Collide || 18+

3

Isabella

"It was an accident," I say, trying to defend myself.

"From now on, watch your back," he warns, his voice cold. "He hates people who get in his way."

A shiver runs down my spine. I don't know whether to be scared or just ignore the threat. As the lesson goes on, I can't help but notice the blonde girl glancing at me a few times.

As the professor dismissed the class, most of the students quickly gathered their things and left, but I stayed behind to finish writing down the notes I had missed. Just as I was about to leave, the blonde girl I had noticed earlier stopped me.

"Hey, you're really pretty," she said, flashing me a stunning smile.

I blinked, caught off guard. This gorgeous girl just called me pretty? "Thank you," I managed to reply, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly.

"I'm Evelyn," she said, extending her hand into the air, waiting for me to shake it.

"I'm Isabella, but you can call me Isa," I replied, taking her hand in mine.

"Do you want to be friends?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with genuine warmth.

My heart skipped a beat. My first friend in college. "Sure," I said with a smile, feeling a wave of relief and excitement wash over me.

I left the room, feeling so happy that I couldn't help but spin around with joy. But I stopped suddenly when I noticed Seb leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed on me.

That look—it's intense, almost scary. I slowed my pace, my gaze never leaving him. Just then, I heard a familiar voice.

"Isa!"

I turned toward the voice, relieved to see Amara approaching. Thank goodness she's here.

She came up to me and gave me a side hug. "How was your day?" I asked.

"It was boring," she replied with a laugh.

"If that was boring, then this year is going to be even worse," I joked.

"I know, but I can't help it," she said. I glanced around to see if Seb was still there, and sure enough, he was still staring at me. His friend, who had been sitting next to me in class, came out and started talking to Seb, but he kept his eyes locked on me.

I turned back to Amara, who seemed to notice my unease. "What happened?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I'll tell you later," I replied, trying to brush it off.

"Why?" she pressed, still clearly confused.

I sighed, glancing over my shoulder. "You see the guy behind me? The one leaning against the wall?"

"Yeah, I see him. He's talking to his friend now," she said, noticing that Seb had finally stopped staring at me.

"Let's go somewhere else, and I'll explain everything," I suggested, eager to get away from Seb's gaze.

Amara and I sat on a bench outside the campus. I told her everything, trying to keep a straight face. "I bumped into a guy and accidentally destroyed his project."

"Stop, you did not do that," she said, bursting into laughter and almost falling off the chair.

"Stop, I'm serious," I insisted, but my serious tone quickly faded as I began to laugh too.

"Okay, stop laughing for a moment. I'm not finished," I said, trying to regain composure.

She managed to stop laughing but still had a smile on her face. "And tomorrow, I have to meet up with this guy to pay him back," I continued.