[Damien's POV]
I didn't mean to follow her.
I just… happened to be behind her. In the same hallway. At the same time.
Coincidence. Totally.
(Yeah, even I don't believe that.)
She looked tense, like her spine was a steel rod holding her up by sheer willpower. And then — bam — she walked straight into Veronica Hastings and her two minions from Gossip Girl: Discount Edition.
I stopped walking. Leaned against a locker. Watched.
> "People like you? You're entertainment," Veronica said.
Wrong move.
Rosella didn't shrink. She didn't apologize. She fired back like her mouth was a loaded weapon.
> "Then I hope I'm charging rent for all the space I take up in your head."
God.
I almost clapped.
Almost.
Instead, I watched the expressions change — shock on Veronica's face, barely contained laughter from her followers, and fire in Rosella's eyes. The girl walked away like she owned the building, and everyone else was just borrowing space.
And I realized something dangerous.
She wasn't just brave.
She was lethal.
---
Back in class, I couldn't focus.
The teacher was talking about international markets. Meanwhile, I was still replaying every second of that hallway scene.
Every word she'd thrown like knives.
Every breath she'd taken like it was a rebellion.
She's not scared.
She's furious.
And she's smart enough to hide it behind sarcasm and sass.
No one had ever talked to Veronica like that. No one had survived it. But Rosella? She didn't just survive — she flipped the script and walked away with the mic.
And that? That's a threat.
To everyone.
Even me.
---
After class, I ran into Veronica near the lounge. She looked like a shaken snow globe — beautiful, but barely holding it together.
"You handled that well," I said, voice dipped in sarcasm.
She sneered. "I'm not scared of her."
"You should be."
"She's nothing, Damien. A charity case in cheap shoes."
"Who just publicly humiliated you."
Her nostrils flared. "Are you defending her now?"
"No," I said carefully. "I'm warning you. Don't poke a fire if you're not ready to burn."
I left her speechless. It felt good.
But the truth?
I wasn't just warning her.
I was warning myself.
Because something about Rosella Rivers is dangerous. And addictive.
I don't chase people. They come to me.
But her?
She's not running toward me.
She's running through me.
And I'm letting her.
---
That night, I found myself outside the dorm building. I stared up at the windows, wondering which one was hers.
I should walk away.
I should forget her.
But I don't think I can.
She's chaos.
And for the first time in a long time...
I want to get caught in the storm.
---