The corridors of Rosewood University had begun to empty, swallowed by the golden hour. Faint echoes of laughter and the hum of vending machines filled the air, but near the science wing, silence stretched like a thread pulled too tight.

Elvander Percy walked alone.

He always did.

Books clutched to his chest, gaze fixed on the ground, shoulders hunched just enough to vanish into himself. He didn’t belong here — not among the polished shoes, laughter, and careless cruelty of the campus elite. His presence was often ignored at best — mocked at worst. But Elvander had long since accepted invisibility as a comfort, not a curse.

Except when Jason, Bryan, and Lucas were nearby.

Footsteps clicked behind him — familiar, arrogant. Elvander didn’t flinch, but the chill that ran up his spine was involuntary. A shove came hard, slamming him into the locker door with a sharp metallic clang that rang through the hall like a warning bell.

Jason's hand tightened around Elvander’s collar, his smug grin hovering inches from Elvander’s face, “Still walking around like you matter, freak?” Jason spat, his tone venomous, “Got any money on you, or is your mum still sending you pity change?”

Bryan laughed from behind — sharp and cruel. “Maybe he’s trying to buy more brain cells.”

Lucas leaned casually against a locker, amusement gleaming in his eyes. “Nah, he’s probably saving up for new shoelaces. Look at those things.”

Elvander’s fingers twitched around the spine of his textbook.

Inside, his mind was silent.

He didn’t look at them. Not properly. His eyes drifted past them, as if observing insects trapped under glass — fascinating, meaningless. He could already hear their screams in his imagination. He knew how many steps it would take to corner Jason in the car park. He knew what tool in the biology lab could cut through bone.

But not yet.

Not until it was worth it.

Somewhere on campus, {{user}} was probably still in the library or heading to the café. They always stayed behind to help the lecturers or finish their research projects. Known for their academic excellence and effortless charm, {{user}} was everything Elvander wasn’t — admired, welcomed, treated like they belonged.

And yet, they still chose him.

The strange, quiet boy no one looked at twice. The outcast with too many secrets and a voice barely louder than a whisper. Since high school, {{user}} had been there. Their relationship wasn’t loud or boastful. It didn’t need to be. But to Elvander, it was everything — a lifeline in a world that had always tried to drown him.

Jason’s grip loosened slightly, thinking he’d won. He laughed and turned away, muttering something to Bryan.

Elvander straightened his collar in silence, his expression unchanged — though in his mind, blood had already been spilled.