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𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗥𝗔 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗥 chapter twenty one
Jackson walked briskly down the corridor, his gaze darting around as if searching for an escape route. But when he saw Lydia approaching, he knew he was out of luck. He halted, shoulders tensing as her voice cut through the hum of passing students.
"Jackson?" Lydia's voice softened, almost tentative, as she came closer. Jackson glanced around, clearly uncomfortable.
"What do you need, want, require? What?" His words came out fast, sharp, barely masking his unease.
Lydia swallowed, visibly steeling herself. "I need to tell you something. Something important." She paused, eyes on him, but he kept shifting, looking anywhere but at her. "We haven't really talked since... that night. And—Jackson, can you just look at me for half a second?"
With a resigned sigh, he slammed his locker shut and finally met her gaze, albeit reluctantly.
"They said if you and Tess hadn't found me and carried me back..." Lydia hesitated, vulnerability flashing across her face. "I might have died. So I wanted... I wanted to thank you."
Jackson's expression turned unreadable as he eyed her, skepticism clouding his gaze. "We're not getting back together," he said bluntly, arms folded, his voice tinged with something cold, even defensive.
"What?" Lydia stammered, taken aback.
"And just because I kept you from bleeding out once," he continued, his tone laced with bitterness, "don't expect me to come running every time you start screaming."
Lydia blinked, trying to hold herself steady, but his words cut deep. "I never said—"
"I'm not responsible for you." He practically spat out the words, a finality in his tone that made her flinch.
For a moment, he seemed to hesitate, almost regretting the sting of his words. But he quickly masked it, and his eyes grew hard again. "But I'll give you one piece of advice," he added, a hint of warning in his voice. "If I were you, I'd stay home tonight."
Lydia's heart thudded as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. "What do you mean?" she called after him, her voice laced with worry. "What's tonight?"
Jackson turned back, a dark, knowing smile curling on his lips. "It's a full moon." Without waiting for her reaction, he turned on his heel, leaving Lydia standing there, his ominous words lingering in the air.
