Untouchable

0.22

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Ivy’s POV

It had been a week.

A full, torturous week of avoiding Adrian Blackwood and Nathaniel Van der Meer like my life depended on it.

When Kayla had asked about that night, I brushed it off with a forced laugh, saying it was just Nathaniel being himself. She had raised an eyebrow but let it go.

But the truth?

I had no idea how to deal with it.

Nathaniel had dropped a bomb on me, and Adrian had witnessed the explosion. And now, I had English class—my first unavoidable encounter with Adrian since that moment.

My stomach twisted as I stepped inside the classroom, fingers gripping my books a little too tightly.

I should’ve skipped.

Adrian was already there, seated in his usual spot—our usual spot. His gaze flicked to me the second I entered, dark and unreadable.

For a second, I considered turning right back around.

But then his jaw tightened, and something about the way he looked at me—like I was just another problem he had to deal with—set my blood boiling.

I sat down.

The air between us felt suffocating.

I refused to look at him.

Until he spoke.

"We need to talk."

I glanced at him, finally meeting his eyes. "About what?"

His expression was blank, but there was a sharpness beneath it. "You know what."

I exhaled through my nose. "Then no. We don’t."

His fingers tapped once against the desk. "You’ve been avoiding me."

I scoffed. "Congratulations, you figured it out."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Ivy."

The way he said my name sent an involuntary shiver down my spine.

I swallowed, forcing myself to hold my ground. "I don’t owe you an explanation."

Adrian’s eyes darkened. "Stay away from my friends."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

I let out a dry laugh. "Wow. And why exactly would I do that?"

Adrian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back slightly, watching me like he was picking apart every inch of my reaction.

Then, low and deliberate, he said, "Because I said so."

That was it. That was his whole argument.

And something inside me snapped.

"Oh, great reason," I said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thanks for clearing that up, Blackwood. Super convincing."

His gaze flickered, just for a second, before hardening. "I don’t need to explain myself to you."

I glared at him. "And yet, here you are, telling me who I can and can’t be around."

"You think Nathaniel actually cares about you?" he shot back, voice quiet but sharp.

The words stung more than I expected.

I didn’t let it show. "And what if he does?"

Adrian’s fingers curled into a fist on his desk. His lips parted slightly like he had something to say, but then—

"Am I interrupting something?"

My head snapped toward the voice.

Kennedy.

Standing by our desks, arms crossed, perfectly manicured nails tapping against her elbow.

The tension in the room shifted instantly, the hostility between Adrian and me cutting off like a switch had been flipped.

Adrian exhaled sharply and looked away.

I forced a tight-lipped smile. "Nope. Nothing at all."

Kennedy’s eyes flicked between us, unconvinced.

Before she could say anything else, our professor dismissed the class. I grabbed my bag, fully prepared to escape, but—

"Let’s go."

Adrian’s voice was sharp, leaving no room for argument as he stood.

I frowned. "Go where?"

He gave me a look. "Somewhere private."

I hesitated. My first instinct was to refuse, but there was something different in his expression now. Less anger, more something else.

Frustration?

I wasn’t sure, but I found myself following him out of the classroom anyway.

We didn’t speak as we walked through the halls, and I hated how aware I was of his presence beside me.

Finally, Adrian turned down an empty hallway, stopping near a window where no one else was around. He turned to face me, arms crossed.

"Why him?"

I blinked. "What?"

His jaw clenched. "Nathaniel."

I inhaled sharply. "It was a game, Adrian."

"You still let him kiss you."

"Yeah, and? It’s not like I kissed you," I shot back before I could stop myself.

His eyes darkened. "Exactly."

I let out a frustrated breath. "Why do you even care?"

Adrian didn’t answer.

Instead, he stared at me—really stared at me.

The tension between us felt unbearable.

He took a slow step forward, and my back hit the wall before I realized I had even moved.

My heart pounded.

"You don’t want me around your friends, fine," I said, voice quieter now, charged. "But don’t act like you’re doing it for them."

Adrian’s expression stayed unreadable, but his breathing had changed. Deeper. Slower.

Something about the way he was looking at me made my stomach flip.

His fingers twitched at his side, like he wanted to do something but refused to let himself.

I hated that my body reacted to it.

But then—

"Ivy."

We both flinched at the voice.

Kennedy.

Again.

I turned to see her standing at the other end of the hallway, watching us with something dangerously close to amusement.

Adrian stepped back immediately, his expression closing off.

Kennedy smirked. "We need to talk."

I swallowed hard, heart still racing as I watched Adrian walk away without another word.

Leaving me alone with her.

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