speak her name again, I'll end you."
Phones were already out. Someone screamed. Sophia shoved between them, crying for help, yelling that Adrian had gone mad. Security ran in. The courtyard spun with chaos.
And I—
I just stood there. My breath trembled. His hand was bleeding. His eyes found mine through the noise, and for a heartbeat, everything stilled.
"You don't have to explain yourself," he said softly, before they pulled him away.
The campus was quieter than I'd ever heard it.
Even the wind seemed to move differently — cautious, secretive. The air still carried the echo of the day's chaos: the whispers, the cameras, the sharp click of heels when Sophia stormed off crying for attention.
Now, the lights from the faculty office spilled onto the courtyard, and I stood just outside the gate, clutching my cardigan around me.
Adrian had been taken to the infirmary, they said. Some said he'd been suspended, others whispered his father had called in lawyers. Everyone had something to say — except me.
I hadn't spoken all day.
Mila tried to walk me home, but I couldn't. Not yet. I needed to see him. Needed to understand what that look in his eyes meant — that flash of something between fury and fear, something that felt like a promise.
So I came here.
The security guard hesitated when he saw me. "You're not allowed inside, miss. He's resting."
"I just need five minutes," I said quietly. "Please."
He looked at me for a long time, then sighed. "Five."
The infirmary hallway smelled of antiseptic and silence. Every footstep felt like a confession.
When I reached the last door, my hand shook on the knob. I didn't know if I was ready — or what I'd say.
He was sitting by the window. One arm bandaged, his hair slightly disheveled, a bruise blooming near his jaw. He turned when the door opened.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, voice low, rough.
I closed the door behind me. "I had to see if you were okay."
He smiled faintly, the kind that never reached his eyes. "I'm fine. Just a suspension and a lecture from half the country."
"That's not fine, Adrian."
He looked down at his hand, flexed it once, wincing. "He insulted you. I wasn't going to let him."
"I didn't ask you to fight for me."
"I know." He looked up, eyes meeting mine. "But I couldn't watch you break while everyone laughed."
The words hit deeper than I expected. I sat beside him, leaving a careful distance, but the silence between us felt almost alive.
Outside, rain began to fall — soft, uncertain.
"I planted that daisy," I said suddenly, voice trembling. "The one you bought me. It's still alive."
He turned toward me fully this time, the smallest flicker of warmth crossing his face. "Good. I was hoping you would."
I almost smiled. Then reality returned like cold water. "This… what happened today… it's going to ruin everything. For both of us."
He stood, walked toward the window, looking out at the blur of rain. "It already did."
My chest ached. "Adrian…"
He looked over his shoulder. "You should go, Arisha. They'll drag you into this if you stay."
But I didn't move. My feet felt rooted to the floor. "I don't care."
He exhaled, stepping closer, his voice barely a whisper now. "You should."
For a moment, the world narrowed to the sound of rain and the faint thud of my heart. He reached out, brushed a strand of hair from my face — a gentle, trembling touch.
"Don't let them see you here," he murmured. "Not tonight."
And before I could answer, I was already walking away — back into the dark, the echo of his voice following me like a secret.
I prayed for his well being. I felt even more drown to him. Love and respect blooming in my chest like pure wildflower.