Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER NINE! "Just stop!"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Connie stormed out of the gym without saying another word, his body tense as he pushed through the crowd of students who had gathered, whispering and murmuring about what just happened. His eyes were locked straight ahead, jaw clenched, and he didn't look back—not once. You watched him go, your heart pounding as the adrenaline from the confrontation with Malik still surged in your chest.
You didn't know whether to be angry, relieved, or confused. All you knew was that watching Connie stand up for you had made something shift inside of you. For a moment, he had been your protector, and you hadn't expected it. Not after everything. But there was something raw and real about his anger, his willingness to go to bat for you, even when it meant taking on Malik and his friends.
You finally gathered yourself together, pushing through the gym doors, and quickly followed behind him. His strides were long and quick, and you had to jog just to keep up with him.
When he finally reached his dorm and opened the door, you slipped in behind him before he could shut you out. You saw the way his shoulders hunched, the tension in his body, you knew he wasn't running from Malik. He was running from something else—something deeper. He sighed, dropping his phone onto his desk, his expression softening slightly as he noticed your persistence.
"Come on," he muttered, finally acknowledging you "Let's go smoke."
You followed Connie out of the dorm, the cold night air stinging your skin. You didn't say anything, but your footsteps were too loud in the silence, and Connie's were too fast. He wasn't even looking at you, walking ahead with his hands shoved into his hoodie pockets. His shoulders were stiff, and there was that familiar tension in his movements, the one that made you wonder just how much he was holding in.
You knew he was struggling with everything going on—the stuff he didn't want to talk about, the things that weighed on him heavier than anything else. But you weren't about to let him walk away from you in silence.
