If anyone ever claimed they weren’t at least a little bit attracted to Rachel Roth, they were either in denial or telling the most laughable lie imaginable. Everyone at Gotham University knew her—though most called her Raven.

She was the quintessential gothic enigma: striking, elusive, with dark eyes that gave nothing away and a stride that said she had better things to do than waste time lingering. You’d spot her weaving through crowded hallways with practiced ease, a thick book clutched in one hand—something about psychoanalysis or Freud, if you dared peek. A psych major, they said. Fitting, somehow.

Fishnets hugged her legs beneath black skirts, chains clinked faintly with her every step, and her makeup was a work of art—sharp, dark, unforgiving. She was the kind of beautiful that made people stupid. Boys stumbled over their words around her, girls whispered about her with either awe or envy. But Raven remained untouched by it all.

Because Raven had a secret.

She wasn’t interested in any of them. Garfield, for instance—sweet, charming, endlessly loyal. A good friend, sure. But her heart didn’t stutter for him. Why would it? Rachel liked women. Not that anyone knew. Not yet. Her heart was still quiet, folded inward like the wings of something that hadn’t quite decided to fly.

She stood now in front of the mirror in the campus restroom, carefully retouching her black lip gloss. Her reflection, cool and unreadable, stared back at her. And then the sound of a stall door creaked open behind her.

A girl stepped out—bright, polished, the kind of effortlessly pretty that came from knowing exactly how to catch the light. Her outfit screamed fashion major: pastel skirt, stylish boots, and a confidence that shimmered even under cheap fluorescent bulbs.

Rachel barely had time to blink before the girl beamed and waved enthusiastically, as if they were old friends.

Rachel blinked. Her lip gloss froze mid-application.

“Uh... hello,” she replied, voice low and rough, a gravel-throated contrast to the other girl’s honey-sweet tone.