Page 85 of Terror Tuesday

Then the seat beside me shifts. And my body freezes.

Elliot.

“Morning, QueenOmega,” he says softly as he slides into the chair like he’s done a dozen times before. His tone is warm, teasing, familiar—dangerouslyfamiliar.

My pen doesn’t stop moving. I underline the word “power” three times in my notes, even though the lecture hasn’t started.

“Big Nick energy this morning,” Elliot adds with a chuff, nodding toward the chatterbox on my other side. “Is that what I missed? You two eloping yet?”

He grins until his dimples deepen.

I don’t. Silence hangs. Uncomfortable. Brittle.

Elliot blinks, as if realizing the joke didn’t land. The desk squeaks as he slips lower in his seat. His smile falters as he whispers, “Olivia?”

I breathe through my nose and flip to the next page of my notebook.

“I—” he starts, then stops. His voice drops lower. “Is everything okay?”

Nick finally gets the social cue and glances between us with one eyebrow raised. “Uh, should I not be sitting here?”

“You’re fine,” I say without looking at either of them.

Elliot shifts slightly, confused but still trying to play it cool. “I just thought— I mean, after this weekend…”

I cap my pen.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I tell him. “But maybe don’t assume things just because they felt a certain way to you.”

It’s cruel. It’s surgical. And it guts him clean. But it’s very necessary, no matter how nauseating it feels to say.

He goes quiet, and I feel it happen. The moment he shuts down.

Professor Navarro opens her lecture, and for the next hour, I focus straight ahead, not looking at Elliot. Because if I do, I’ll remember the sounds he made when I rode his face like it was salvation.

I’ll remember how safe I felt in his arms. The warmth from our kisses and the utter rapture of the fantasy that I could be his.

And I’ll remember the fierce slice of wax across my skin when Vanq reminded me who I belong to.

So I sit and listen with a straight back. I take notes.

And I pretend Elliot never happened.

Even if he’s the only thing I’ve wanted in a long time.

The minute class ends, I gather my things like they’re armor. Notebook. Pen. Lip gloss. Everything is in its place. Everything neat andperfect.

His taut body moves beside me hesitantly as we head out to the busy hall. I hate that it still causes me to tingle, knowing he’s so near.

“Olivia—”

My name rolling off his tongue makes my spine stiffen.

Despite my casual yet hurried pace, he walks beside me. Falls into step like nothing’s changed. Like I didn’t ignore him the entire hour.

“Look, if I did something wrong, just tell me.” His voice makes a painstaking crack.

“You didn’t,” I murmur, eyes fixed straight ahead as we march out of the building and I motor toward Sorority Row.