Don’t bother, your small brain won’t be able to understand. You go read your confidence books and do your MMA thingy. —Naomi.

I am leaving, meet me at the east gate at 9:30 —Naomi.

Alright. —Lucian.

Lucian nodded.

He knew Naomi had extra classes before university classes began, so she wouldn’t be able to go with him. Not that he minded, he wanted her to focus on her own life while he...

While he would deal with whatever his life had become.

With that thought in his mind, Lucian hurried back to his house, took a shower, ate bread and an omelette for protein, and left.

At exactly 9:30, he was in front of the east gate. By now, students were already moving in groups, some talking, some laughing, some looking half-dead from lack of sleep.

"Lucian."

A few minutes later, he heard a voice. He turned and saw Naomi walking towards him, and he just grinned.

"5 minutes late."

Naomi’s mouth twitched in annoyance.

"What are you? My alarm clock?"

"Apparently not, because if you had one, you wouldn’t be late."

Lucian shrugged.

"Unlike you, I have things to do."

Naomi shook her head.

"I have things too, you know?"

"Yea, like MMA."

Naomi rolled her eyes.

"Well, it is one of the things."

Lucian didn’t deny it, and that made Naomi look at him.

"Did you really go to an MMA centre?"

"Mhm."

Lucian answered honestly.

"So you trained with actual MMA people?"

She asked with a concerned look on her face, her eyes already scanning him for injuries.

"Yes."

"And they let you?"

"They let anyone in these days."

Lucian laughed.

Naomi didn’t seem to like it a lot, but when she saw the look in his eyes, when she recalled everything that had happened...

She realised that maybe it was Lucian’s way of getting his mind off everything, to exhaust his body so much that he doesn’t think about it.

Therefore—

Despite her lack of interest, she showed interest.

"So what happened?"

She asked as the two started walking.

"I punched a heavy bag."

"That sounds normal."

"The chain broke."

And the instant she heard those words, Naomi stopped walking. Lucian looked back.

"The chain broke?"

She blinked.

"Yes."

"From one punch?"

"I held back."

Lucian lied.

He wanted to see what face she would make.

"You... held back?"

"Mhm."

"And the chain broke?"

"Yes."

"What did the coach say?"

"He asked who my dealer was."

"I want to know that too. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Wait, did you turn into a vampire? Ah no, you are walking under the sun, and your eyes aren’t red either. Must be something else."

Naomi looked at him. Lucian kept a straight face with all his might and Naomi, she just made a disgusted face.

"Don’t tell me you turned into Spiderman."

"Anyways, the coach said he wouldn’t let me compete without proper tests."

"Smart man."

"I am not trying to compete."

"You are smart too."

Naomi smiled. The two walked through the campus, and a few students noticed Lucian and started whispering.

That had changed too.

Before, people ignored him. Now, eyes followed him.

Some looked curious, some sympathetic, and some girls stared for too long.

Lucian noticed all of it.

Yesterday, with his mind a mess, all this attention nearly broke him. Today, it was more bearable.

"Everyone’s looking at you..."

Naomi commented.

"They are."

"Does it bother you?"

"It does."

Lucian answered honestly. Naomi looked at him for a moment and then—

"You hide it well."

"I spent most of my life being looked down on. Being looked at is new, but I can manage."

Naomi glanced at him and laughed.

"That was almost poetic."

"It was, wasn’t it?"

The two laughed as they appeared in front of Professor Hart’s office. Naomi stopped near the door.

"She wanted to see you alone."

Lucian nodded, then he turned to Professor Hart’s office and knocked gently.

"Come in."

A voice came from inside.

Lucian walked in. Professor Hart was sitting behind her desk, surrounded by files and books. She looked up, her eyes scanned him and—

"You look better than you did yesterday."

She instantly noticed how different Lucian looked compared to the panting boy struggling to keep his eyes straight.

"Thank you."

Lucian nodded as he closed the door behind him.

"Sit."

He sat.

Again, the professor’s scent attacked him, the same scent that made him want to pin her down and force himself upon her yesterday, but today, no such thoughts appeared.

He was still attracted to her, he still wanted to do... things with her, and while he did not like this particular chain of thought either, it was still better than yesterday.

"I spoke with Sofia Zane, Jessica Reed, and Monica Vale."

Elena began.

"They told me what happened before the fight. They said you repeatedly asked Ryan and the others to leave you alone, that Ryan and his friends were the ones who followed you, mocked your parents, and pushed you emotionally when you were clearly unwell. That’s when the situation escalated."

Lucian nodded at those words, not denying anything. Elena noticed his reaction and—

"Under normal circumstances, you would already be suspended."

Lucian looked at her.

"But the university has decided not to take immediate disciplinary action against you."

"Why?"

Lucian couldn’t help but ask.

"Because of the situation. Your parents were murdered less than twenty-four hours before the incident, you were emotionally unstable, you were provoked, and witnesses support that. Ryan and his friends were not innocent victims."

Elena studied him as she said those words, then—

"That said, this does not mean you did nothing wrong."

"I know."

"Do you?"

Elena raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, I do."

Lucian nodded with a serious look on his face.

"What happened yesterday, Lucian?"

Elena asked in a much softer tone.

Lucian hesitated.

"I am not... right, Professor."

He said the only thing he thought he could.

Elena now looked concerned.

"You went through severe trauma."

"It is more than that."

Lucian shook his head.

"Then you need help."

Lucian let out a dry laugh at those words.

"Yes. I am aware."

"I mean professional help."

Professional help.

Those words instantly made him think of Claire Voss and the official statement saying an unknown intruder had killed his parents.

’Professional help.’

He repeated in his head, the idea almost making him laugh again.

"I will look into it."

Elena narrowed her eyes.

"That sounded like something a student says when he has no intention of doing it."

Lucian didn’t say anything. For a moment, the room was quiet, then Elena just sighed.

"The university is allowing you to continue classes, but there are conditions."

Lucian looked at her.