𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐘

THREE | THE NEXT PREY

It was the first Saturday morning after Jade had completed one full week of college, and she sat alone in the library, reading. While most university students were starting off their weekend wickedly hungover from celebrating the night prior, Jade didn't have any friends to party with.

Being several years younger than everybody in school was the norm for Jade, so she never really learned how to interact with people her age. She had always been surrounded by people who were older than her, and while it was cool for the younger kids to hangout with the older kids, it wasn't necessarily cool to be one of those older kids.

And in addition to the predetermined social hierarchy, Jade had also always been surrounded by the elite or the offspring of the elite, which only amplified their desire to be well-liked at school.

So she had been left completely friendless.

But it was something that Jade had grown to accept over time. When she had first started school as a young child, it really bothered her. Everyday, as soon as she got home, she would burst into tears. Her housekeeper would always comfort her since her parents were never around either. However, as she got older, she began to find comfort and solace in being alone.

Or perhaps, she had to. It wasn't like she ever had a chance at anything else.

Though as she lived vicariously through others, Jade concluded that it was better to live life in solitude. While it may be nice to have a thriving social life, she determined that people always end up either leaving or hurting you anyway.

It was better to be prepared for that.

Since Jade had learned to be so independent early on, she spent a lot of time watching and observing others. She would watch the drama between her peers unfold on a daily basis. She had witnessed fights and break ups between lovers and friends, and how quickly two people could go from that to strangers. And the one thing she noticed always remained constant throughout it all was that people are ruthless.

Jade was astounded by the way people tear one another apart—but also the way they tear themselves apart when they lose someone they once cared very deeply about. She saw a play-by-play of betrayal on several occasions, and how it damages everyone involved.

And because of this, she trusted no one.

She was all she had. So at the end of the day, she needed to be alright with that.

And so there she sat on a Saturday, buried between shelves full of words and pages. The girl, herself, was like a book—bound together by seams, made up of random letters and a million sentences—each telling a different story of who she was and why.

But although Jade had a bold cover, the writing inside was a jumbled mess of pure chaos.

"Reading on a Saturday?" a deep voice asked with curiosity.

Jade looked up from the book she was reading, then leaned back in her chair with a smirk once she met eyes with Leo Atkins, one of Sonder University's beloved history professors. Leo was a highly well-known teacher at SU, and was very popular and well-liked amongst the students.

However, the only thing that really stuck out to Jade about him was the fact that he was quite easy on the eyes.

Jade eyed the man from the ground up as he stood tall with his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his slacks. She shrugged as he smiled down at her, "What can I say? I like to outsmart my professors."

Leo looked at Jade in amusement then chuckled, "If only more students were like you. Maybe it'd keep them from making so many bad decisions."

Jade smiled mischievously before placing her elbows on the wooden desk in front of her. She leaned her body forward and looked up at him with the eyes of a vixen, "Tell me, Professor, when was the last time you made a bad decision?"