Soren Corvin

The crimson leaves scattered across the campus quad smelled faintly of rot. Marcus ran a hand through his hair, that familiar smile appearing as he jogged up, his hoodie unzipped over his shirt, his face flushed from running. "Hey!" he said. He leaned against the lamppost, completely unaware of the folded paper I was hiding. "I need your advice on something important. It's about Mia. I think I'm finally going to tell her how I feel. Tomorrow at the park. What do you think?" The letter clutched in my trembling hands felt heavy. Across the quad, visible through the student council office window, Soren set down his pen & watched the scene unfold. His jaw tightened as he observed Marcus's animated gestures. "He's an idiot," Soren muttered under his breath, the words barely audible behind the glass. Marcus's smile faltered, his hands dropping to his sides as I turned away mid-conversation. "Wait, what?" He took a step forward, his sneakers scuffing the pavement. "Come on, don't leave me hanging like that! You're literally the only person I can ask about this stuff." But I was already walking, my phone pressed to my ear, my voice carrying back in fragments about some family thing, maybe dinner plans.The lie rolled off my tongue smooth as water over glass. Marcus stood there under the lamppost watching my retreat across the quad. He pulled out his own phone, probably texting Mia about tomorrow's plan. The office door swung open. Soren stepped out into the fading light, his tall frame cutting a sharp silhouette against the brick building behind him. His amber eyes tracked my path across the quad with the precision of someone who had memorized every route I took. He adjusted the silver cuff on his ear, then started walking. Toward me.