Bound by Stars (GirlxGirl)

Chapter 4: Unveiling Layers

I woke up early, thoughts of Elise still swirling in my mind. Deciding I needed to clear my head, I put on my running shoes and headed out for a morning jog around the campus. The fresh air and the rhythmic sound of my footsteps helped me focus.

As I rounded a corner, I nearly ran into Percy. "Morning, Aurora!" he greeted, matching my pace.

"Morning, Percy. Fancy meeting you here," I said, smiling.

We continued jogging together, chatting about our first impressions of the school and the people we'd met. Percy's easygoing nature made the conversation flow effortlessly. As we ran, I felt someone's gaze on me. Looking around, I found Elise's icy eyes staring at us. She was walking with a tall, skinny guy wearing a leather jacket. His dark hair fell messily over his forehead, and his piercing black eyes gave him a brooding look.

Percy noticed my distraction and glanced over. "Oh, that's Nico," he said. "Elise and Nico are very close."

A painful feeling twisted in my chest, one I didn't quite understand. We kept running past the two until Percy broke the silence. "Hey, would you like to get dinner tonight? Just the two of us?"

"Sure," I agreed, trying to shake off the strange feeling. We made our way back to the dorms, where Percy dropped me off before continuing to his own.

I showered and changed, putting on my uniform. Ready for another day, I headed to my first class: Biology. As I walked alone, my mind wandered to my love for science and how it had always been a source of fascination and comfort for me.

Inside the classroom, I didn't recognize anyone. There was only one seat left, next to Elise. Awkwardly, I walked over and took the seat, greeting her quietly. Elise continued to ignore me, her focus entirely on her notes.

The professor walked in, a broad smile on his face. "Hope you're happy with your seating because that will be your lab partner for the rest of the year," he announced.

My stomach dropped. This could be interesting, I thought.

The professor assigned a team homework assignment, explaining that every task would be completed with our seatmates. Elise finally turned to me, her expression serious. "We should get started today," she said curtly.

"What time?" I asked, trying to sound cooperative.

"6 PM," she replied, without hesitation.

My heart sank. "I can't. I'm busy tonight. I'm going out with Percy."

Elise's eyes narrowed in visible annoyance. "I can't afford to get a bad grade. I'm working on it tonight with or without you."

Her words stung, but I understood her determination. "Fine. I'll figure something out," I said, feeling a mix of frustration and respect.

I texted Percy, "Hey, I won't be able to make it. I have a group assignment with the Ice Queen herself, and she demands my full attention." He texted back, letting me know it was okay and that we could reschedule for the weekend. I didn't realize it, but I had zoned out during the latter half of the lecture. When I came back to, I saw that Elise was packing up to leave.

"Elise, we should exchange phone numbers," I said. "That way, we can keep in contact for later tonight."

"Okay," she responded, typing her phone number into my phone. "Elise Laurent," she typed in. I gave her phone back, and as she walked out, I wrote a nickname under it: "Ice Queen"—not only for her cold demeanor but also for her icy blue eyes.

I gathered my stuff and walked out. As I did, I saw Nico and Elise. He smiled at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, creating a pit at the bottom of my stomach. Emily came up behind me and said, "Those two look so good together, right?"