THE HEROS OF GODOLKIN | GEN V AND THE BOYS FIC |

10

The classroom had the typical hum of a normal day at Godolkin University. Luke sat beside Cate, the two of them sharing a quiet conversation that seemed reminiscent of their freshman year. His face was lighter, not burdened by the weight of everything that would happen later. Cate sat close, her smile warm, and a much younger Claire sat further back, withdrawn from the group, observing everything but saying nothing.

"Hey," Luke whispered to Cate, his voice carrying that natural charisma he always had. The group slowly filtered in around them, Andre settling into the seat behind Luke and Cate, watching them with his usual calm. Luke reached his hand out toward Cate, flashing his signature grin. "I'm Luke," he introduced himself as if she didn't already know, his eyes twinkling with humor.

Cate chuckled, shaking his hand. "Cate," she responded, her voice soft but confident, a knowing look in her eyes.

"You, uh... you seem pretty smart. Think I could cheat off of you?" Luke teased, a playful glint in his eyes. Both of them shared a laugh, and for a moment, everything felt light, carefree.

Cate grinned back, her expression matching his. "You're gonna ride my coattails?" she asked, tilting her head with a playful smirk.

"All the way to the top," Luke said, his gaze holding hers, full of an unspoken bond that neither of them realized would run deeper than they could have anticipated.

As they shared their moment, Max and Jordan drifted toward the back, nearer to Claire, while another figure loomed closer. Rufus, with his unnerving predatory smile, sidled up beside Claire, his confidence oozing in a way that made her skin crawl.

"Name's Rufus," he said, not bothering to wait for her to acknowledge him. "You're... Claire," he added, as if pulling the information from thin air, his powers of mind-reading already invading her space.

Claire shot him a disgusted look, rising from her seat swiftly, not about to entertain whatever this creep was about. "Your smile is creepy as hell," she snapped, her voice filled with disdain as she strode out of the classroom, leaving Rufus sitting there alone, grinning in her wake.

Meanwhile, Andre's face shifted, his earlier calm breaking. He glanced at Luke, his expression hardening as memories of their past began to bleed through the present. "Guys. We should leave," Andre muttered, standing up abruptly, his voice quiet but filled with a sense of urgency. "I can't be here."

Before he could take another step, Luke's voice cut through the air, but this time it wasn't a whisper. "I miss you, man," Luke said, his tone somber, and Andre stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning back toward him. The familiar, comforting classroom was dissolving into something darker, a phantom memory bleeding into reality.

Andre's chest tightened, and he chuckled softly, a strained sound. "I... I miss you too, man. So fucking much," he admitted, the words hanging between them like a weight. He wanted to believe this moment, wanted to hold onto it.

But Luke's expression shifted, the warmth draining from his face. "But you know what? I don't believe you," Luke said, his voice colder now, something dangerous brewing behind his eyes as he stood up. The room seemed to tense around him, a pressure building.

"You thought I didn't know?" Luke asked, his gaze sharp as it flickered to Andre. The smile that had been so familiar was gone now, replaced with a look of betrayal and accusation.

"What?" Max asked, confusion filling his voice as he glanced between Luke and Andre, clearly unaware of the tension that was unraveling before him.

"Know what?" Marie's voice cut in, concerned, as Jordan stood beside her, both of them sensing the rising storm.