The three of them made their way toward the west dormitory wing, where the crowds were thinner. Even so, Jasmine felt every pair of eyes that turned in her direction. Voices dipped as she passed; whispers sharpened like tiny blades carving into the air.
"…they said the board had to stop the meeting…"
"…apparently she cried in front of everyone…"
"…the teacher's being investigated…"
"…Lisa punched someone—"
"That never happened," Lisa snapped at the last whisper as she passed. The two students flinched, stepping aside.
Jasmine pulled gently on Lisa's sleeve. "Please. Don't."
Lisa breathed hard through her nose, trying to restrain the fire simmering just beneath her skin. "Sorry. I just— they don't know anything."
"They don't want to know," Jasmine murmured. "Rumors are easier."
Nathalie walked behind them now, maintaining the professional distance required of her. Yet the distance felt heavier than it should have, like a cold barrier forced between them. She kept her gaze forward, never toward Jasmine, never toward anyone else — a woman rebuilding a wall after nearly letting it crumble.
They reached the central courtyard. The fountain's quiet bubbling masked some of the chatter from farther across the grounds. The air was colder here, cleaner, as though the academy's judgment couldn't seep into the stone paths.
Lisa sat Jasmine down on the edge of the fountain. "Just a minute. Breathe."
Jasmine inhaled slowly, letting the cool air steady her pulse. For a few moments, the world felt manageable again.
Nathalie stood a few steps away, spine perfectly straight, hands clasped in front of her — the picture of disciplined neutrality. But Jasmine could feel the invisible thread pulling between them. Every heartbeat made it tighter.
Lisa noticed the tension too. Her jaw flexed.
"Miss Laurent," Lisa said sharply.
Nathalie didn't look at her. "It's Madame Laurent."
"I don't care," Lisa shot back. "Why did you need to talk to her alone? You know she's fragile right now."
Jasmine's breath caught.
Nathalie finally turned her head, meeting Lisa's glare with quiet severity. "Because I needed to tell her the truth. Something you've been avoiding."
Lisa stepped closer, fists clenched. "And what truth is that?"
"That you are not the only one hurting," Nathalie replied softly. "And you need to stop acting as if Jasmine belongs to you."
Lisa's breath stilled. "I never said she belongs to me."
"No," Nathalie corrected, "but your behavior implies it."
Jasmine quickly stood up, moving between them. "Stop. Please. Not here."
Lisa's eyes burned, but she backed away a single step. Nathalie lowered her gaze, tension still visible in the tightening of her fingers.
The silence stretched, fragile.
Then a shadow approached from the opposite walkway.
A student Jasmine barely recognized — a girl from the sculpture department, heavy backpack, messy braids — stopped near them. Her eyes flicked nervously between Jasmine and Nathalie.
"Um… Jasmine?" she asked hesitantly.
Jasmine blinked. "Yes?"
The girl bit her lip. "People are saying all sorts of stuff. But I… I just wanted to say I'm glad you're okay. Yesterday looked really scary."
Jasmine softened. "Thank you. That means a lot."
The girl nodded shyly, then turned toward Nathalie with a conflicted expression.
"We don't know the details. But… you don't seem like a bad teacher. My roommate said you defended Jasmine."
Nathalie looked surprised. "I defended her because she deserves to be protected."
The girl nodded quickly. "That's good. Some of us… we don't believe the rumors."
She hurried away before any of them could respond.
Jasmine watched her leave, something warm flickering faintly in her chest. A reminder that not everyone at the academy wanted to tear her apart.
Lisa leaned in. "See? Not everyone's stupid."
But her voice lacked the usual bite. Instead, she sounded worn — as though every rumor cut her too.
Nathalie exhaled softly. "Jasmine, maybe you should go to your dorm. Rest. You've endured too much for one day."
Jasmine shook her head. "If I go to my room, I'll just drown in my thoughts. I need fresh air."
"Then we'll stay with you," Lisa said immediately.
Nathalie hesitated. "I shouldn't—"
"You should," Jasmine interrupted gently.
Both women froze.
Jasmine felt her own heartbeat trip at the power of her own words.
"I don't want to pretend nothing happened," she continued quietly. "I don't want either of you to keep your distance because the board is watching. You were both there when I needed you. You both care about me. That… matters."
Lisa looked stunned.
Nathalie looked devastated.
Jasmine turned toward them, her voice steady despite the tremor underlying it. "I don't know what I'm feeling. I don't know what happens next. But I don't want to lose either of you."
Lisa's voice cracked. "You're not losing me. Never."
Nathalie swallowed hard, her composure fracturing at the edges. "You won't lose me either. Even if I have to stand in the shadows to protect you."
Those words hit Jasmine somewhere deep — frightening, bittersweet, overwhelming.
A sudden gust of wind swept across the courtyard, scattering leaves across the stone path.
It was Lisa who broke the silence. "We should get away from the academy for a bit. Go off campus. Clear our heads."
Jasmine hesitated. "We're allowed to?"
Nathalie answered. "You are. Students are permitted to leave between classes as long as you sign out. I… I can't accompany you outside the grounds. The board would—"
"We're not asking you to come," Lisa cut in sharply.
Nathalie flinched.
Jasmine stepped forward instinctively. "I want her to come."
Lisa stared at Jasmine, then at Nathalie. "Jasmine—"
"I said I don't want to lose either of you," Jasmine repeated.
Silence. Heavy. Dangerous.
Lisa looked away, jaw tight.
Nathalie's eyes softened with an ache she could no longer hide. "Jasmine… If the board finds out, they will assume I am influencing you. It will damage your case — and my career."
Jasmine felt something twist inside her — a suffocating mix of guilt and longing.
"I don't want to be another burden to you," she whispered.
Nathalie shook her head slowly. "You're not a burden. You're the reason I'm fighting."
Those words broke something open in Jasmine's chest.
Lisa stepped forward. "If she doesn't come, then I'm taking Jasmine off campus myself."
"Lisa," Jasmine said sharply.
"No," Lisa insisted, voice trembling. "I can't stand watching you get torn apart between us. If she can't be here, then I'll handle it. I'll stay with you."
Nathalie closed her eyes for a moment — the pain on her face unmistakable.
"Go with her," she whispered. "Please. Let her protect you today."
Jasmine's breath hitched. She didn't want to leave Nathalie behind. Not after everything.
But Nathalie took a single step back, reinforcing the boundary. "I need to be careful. For you."
Jasmine nodded slowly, even as her heart twisted painfully.
Lisa wrapped an arm gently around Jasmine's back. "Come on. Let's breathe some real air."
Jasmine looked at Nathalie one last time.
The teacher stood still in the courtyard wind, hair shifting across her cheek, eyes full of something silent and breaking.
Jasmine turned away.
But she felt Nathalie's gaze on her until she disappeared behind the archway.
And in that moment, she understood something clearly, painfully:
This wasn't a love triangle.
It was a collision of three hearts —
each trying to protect the other,
each hurting in a different way,
each one terrified of the truth waiting to surface.