I did what Lara told me to do.

I tried to act small. I kept my eyes down, spoke the bare minimum, in a voice that was deliberately a shade above a whisper.

As I said goodbye to Nell after school, I caught Ethan at the edge of my peripheral vision, standing near his usual place by the low wall, upright and taut, like a coiled spring. The perimeter around him was empty. The students roamed around, but never too close, as if held back by an invisible fence. He watched me with that singular focus I had learned to expect, except this time his jaw was set tight, his eyes narrowed in a way that did not radiate warmth, but suspicion.

Nell caught up to me the next day as I tried to melt into the stream of students so she wouldn't find me immediately, and I still caught sight of Ethan at the far end of the hallway, laughing about something with a couple of guys, his attention flickering over to me every couple of seconds, like he couldn't allow himself to lose me out of focus.

I almost made it. Almost being the defining word.

Nell fell into step beside me with that practiced, effortless precision, and I hated how a part of me relaxed at the familiarity of it, because relief meant I had become dependent on her. On both of them.

"You're doing it again," Nell said without looking at me.

"What?" I muttered.

"Lowering your eyes," she said. "You've been doing it since yesterday. Stop."

I forced my gaze up. It felt like stepping out of cover. My eyes searched for Lara and her friends. I exhaled in relief when I saw they weren't there.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, in a voice so thin it bordered on a whisper.

"I want you to act normal," Nell replied. "What has gone into you all of a sudden?"

I let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "All of a sudden. Yeah, right."

Nell stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Kelsey, what happened?" She kept her posture straight, but her shoulders visibly tensed beneath her dark green vest.

Students streamed around us like water around rocks, casting quick glances, then looking away too fast, because the hallway didn't like stillness, and it definitely didn't like attention pooling in one place.

"Nothing," I said.

Nell's eyes went flat. "That's a lie, and you know it."

I opened my mouth to snap back, then Ethan slid into place on my other side, as naturally as breathing.

The space around us expanded. A boy nearest to us almost stumbled, catching himself at the last moment before he hit a locker.

Ethan ignored him, holding my gaze with that single-minded focus. His nostrils flared a little, barely a flutter, but his eyes turned into slits.

"Something happened yesterday," he stated, tone quiet and sharp. "What?"

I looked away. "Nothing happened. I'm fine."

Nell's head turned sharply to him, then to me, irritation and concern woven tight in her expression before she locked it down again.

"You're lying," Ethan said, like he had no patience for performances.

Something in my chest swelled and swelled until I couldn't hold it anymore.

"What do you want?" I hissed. "A report? A confession? A list of how many times someone looked at me wrong? Because it's going to be a really long freaking list!"

His eyes narrowed a fraction. "Kelsey."

"Stop saying my name like that," I snapped, still remembering to keep quiet despite my rattled nerves. "Stop hovering. Stop ordering me around. Stop acting like I'm some kind of problem you have to manage. You don't own me. Neither of you."

A few heads turned.

Nell lifted her hand slightly, not touching me, just close enough that the gesture felt like a reprimand.

"Not here," Ethan said, and the tone cut through the hallway noise like a blade. My stomach dropped.

"Where then?" I shot back, too loud, too raw. "Because I'm done with all the cryptic bullshit. I'm done with the whispering and the staring and the rules nobody will explain. Do you hear me? I. Am. Done."

Nell went very still.

Ethan's face didn't change, but his posture coiled, turning him from a guy into a live wire. Something complicated flickered behind his eyes, recognition and restraint in the same breath.

"Enough," he said, low. "Not here." Then, a sigh. "Come," he said.

Nell's voice cut in immediately. "Ethan." Her voice held both fear and warning.

He didn't look at her. "Walk with me," he repeated to me.

My heart kicked hard. My father's voice flashed in my head, all the rules and the don'ts.

I didn't move.

Ethan's gaze stayed steady. "Either come," he said quietly, "or stay quiet."

The bluntness hit me like a slap, but at least it was honest. He was offering me a choice, and I had a feeling it was a one-time offer.

Nell stepped closer, voice tight. "This is a bad idea."

Ethan finally looked at her, eyes cold, expression firm and unreadable. "You stay out of it."

Nell's eyes flashed. For a second, I thought she might actually push him. She didn't.

His attention snapped back to me. "Now."

I barely managed to nod once before he turned and began walking. I took a deep, steadying breath, fingers squeezing my backpack strap like a safety rail, and followed him. I followed because at this point answers pulled harder than safety.

Nell trailed us for a few steps, then stopped.

When I glanced over my shoulder, she stood in the hallway, arms crossed, watching Ethan like he was a problem she couldn't solve. Her eyes moved to me, reflecting something I couldn't decipher.